ItalyUpdate

 MATTEO TOSO SOMMELIER 2012

24 year-old Matteo Toso has been elected Sommelier of the Year 2012 by the Espresso Guide to Italian Restaurants. Toso is employed by the La Rei restaurant of the Boscareto Resort and Spa, Serralunga d'Alba, Piedmont, where he has created a Wine List with over1200 labels, representing the best in Italian and foreign wines.

The Piedmont region came out particularly well in this year's edition of the guide, with 34 quality tables nominated.

For information: www.ilboscaretoresort.it

A five hundred year-old document, recently discovered in the Rome State Archives, has thrown light on the Rome career of Michaeolangelo Buonarroti.

This years Sol d'Oro contest during the Verona olive oil fair brought accolades to Lazio region.

Venice was the chosen venue for this year's traditional ceremony of uncorking the Confraternity Bottle of Valdobbiadene DOCG. ...

La Terrazza restaurant of Rome's Hotel Eden has been nominated among the ten best restaurants in the world for 2011 by the International Hotel and Restaurant Association official magazine. 

After a particularly warm and sunny September, autumn officially arrives the first weekend of October and the region of Lazio abounds with celebrations of the new season.

Young Neapolitan cake designer Claudia Deb scored a hit at the recent Neapolitan Festival, held at the Italian Embassy in Prague, with her charming range of commestible costume jewellery.

The Mondo Contadino Festival in Valle del Chiesa, Trentino, focusses on aspects of traditional peasant life of the past in the mountain valleys of northern Italy. Visitors can follow an itinerary along the Rio Caino which takes them on a tour of discovery of ancient country trades and crafts.

 

The town of Monte San Giusto (Marche), which styles itself the Town of Smiles, is soon to launch the VII edition of its highly successful Clown & Clown Festival of clowning and volunteer work.

One sector of the Italian economy which has not suffered from the present recession is the luxury market, according to a spokesperson for the 2 nd edition of EXPO LUXE 2011, who claimed that the past year has seen an increase of 5% in the purchase by Italians of luxury goods and services.