ItalyUpdate

With every good wish for a serene Christmas holiday 

and a  prosperous 2010 .

The writers and staff of Italyupdate.travel ..

BUON  NATALE  e  FELICE ANNO NUOVO

The small Abruzzo town of Arsita (near Teramo), which was badly hit in the earthquake of April 2009, received a magnificent Christmas gift from the British bookmaker Stanley International Betting Ltd in the form of a brand new state-of-the-art primary school. ..

Italian  Christmas gastronomic specialities are making a hit abroad, according to latest export figures published by Federalimentare (the Italian food producers federation).

On the 18 th December 2009, the town of Assisi (Umbria) will host a meeting of over 20 small Italian towns to discuss the development of Alberghi diffusi in the various Italian regions.

Abruzzo writer and researcher Antonio Bini got a warm reception at the Danish Academy, Rome, when he presented his book The Italian Dream of Kristian Zahrtmann, documenting the story of the Scandinavian artists colony that lived in Civita D'Antino, near Avezzano (Abruzzo),  at the end of the 19 th and  early 20 th century. 

Hurrah for the humble Neapolitan pizza! Italys most famous and ubiquitous gastronomic delight has now received official EU recognition as a Guaranteed Traditional Speciality.

After a series of tests have been completed, scientists hope to be able to announce the finding of the lost Caravaggio. ...

The Association Patriarchs of Nature in Italy has catalogued over 5000 ancient trees, familiarly known as atriarchs, growing on Italian soil....

The Cento Corvi wine estate of Cerveteri (Lazio) was recently given a special nomination by the Gruppo del Gusto (Gourmet Group) of the foreign press in Italy for reviving the ancient wine-making traditions of the Etruscans....

PARKHOTEL LAURIN of  BOLZANO

The Parkhotel Laurin, situated in the heart of Bolzano (Trentino-Alto Adige region), recently elected Historic Hotel of 2010 ...