ItalyUpdate

The Vatican has announced that this year the traditional Christmas Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square will be sculpted out of sand.The 1000 cubic metres of sand required will be donated by the seaside resort of Jesolo (Veneto), where every year artists from all over the world come to create impressive, though effimeral, works of art during the Sand Sculpture exhibition.

The charming little town of Nemi near Rome is famous for its little woodland strawberries, celebrated in an annual Strawberry Festival that attracts thousands of visitors. Over the last couple of years, however, the strawberries risked being overshadowed by a Turkish soap opera called "La Stagione delle Ciliege, La Stagione dell'amore" (Cherry time. The Season of Love"), in which several scenes were filmed in Nemi.

On the 13-14 October 2018 many little known or rarely accessible Italian sites will be open to the public for the special Fondazione Ambiente Italiana FAI (Italian Environment Foundation) weekend. This is a rare occasion to visit 660 hidden art and architectural treasures, as well as many protected beauty spots.

"Italy is now the world's biggest wine producer," announced Emma Marcegaglia, President of the Luiss University, during the recent Forum della Cultura del Vino (Forum of Wine Production), promoted by the Foundation of Italian Sommeliers. "Italy is also world leader in the variety of grapes. 70% of Italian wine comes from autochthonous vines rather than international vines"

Monte San Giusto (Marche), known as the Town of Smiles holds its 14 th edition of the annual Clown & Clown Festival from the 30 September

7 October 2018.

 The Milan Chocolate Factory is launching a new line in chocolates as part of its charity campaign in favour of LILT, Lega Italiana per la Lotta contro I Tumori (Italian League for Cancer Prevention) with two events in September featuring the new RosaMilano chocolates, designed by Academy head, master chocolatier Davide Comaschi.

The new chocolates will be presented on the 23 September at the Teatro Arciboldi, Milan, and again on the 29 September with the "Shopping in Pink" event, organized in collaboration with the prestigious Montenapoleone District, where visitors can also taste the new Ruby Chocolate ice-cream.

Until the 31 December, every euro spent on the new RosaMilano chocolates will be devolved to LILT, to mark the seventieth anniversary of its foundation.

The Milan Chocolate Academy, affiliated with the Swiss Barry Callibaut group, opened in 2017. It offers courses in confectionary and chocolate making,

Info: tel. +39.02.82464601-  www.chocolate-academy.com/it

The five-day Medieval Festival at Gubbio (Umbria) offers a new look at the period erroneously known as the "Dark Ages", which were, in fact, the foundation of European civilization. The Festival, into its fourth edition, has fast become a point of reference for all those interested in an era often misrepresented as an age of ignorance and superstition.

Not to be missed: the major exhibition of 14th century masterpieces of Umbria art on show until the 4 November 2018. The seventy paintings, sculptures and miniatures, many with dazzling gold leaf decorations are spread over four different venues:

According to a report published by Milanese communications and public relations company Klaus Devi & Co., weddings are becoming a boom business in Italy with couples from abroad. This year, wealthy foreign couples will spend a total of 700 million to make their special day really special.

This month, Rome opens two interesting new sites. The Underground Basilica of Porta Maggiore, known as "the most mysterious basilica of Rome", is now available for guided visits after a long period of closure for restoration work.