ItalyUpdate

The thousands of tourists flocking to Rome for the late Pope John Paul IIs Beatification ceremony, due to take place on the 1st May 2011, are faced with a dazzling choice of souvenir items

For the third year running, the Vatican Museums are to be open every Friday evening between the 6 May till 28 October 2011, except during the month of August.

In its bi-annual selection for 2011, the prestigious  Mies van der Rohe Foundation has nominated Romes MAXXI Museum of XXI century Art among Europes most beautiful museums.

The 3^rd edition of the International  Contest Instruments of Peace for young orchestral composers is to be inspired by phrases pronounced by three Nobel Peace Prize winners: Barack Obama, Lech Walesa and Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Italian post office is issuing a new series of stamps honouring Italian cheeses as part of its Made in Italy run. The stamps are limited editions with 2.500 million printed.The series features the DOP Cacciocavallo of Ragusa, Sicily, Parmigiano Reggiano, Gorgonzola and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana. The series is being launched in coincidence with the opening of Milanofil, the Italian Annual Stamp Fair held in Milan.  

Interested in local crafts? The calendar for the 2011 itinerant craft fairs in Tuscany published by ARTour Tuscany is as follows:

The Tuscany region has a newly opened  Archaeological Park extending over some 40 sq km at Carmignano, near Prato. The area unites  the Archaeological Museum of Artimino with four monumental Etruscan sites within the Carmignano territory.

Vinitaly Verona, Italys most important annual wine fair, reports a record year for Italian wines . .

According to an opinion poll undertaken by Hotels.com, leading organization for online hotel bookings, Italian cuisine is considered the tops in Europe by the Swedish .....

A new book documenting the contribution of Irish and English volunteers in the Italian Risorgimento by Irish-American scholar Mary Jane Cryan has been released to coincide with the 150 th anniversary celebrations of the Unification of Italy.