ItalyUpdate

The luxury Parco dei Templari hotel at Altamura (Apulia), confiscated from the Mafia in 2002, is now to be relaunched with the help of master chef Gianfranco Vissani.

Four Italian cities are involved in a gourmet initiative promoted by the Parma Ham Consortium (Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma) this spring 2011, aimed at highlighting the famous Emilia Romagna speciality as an ideal healthy fast food for busy lunches and take away dinners.

The Flight of the Angel, was  the highlight of the opening ceremony of the Venice Carnival, Sunday, 27 February 2011. This year Angel, twenty-three year old beauty queen Silvia Bianchini,  put on her wings and glided from the top of St. Marks Bell Tower to land in the middle of the square.

The origin of the event goes back to the times of the Venetian Republic, when an unknown Carnival reveler flew along a rope above St. Marks Square as an act of homage to the Doge.

 

 

 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.  

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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.