ItalyUpdate

The exhibition Love, Art and Grace featuring the newly restored Raphael masterpiece entitled The Madonna of the Goldfinch has attracted record numbers of visitors since it opened in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence, on the 23 rd November 2008.

St. Valentines Day, the annual Festival for Lovers, is one of the best known celebrations in the western world, but how many people know that St. Valentine was an early Christian martyr and that his tomb can still be visited here in Italy?

ST.VALENTINE IN MILAN 

A giant screen in Milans Piazza Duomo is busy recording the thousands of love messages being sent via mobile phone from all over Italy. The sender of the most touching and significant message  to be judged by Italian bestselling author of romantic fiction, Federico Moccia  will be nominated Kiss Writer for a Day, with reference to the famous Perugino Bacio (Kiss) chocolate manufacturer, which is partner in the event.

Anyone who wants to join in can send a message through the website www.baciperugina.it  

Since the 1 st February 2009, booking a holiday in Venice has become easier, thanks to Venice Connection, the new on-line reservation service set up by the City of Venice.

The exhibition Art, Genius & Madness, the Artists Day and Night, which opened on the 31 st January in the Complesso Museale Santa Maria della Scala in Siena.....

World-famous Italian conductor Claudio Abbado has come out on the side of conservationists by requesting that the city of Milan should plant 90,000 trees on its territory in lieu of his fee for returning to direct the orchestra of La Scala, Milan after a long absence.

An American biochemist believes that he has solved the mystery of the magical sound of Stradivari violins.

One of Italys most popular rice dishes, the saffron-tinged Risotto alla Milaneseâ provided the focus for this years International Day of Italian Cuisine.

HEART-THROB FOOTBALLER IN CALENDAR

Italian football ace Luca Toni has had a calendar dedicated to him in Germany this year 2009. The desk-size calendar features the sports star in twelve different poses, one for each month. Toni, who is admired by female fans for his good looks almost as much as for his ability with the ball, transferred  from an Italian club to the German Bayern Monaco.  

FIPE, the Italian service industry Federation, reports that Italian restaurants did well during the recent New Years Eve celebrations, despite the financial crisis.