ItalyUpdate

Romes Botanical Garden will finish restoring five of its historic hothouses in time for the summer season. The garden extends over 12 hectares and dates in its present form to 1883, though it was founded much earlier as a medicinal herbal garden by Pope Nicola III at the end of the 13^th century.  

Carrara (Tuscany) is to hold the second edition of the Unified World Championship of Martail Arts and Combat Sports between the 29^th October and the 2^nd November 2014. 

The celebrated Rome wine bar Splendor Parthenopes hosted a presentation of wines from twelve Molise cellars, promoted by the Movimento Turismo del Vino (Wine Tourism Movement), a non-profit association dedicated to developing tourism wine routes and vineyard visits all over Italy.

The Ravello Festival renews its commitment to offer the best with its 2014 programme featuring top symphony orchestras and legendary jazz performers. Perched on a terrace high above the Amalfi coast, the Festival offers a unique scenic and musical experience under the stars from the 21^st June to the 13^th September 2014.

Rome tour operators have lost no time in organizing Great Beauty tours, based on the places that feature in the Oscar-winning Italian film La Grande Bellezza. Apparently, there is already demand to visit little-known beauty spots in the Eternal city,  such as the Acqua Paolo Fountain on the Janiculum hill,  the Garden of the Oranges and the Villa del Priorato on the Aventine hill, the Park of the Aqueducts, the EUR monuments and Bramante Tempietto di San Pietro in Montonio.

This year, for the first time, the Pontifical Gardens of Castelgandolfo will be opened regularly to the public. The gardens, which surround the traditional papal summer residence in the Alban Hills some 20 miles from Rome, are renowned for their beauty, although few visitors have had the privilege of seeing them in the past.

 

According to data published by the Italian Touring Club, bookings for spring breaks in Italy are up this year. In addition to the traditional “art cities”, other areas have been successful in attracting visitors through events, exhibitions and various initiatives.

 

NEW FERRARI CALIFORNIA T

                             

                                

 

Ferrari fans are eagerly awaiting the opening of the 2014 Geneva Fair (6-24 March) where the new Ferrari California T will be unveiled. A sleek convertible, this latest model from the Ferrari stables has a revolutionary V8 turbo engine with 560 horse power, which lets it rocket in 3.6 seconds from zero to a hundred kilometers.

Builders assure that this model consumes 15% less fuel than the preceding version, but buyers are unlikely to care much about this aspect!