ItalyUpdate

 

Traffic congestion is one of the worst blights of Italy's art cities and local authorities have on the whole been slow to tackle the problem. There are, however, some happy exceptions. The splendidly preserved medieval town of Perugia (Umbria) began to introduce a courageous and revolutionary public transport system twenty years ago, starting with the construction of a series of underground escalators  tunelling down through the depths of the Paolina Castle rock and, in 2008, adding the Minimetro, a nifty monorail link between the Pian di Massiano plain and the town centre  some 160 mt. above.

 

 

 

The somewhat oddly-named Caffeina Festival, now in its VII edition, lights up Viterbo's medieval San Pellegrino district between the 27 June-7 July 2013. The Festival attracts some 400,000 visitors each year, thanks to its rich calendar of 30 daily events that include readings by authors, open air debates, music and cinema.

  

 

 

The 50^th anniversary of the Hollywood colossal Cleopatra which was filmed at the Rome studios of Cinecittà between 1961-1963 is being celebrated in the capital with a programme of events, including open air projections of the film at the archaeological Piazza di Torre Argentina site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the 2 June 2013 in coincidence with Italy's annual Celebration of the Republic, the various museums of science and natural history in the territory of Siena get together in the Siena Orto Botanico (Botanical Gardens) to illustrate their activities and initiatives.

 

 

Leading Italian entrepreneur Adriano Olivetti is being honoured with a two-day event at Ancona on the 31 May-1June 2013. Entitled: L'impresa del Volto Umano (Business Enerprise with a Human Face) a series of seminars, performances and debates will highlight the legacy left by Olivetti, who organized his factory on the principles of efficiency and respect for his work force.

 

 

 Radice del Sud (Southern Roots), a company dedicated to promoting the territory of Southern Italy, will present a vast range of the best wines from autochthonous vines of Italy's Meridione at Carovigno (Brindisi) between the 5-10 June 2013.

 

 

On the 2 June 2013, the ancient marble quarry of Ornavasso, near Verbania (Lake Como), will ring with the unforgettable verses of Dante's “Divine Comedy”, staged for the public within the great caverns and galleries of the stone mine that provided much of the material for the Duomo of Milan and many other important Italian monuments.

 

 Rainbow Winks, the highly successful childrens cartoon series created by Italian graphic designer and film director, Iginio Straffi, plans to open a fantasy fairyland park at Moscow, along the lines of the one constructed at Valmontone, near Rome. The Valmontone Magicland covers 6000,000 sqm and is Italys second most visited amusement park.

 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><font face="Calibri"><o:p><img name="gE9g7UixQWvoeM:" class="rg_i" style="width: 259px; height: 194px; margin-top: -1px; margin-left: 0px;" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQCiUnKLVff98U6MIpcJGpApQAGjS0HhJ5rYSZFYsVyIKMyeBv_" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQCiUnKLVff98U6MIpcJGpApQAGjS0HhJ5rYSZFYsVyIKMyeBv_" data-sz="f"></o:p></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><font face="Calibri">The second
version of the Festival del Gusto (Gourmet festival) at Bolzano (Alto Adige) is
aimed specially at families. Between the 24-26 may 2013, children can enjoy
playing in the Piazza Municipio, in front of the town hall, which is to be
transformed into a green lawn full of real apple trees.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>

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The coastal resorts of Cervia, Milano Marittima Pinarella and Tagliata (Reggio Emilia) put on a splendid show for garden lovers during spring and summer during the 41 st edition of the May in Bloom festival, now known as Cervia Garden City.