ItalyUpdate

 As part of the current fourth centennial programme marking the death of the artist Michaelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio, an exhibition of hitherto forgotten documents throws new light on events in the life of this irascible and restless genius.

 

As part of the Seasons of Oil event staged by the Enoteca Italiana (National Wine Board) at Siena, Sunday 27 February will be dedicated to Italys second (or first) most precious liquid product: extra virgin olive oil. 

A rare exhibition of collective works of the Ghirlandaio family can be seen at a number of venues in Florence and the nearby town of Scandicci.  

<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang=EN-US><IMG style="WIDTH: 230px; HEIGHT: 219px" id=rg_hi class=rg_hi src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTFoongPYrBtACsaJ5Wz6cGkUsJPxH7XCHVgPgkVz7L_uoBwKVgxExi18I6" width=230 height=219 data-height="219" data-width="230"></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang=EN-US>Chocolate lovers can expect a treat between the 18-20 February 2011 at Asiago (Veneto), main town of the 7 comunes grouped on the mountain plateau of<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </SPAN>Altopiano di Asiago, a celebrated scenic and ski resort in the Dolomites.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>

Turins unique and spectacular National Museum of Cinema attracted record numbers of visitors in 2010, the 10 th anniversary of its opening, confirming its position as one of the citys major attractions.

 Urbanbite, a leading international meal delivery service company,  has announced plans  to open in
 the land of pizza and spaghetti.

 

 

The Istituto Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani has published a monumental new work covering the entire art and antiquities collection of the Vatican Museums.

 

A hitherto unknown statue of the Roman Emperor Caligula, concealed on a lorry and destined to be sold illegally abroad, was recovered recently by Italian carabiniere at Lake Nemi near Rome.

Leading Italian shoe manufacturer TOD has signed an agreement with the Department of Archaeological Areas of Rome and Ostia Antica to sponsor much-needed restoration work on Romes most celebrated monument, the Colosseum. The sum involved is quoted as 25m. to be met by a non-profit Foundation Friends of the Colosseum, created by Diego Della Valle, head of TODS Spa.Work on the first phase of the restoration is programmed to start in March 2011. The Colosseum will remain open to the public while work is being carried out.  

MACRO,  Romes Museum of Contemporary Art, is staging a highly successful show of controversial works from the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection in its new venue inside the converted premises of the former city slaughter house in the Testaccio district.