ItalyUpdate

REGGIO CALABRIA - NEW TOURISM REVELATION ?

Since a popular low cost airline announced an increase in routes to and from the airport of Reggio Calabria this winter, the Calabrian region expects to gain a boom in foreign tourism for the summer season 2026.

The many attractions of the Calabria regional capitol till now have been largely ignored by the mass tourism market, despite unique world famous treasures like the celebrated Riace bronzes in the state Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria (MApRC), the many unspoiled beaches and the forests and mountains of the Sila National Park.

Even lesser known and just waiting to be “discovered” is what has been dubbed “Italy's mosr beautiful kilometre” - the panoramic Lungomare Falconata seafront esplanade, overlooking the Strait of Messina, and named after former mayor Italo Falconars who was responsible for the re-qualification and reconstruction of the area last century

The promenade, which joins up with another three scenic avenues (the Lungomare Matteotti, Corso Vittorio Emanuele III and Viale Genovese Zerba), flanked by characteristic 19^th century villas in Liberty style, has been doggedly rebuilt after a series of natural disasters and earthquakes spanning several centuries and today it is a monument to the resilience of the local citizens.

The Lungomare Falconara is endowed with three enigmatic contemporary sculptures by Rome artist Rabarama representing the evolution of the human spirit.

Info: Tel. +39.0965.3622735/3622570 https://turismo.reggiocal.it

ALL SET FOR THE FLORENCE MARATHON

Florence is gearing up for one of its major sporting events - the Florence Marathon, which has now become a fixed feature in its annual sports calendar. Launched in 1984 with some 850 competitors enrolled, this year's version expects to welcome something like 10,000 participants from all over the world, eager to run through the streets of one of the world's greatest art cities.

The Florence marathon race is strictly modelled on the original 490 BC Marathon of the Ancient Greeks, when the heroic Athenian runner Pheidippides covered the distance between Marathon and Athens to bring the news of the defeat of the invading Persian army to the anxiously waiting populace, The total Florentine run is therefore the equivalent distance of 42.195 kms and is reserved for competitive athletes. However, amateurs and families have their own special itineraries geared to their individual paces. Alternative “mini marathons” include the 10 km Florence Marathon, still competitive but open to all, the 21 km Firenze Marathon Charity fund raising run and the 3 km Ginky Family run. Also popular is the Cetilar St. John's Night Run, with a 9.9 km competitive run and an alternative shorter 4 kms run, which give a unique opportunity to admire Florence's monuments and buildings by moonlight.

The Florence Marathon is scheduled for the 30^th November 2025.

1000. STENHOUSE

FAENZA & LA SPEZIA: NEW UNESCO CREATIVE CITIES

FAENZA & LA SPEZIA: NEW UNESCO CREATIVE CITIES

The towns of Faenza and La Spezia are the latest Italian entries into the UNESCO Creative Cities network (UCCN).

The Creative Cities category is aimed at communities worldwide that have successfully re-invented themselves, promoting their local culture, crafts and traditions and adapting them to modern times.

On the surface, these two towns do not have much in common. La Spezia is a traditional seaside resort which has, however, given its historic centre a facelift with contemporary art installations and sculptures, whereas Faenza has a centuries-old tradition in refined pottery-making with a distinctive decorative style and has activated an far-reaching programme to revive the historic centre after the disastrous flooding it suffered in 2024.

The Creative Cities network, which operates under the wing of UNESCO, was first launched in 2004 and now counts a membership of 408 townships spread over more than 100 countries

worldwide, protecting and encouraging local folklore, art, crafts, design, music, gastronomy, literature and so on.

According to UNESCO 2024 has been a record year of success for all its activities, with funding received from governmental and multilateral institutions as well as from private donators.

Info: https://www.unesco.org>creative-cities

TRIUMPHAL RETURN OF ST. BENEDICT

The 31^st October 2025, Feast of All Saints in the Roman Catholic calendar, marked the rebirth of one of the most important monuments of Christianity. The 14^th century Basilica of San Benedetto (St. Benedict) in the eartquake-shattered town of Norcia in Umbria re-opened its doors once more.

The painstaking restoration project was completed in what could be considered a record four years (from December 16^th 2021) due to the difficulties involved. The massive reconstruction, estimated at a cost of 10 million euros, half of which contributed by the EU Regional Development fund, involved the use, wherever possible, of the original material recovered from the rubble, including the marbles and the soft pink coloured stone of the facade.

The basilica, believed to be built on the site of the original house where Benedict and his sister St. Scolastica, were born, rises in the heart of the medieval town of Norcia, a popular tourist destination, as well as a centre of pilgrimage. The recovery spearheads the restoration of the town and the entire surrounding area which suffered extensive damage during the 6.6 magnitude scale earthquake of the 30^th October 2016.

St. Benedict, founder of the Benedictine Order, was born in 480 AD and is the patron saint of Italy along with St. Catherine of Siena.

Info: Vatican News www.vaticannews.va

HALLOWEE'N FLORENTINE STYLE

Hallowe'en fever has infected the normally sober and dignified Florence, where three days of revels are programmed for the weekend 31 October- 2 December 2025.

Traditional revels include walking tours in notorious haunted spots, plus parties and games for families.

A new edition to the ghostly tanks is a recently re-discovered Florentine ghost – the tragic Ginevra degli Amieri (or Almieri) also known s “La Sepolta Viva” (the Woman who was Buried Alive.)

The tale, which may recall the better known tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, features Ginevra, a 14^th century noblewoman, forced against her will into an arranged marriage. However, fate took a hand in the form of the plague. Ginevra fell ill and lapsed into an apparent death. However, she came to when she was in the family sepulchre and she managed to open the door and get out. Still clad in her shroud, she was refused entry both by her husband and by her parents, who took her for a ghost. Contrary to the Shakespeare tale, however, Ginevra's story has a happy ending because her true love recognized her and took her in and the Bishop subsequently united them in marriage.

To book a guided 90-minute walking tours on the tracks of Ginevra:

Email: partecipartfirenze@gmail.com

www.partecipiart>tour

ITALIAN BANKS: SPONSORS OF ART & CULTURE

Ever since the Florentine Medici family rose to power through banking in the 14^th century, Italian banks have been closely involved with art and culture and this tradition has continued to modern times.

In Rome, Italy's largest bank, the Intesa Sanpaolo, is staging the 20^th exhibition of its Restituzione programme that involves the restoration and restitution to the public of Italy's cultural heritage.

All major Italian banking groups possess important art collections, accumulated over centuries, including archaeological treasures and works by major masters, and are actively involved in promoting and protecting the treasures they now hold in trust for the nation through collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Culture.

The Intesa Sanpaolo's Art, Culture and Historical Heritage Department curates a vast collection, ranging from archeological treasures to contemporary art, distributed over four Galleries in its branch offices of Milan, Naples, Turin and Vicenza and also finances important restoration and conservation projects. The present exhibition in the Palazzo Esposizione, Rome, features a sweeping range of restored paintings, artefacts and antiquities involving close cooperation with 51 heritage authorities and 67 public and religious institutions from all over Italy as well as a cultural exchange arrangement with the Brussels Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage .

The exhibition Restituzione 2025 runs till the 18^th January 2026.

Info: Tel. +39.06.696271 www.palazzoesposizioniroma.it info@palaexpo.it

UMBRIA'S SURPRISING CONTEMPORARY ART

The region of Umbria, “Green Heart of Italy”, famed for its saints, historic abbeys and palaces, ancient townships and tranquil countryside, is currently projecting a surprising and little known face as a treasure house of contemporary art.

In an effort to conquer the prestigious 2026 title of Italian Capital of Contemporary Art, two historic towns - Spoleto and Foligno – have joined forces to present a united candidature.

Both towns have histories reaching back to the Middle Ages, but they are also centres that have attracted many contemporary artists over the last half century.

The late composer Giancarlo Menotti brought international fame to the small 12^th century town of Spoleto with his acclaimed vanguard Festival of Two Worlds. During the Vth edition in 1962, it was decided to expand the theatre and ballet programme to incorporate contemporary urban art. The resulting “Sculpture in the City” event attracted 53 international sculptors, transforming the historic centre into an open air museum. Six of these works, donated by the artists, still remain in their original place, including the gigantic “Teodelapio” by Alexander Calder, “the Gift of Icarus” by Beverley Pepper, the “Stranger III” by Lynn Chadwick and the “Traveller's Column” by Gio Pomodoro.

Foligno makes an impressive contribution to the Spoleto-Foligno bid with its colossal “Calamita Cosmica” (Cosmic Magnet), commonly known as the “Great Skeleton”, by the late mystical artist Gino De Dominicis.

The 24m-long sculpture fills the entire floor space of the Church of the SS Trinita in Assumption and attracts crowds of fascinated visitors who speculate about the meaning of the gilded rod in the skeleton's hand and the pointed beak in place of its nose.

Info: https://www.umbriatourismo.it

CASTELPORZIANO – FROM ROYAL RETREAT TO RESEARCH CENTRE

The Presidential Residence of Castelporziano, a 60 km oasis of ancient original Mediterranean forest land on the Mediterranean coast some 25 kms from Rome, and once the royal retreat of Italian kings, is now an important nature reserve and ecological research centre.

A primaeval paradise of natural wood and swamp lands, it hosts not only native species like the Maremma wild boar, wild goats, deer herds, foxes, badgers, hare, weasels and so on that live undisturbed in the tangled and impenetrable undergrowth, (a lone wolf is a recent spontaneous arrival) but also flocks of migratory birds, insects and several endangered aquatic species. The estate also contains the original manor house, an archaeological site and the relative Archaeological Museum, a Museum of History and Nature, a coach house with a collection of antique vehicles, and an important research centre on biodiversity and air pollution levels.

In addition to the protected native species, the Residence also supports herds of endangered domestic animals, like the Maremma buffalo and the Maremma wild boar, as well as retired working horses.

Special research projects include reforestation of pine and holm oak, native species both under threat from invasive foreign insects and pests encouraged by the favourable conditions created by global warming. An important monitoring project is the ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) station, part of the European network of over 170 measuring stations spread over 16 European countries that measures and documents levels of air pollution and global warming effects. The 20m - high tower installed in the heart of the Castelporziano forest collects and transmits vital data on the reactions of the surrounding forest and the defence mechanisms of trees in counteracting emissions of harmful C2O gases.

Tracking the movements of migratory birds is another important study area. The capture and ringing birds of passage with ID tags provides scientists with vital information on the movements, survival rates and population dynamics of various bird species. Part of the Castelporziano visitor tour normally includes a demonstration of the ringing technique carried out by a skilled operator, and the subsequent release of the bird into the wild.

The Archeology Museum contains antiquities found during excavations of the group of Roman villas situated in the Capocotta area of the estate. It is recorded that Pliny the Younger had his villa here, although archaeologists have been unable to identify it. Most striking are the fragments of ceiling frescos in vivid Pompeii red, with the decorations as vivid and fresh as when they were first painted.

The estate manor house is also open to visitors with memorability of the short-lived Savoy dynasty, that ended its reign when Italy became a Republic at the end of WWII. The estate itself has a long history of changing ownership dating back to the Medieval era. The manor (or “Castello” as it is called) knew its period of maximum splendour in the mid 19^th century when it was owned by the Grazioli family, who ceded it in 1872 as a private residence and hunting reserve for the new monarch. Royal control lasted until 1948 when the estate became the property of the Italian government and, accordingly, the state. Subsequently, an area bordering on the sea shore was ceded to the Italian people, and transformed into the popular free beach zone known as “I Cancelli”.

The Castello contains a portrait gallery of three generations of the Savoy royal family, a formal banqueting room, porcelain displays and a hunting trophy gallery (this includes an elephant head over the fireplace). This room is now used to host visitor groups. Special attention is paid to non-profit and community service organizations which are often welcomed personally by the Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, who takes a personal interest in the work of community support groups. Every summer, the estate hosts a summer retreat for over a thousand disabled people, in addition to regular visits from school children and scout groups.

The Presidential Estate of Castelporziano is open to the public at weekends in specific

periods of the year. Prior booking essential through the Presidential Quirinale Palace, Rome.

M.STENHOUSE

Info: Tel. 06.42012191 https://palazzo.quirinal.it/visita

CORTONA ETRUSCANS & JAZZ

Cortona, the Tuscan town celebrated for its Etruscan past, launches the 7^th edition of its highly successful international Jazz Festival, starring world famous performers and music experts.

The four-day Festival programme lists evening concerts by top international musicians plus morning laboratory sessions of experiments and brain storming involving young musicians from different countries and backgrounds.

The event will also be a showplace for the local Sirah grape wine, as well as locally produced spirits and liqueurs.

The old Etruscans who, judging by their tomb decorations, also valued the good life, would certainly have approved!

Cortona was also the setting for the highly successful film “Under the Tuscan 'Sun” (2004), based on the bestseller by American writer Frances Mayes.

Info: Tel. +39.0575.637274 www.cortonajazz.org

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI DAY

St. Francis of Assisi is at last to be honoured with an official National holiday. The day of annual commemoration will be the 4^th October, the date of his death. Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, President of the Italian Episcopal Congress (CEI) has announced that from this year onwards, the 4^th October will be officially commemorated in Italy as a national holiday.

St. Francis, the most popular and best loved of all the Roman Catholic saints listed on the churches' calendar died on the 4^th October 1226, eight hundred years ago, but his message of peace, love and respect for the environment is as fresh and valid as ever.

The 800^th annioversary of his death is marked by a month-long series of events, including art exhibitions, concerts, costumed processions, readings and debates.

Info: Tel. +39.0758138680 iat@comune.assisi.pg.itST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI DAY