ItalyUpdate

The Venice Biennale, one of the worlds most prestigious showcases of contemporary art, can always be relied on to provide news and talking points.

Italys rosè wine producers met at Lake Garda recently to celebrate the EU decision to prohibit the creation of rosè wines by mixing white and red wines together,.....

According to recent figures, the financial crisis has determined a drop in tourism to Italys main art cities and hoteliers are adjusting their tariffs accordingly.

Just days after the Dolomite mountain range officially entered the UNESCO list of world heritage sites, a news-catching initiative has been organized in the Dolomites on the eve of the G8 conference in L'Aquila, Abruzzo, due to open on the 8 th July 2009. 

Bagpipes and harps will echo among the peaks of Monte Bianco during the 9 th to 12 th July 2009, when the 13 th edition of Italys great Celtica festival takes place in the Italian town of Aosta, 

The exhibition Galileo, Images of the Universe from Ancient Times to the Telescope, is on show at Palazzo Strozzi, Florence until the 30 th August.

The British low-cost carrier Easyjet has announced plans to expand its operations in Italy. 

On the 4 th June 2009, the Costa Crociere cruise line, now owned by the American Carnival Corporation achieved a Guinness record by baptizing two new luxury liners contemporarily at Costas original home port of Genoa.

MCS Crociere,  Italys second biggest cruise company, is wooing gourmets with its a˝ la carte menu, created by master chef  Ciro Campagna and served in the Obelisco restaurant of the Msc Poesia . 

A world back-to-front is the theme of  Mantova (Lombardy th Festival of the Golden Harlequin which runs between the 19 th to 28 th June 2009.