ItalyUpdate

Neapolitan chef Marcello Fotia was the winner of this years European Dual Pizza  Championship held recently in Paris.

Leading  Italian scooter manufacturers  Piaggio have rivived the mythical 1960s Vespa, which became world famous  as the scooter used by the roving reporter Gregory Peck in the Hollywood classic Roman Holiday .

The new version of the Vespa is called the Lav 125. It faithfully preserves the look of the vintage two-wheeler, but  is equiped with a new sophisticated engine that makes it more powerful and at the same time more respectful of the environment  than the earlier model.

For three weekends, one of Romes most famous ancient monuments, the Ara Pacis, or Altar of Peace, dedicated by the Emperor Augustus in 9 BC, will be shown in a blaze of colour, as it appeared originally.

The 16 th edition of the Rome Marathon is programmed for Sunday, 21 st March 2010. A record number of 15,346 participants from 83 countries will set off from the Colosseum on what is universally considered “the most beautiful marathon route in the world”,

A rare medieval cycle of frescoes in the Cistercian Abbey of Chiaravalle, near Milan, have returned to the light after a seven-year restoration project. ..

With few exceptions, hotels all over Italy dropped their prices in 2009 compared with 2008, according to the Hotel Price Index, Hotels.com, the leading world online hotel booking organization.

As part of the 4 th centennary of the death of the artist Michaelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio, his wall painting of Jove, Neptune and Pluto in the Boncompagni Ludovisi Palace in Rome has, for the first time, been made available for public viewing. ..

The splendid Borromee gardens on the islands of Lake Maggiore will open their gates to visitors this spring on the 20 th March 2010.

Giancarlo DallAra, who created the concept of Albergo Diffuso, was awarded the prize Turismo Responsabile (Sustainable Tourism)2010 at this years edition of Italys major Tourism Fair BIT 2010.

In addition to the exposition of the Holy Shroud (10 th April  to 23 rd May 2010), the city of Turin offers an extensive programme of exhibitions and events this spring.