ItalyUpdate

The Benedictine monks of the earthquake-shattered Umbria archidiocese of Spoleto-Norcia have set up a blog with information and updates on the situation in the area round Amatrice  Norcia, the  birthplace of St. Benedict, is well-known to the US Catholic communities as a group of American Benedictines re-founded the monastic community, which is also linked both to St. Francis of Assisi, in 2000.

According to recent market research, holiday homes in Italy's beautiful old borghi (historic towns

and town centres) are in increasing demand.

Bargains are to be got in the regions of Molise, Calabria and parts of Irpinia, where country houses can be found for around 500 per sq.m. 

On the 29^th - 31^st July 2016, Arezzo (Tuscany) takes a time trip back into the past. Over 1000 costumed characters and 50 historical re-enactment groups will congregate in this beautifully preserved medieval town to recreate the Roman era, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

The town of Canale d'Agordo near Belluno (Veneto) is to inaugurate a museum dedicated to its most famous son, Albino Luciani, who was elected Pope John Paul 1 in August 1978. Although Luciani occupied the Throne of Peter for only one month before his unexpected death on the 28^th September, he left a lasting impression because of his cheerful and benevolent disposition, that earned him the nickname of the Smiling Pope.

Grand night for ballroom dancers in the Romagna Riviera between the 21^st - 23^rd July 2016. The event involves all the seaside resorts on the Emilia Romagna coast, as well as the nearby inland towns.

The historic Silk Factory of San Leucio, near Caserta, created by the 18^th century Bourbon monarchs Ferdinand IV and Maria Carolina, is to be re-launched, with the backing of the Campania Regional government, as a consortium of manufacturers, geared to enter the global marketplace.

Rome's most famous spa – the Acque Albule (White Waters) at Tivoli, has a lively entertainment programme to enliven the summer evenings until the 21^st July 2016. Along Came Jazz is one of the most important jazz events in Italy, starring international and Italian artistes.

Between the 15^th -17^th July 2016, the town of Fabrica di Roma, near Viterbo (Lazio) is hosting iuts annual Sheep Festival, where visitors can taste all the delectable products that derive from the useful Ovis aries species, such as sheep's cheese ricotta and other cheeses.

Restorers are now ready to move into the second phase of a delicate extensive restoration project concerning Rome's most famous monument. The first phase, involving the cleaning and reparation of the travertine stone, was completed within schedule, Italy's Heritage Minister, Dario Franceschini, announced last week. The second phase concerns the rooms and passageways under the former arena, at the moment exposed to the elements and subject to deterioration.