ITALIA BY DESIGN

BY DESIGN

History of Italian Unity

Italy - Kuwait Relations Flourishing Top Sector for Investment in Italy

Italy Open for Business Italian ambassador to Kuwait

24 hours in Florence

Incomparable Venice!!

Italy - The Country of Cars Italian Fashion Wows World

Italian Food Guide Living in the ‘Pasta’

Verona : The City of Shakespeare Italy’s Treasure: Leonardo Da Vinci

Milan travel guide

In Cooperation with the Embassy of Italy - KUWAIT

Live it up with Latin Fire!

Only at Viaggio Restaurant Crowne Plaza Kuwait Six days a week Monday to Saturday 8:00 pm to 11:30 pm For reservations call 247 57775 or for more information go to www.kuwait.crowneplaza.com

Special Issue 2012

BY DESIGN

In cooperation with the Embassy of Italy - Kuwait Chairman & Editor-in-Chief

Mahmoud Al Radwan

Managing Editor

Mujahid Iqbal

Coordinator

Bernardetta Gravili Commercial Attache’

General Manager

Joint Editor

Consultant

M. Irfan Nagra

Prasana Menon

Ussuf Malik

Finance Manager

Public Relations

Khurram Sajjad

Mahmood Ahmed

Art Designer

Correspondent

Correspondent

G. Mueen-ul-Din

Kanwal Ijaz

M. Yamin Siddiqui

Project Manager

Amjad H. Qureshi

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES:

Mujahid Iqbal

Cell: +965 – 9759 2064, 9955 8663 - Email:talk2mujahid@yahoo.com

The contents and opinions expressed here in are not necessarily those of the publishers. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the contents, no liability can be assumed by the publishers for any inaccuracies.

To maintain the desired quality of our publication, your contributions and feed back are welcome.

Italy waits for you ...

Contents Italy Open for Business (Italian Ambassador to Kuwait)

6

Living in Italy (Visitors, Work Permits and Residency)

14

Top Sectors for Investing in Italy

16

Kuwait-Italy trade ties stand test of time

20

Italian by Design

23

History of Italian Unity

28

Living in the ‘Pasta’

34

OLIVE OIL: APULIA’S Liquid Gold

42

Italy the Country of cars

46

A tour of the Ferrari Museum

48

Milan -Summer menswear fashion

68

Italian Fashion Wows World

70

Italy’s Treasures: Leonardo Da Vinci

74

Verona: The City of Shakespeare

78

Calcio with a Passion!

85

Pisa Sights and Tourist Attractions

92

Milan travel guide

94

24 hours in Florence

98

24-hours Guide to... Rome the eternal city

102

Incomparable Venice!!

104

Magical Capri

108

Villa D’Este claims European prize

114

Royal Palace of Caserta

118

Lucca Celebrates the Risorgimento

120

The Villa of the Monsters in Bagheria

124

Credits: www.ambalkuwait.esteri.it www.esteri.it www.italtrade.com www.italia.it www.niaf.org www.italianstylekuwait.com

www.italain-magazine.com www.turismoenfotos.com www.italymag.co.uk www.enit.it www.theitalianista.com www.patthodapp.com

INTERVIEW

Italy Open for Business Italian Ambassador to Kuwait HE Fabrizio Nicoletti is a seasoned diplomat with postings around the world. Here he speaks about relations with Kuwait, doing business in Italy and some interesting moments of his distinguished career. a decline of 22.5% compared to January-March 2011, where reports a decline in Italian imports of organic chemicals (-30%) and plastics ( -35%), which goes instead to a significant increase in imports of iron and steel (+207).

Q: What is the extent of the economic and commercial relationship between Italy and Kuwait?

Trade relations between Italy and Kuwait are significant, with trade totaling €660 million and a strong structural trade surplus.

Trade relations in these last years reflect the situation we have in the eurozone. The latest ISTAT statistics data from January to December 2011 show a pattern of decline of Italian imports from Kuwait (-26.4%) and of Italian exports to Kuwait (-21%) on a year to year basis. Italian imports from Kuwait are limited, since Italy is not a stable buyer of Kuwaiti crude oil and derivatives manufacturing sector which alone accounts for 95% of Kuwait›s exports in the world (Italian imports of fuels decreased from €20.8 in 2010 to €3.7 million in 2011, and plastics from €22.9 to €14 million).

Q: In what other sectors do you see Italy-Kuwait partnership developing?

On the political level, relations are marked by full cooperation and an appreciation for the moderate domestic and foreign policy of the Kuwaiti government. Bilateral relations, by the Italian participation in the coalition that liberated the state from Iraqi occupation in 1991, remained firm and constant. To that extent we remember the official visit made by Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Nasser M Al-Sabah to Rome in November 2009, and by the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Sabah to Milan and Rome in May 2010. On the Italian side, since the formation of the Monti government, there have been three missions to Kuwait: by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Terzi (November 2011), by the Minister of Defense Di Paola and the Minister of Economic Development, Infrastructure and Transport Passera (March 2012). A couple of weeks ago, the special envoy of the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Terzi, Massari, was here.

Considering the downtrend of the Italian exports to Kuwait, while ironworks and steel went down from €187.9 to €60.8 m, exports of machinery, mechanical appliances and parts thereof decreased from €243.9 to €170.9 million, and the export of defense sector and parts thereof decreased from €38.2 to €6.2 million. I’m confident that in the next few years the commercial relationship between Italy and Kuwait will strengthen, specially Italian exports to Kuwait.

Q:

In fact, the first quarter of 2012 national statistical data showed an increase of trade between Italy and Kuwait by 36.4% over the same period last year, going from a value of about 163 to 222.4 million Euro. They mark a significant leap forward in Italian exports to the emirate, with a percentage figure equal to + 44.3% over the same period of 2011, the largest increases were apparent in the field of mechanical equipment, which goes to + 199% in those vehicles and motorcycles (+106%), and between the clothing (+ 44%).

What are the prospects for growth in Italy in 2012?

Following the difficult period that is going through the eurozone, GDP will fall by 1.5% in the first six months of 2012. An improvement of the Italian economy is expected for the second half of the year, mostly favored upon export performance, which should show an increase of 2.8%, helping to start a recovery of investments.

Among the actions proposed by Unioncamere is the protection of the brand “Made in Italy” in order to make it more “recognizable” and emphasize the uniqueness and quality of

On another front, the Kuwaiti exports to Italy instead show

6

INTERVIEW

Fabrizio Nicoletti Italian Ambassador to Kuwait

By Mujahid Iqbal

7

Commercial Affairs, in Pakistan as General Consul in Karachi, in Germany as Consul in Freiburg im Breisgau and in Oman as First Commercial Secretary. In Italy, I worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the following General Directorates: Development Cooperation, Economic Affairs, Mediterranean and Middle East, Human Resources.

Q:

What are the challenges of working in the Middle East?

I find Middle Eastern people very nice and friendly; I feel at home with them. On the other hand, the Middle East is a strategic area especially for us Italians. Consequently, the Middle East for us is a 24 hours a day challenging post by itself for an Italian diplomat.

Q:

What are your observations about Kuwait and Kuwaitis?

I like this country and its people. We work well together. Only the particular weather conditions present a common challenge, specially the sandstorms. But I’ll get accustomed very soon.

Q: Please tell us about any special moments in your diplomatic career.

•

Italian goods, and signing a pact with the chambers of commerce to bring to the international markets within the next three years 10,000 companies that have the potential but do not export because they wrongly feel poorly equipped to compete in the international arena; with an emphasis on networking among them to help them to overcome the size obstacle.

•

Q: What advice would you offer to a Kuwaiti businessman or institution interested in doing business with Italy? What steps might they take to ensure success?

Invitalia http://www.invitalia.it is the single reference point for advising companies on investment projects in Italy and assisting them in all phases of the investment process.

•

My three-month mission in freed Iraq in 2004;

•

Italian humanitarian aid to the people of Pakistan in 20052006, following the earthquake.

Q: Have there been any incidents where you had to use your diplomatic skills to the fullest?

Oh yes, but exactly for this reason, it is better not to speak about it!

The service kit spans from updated information on the business environment, to investment opportunities in specific sectors and business advisory services throughout the implementation process. Invitalia›s services are tailor-made, free of charge and confidential. Invitalia Service Kit encompasses a comprehensive Incentives Best-Fit Advisory Service.

Q:

My first European Council, when I was very young - what an emotion to be with Mitterrand, Helmut Kohl and Margaret Thatcher. There I obviously played practically no role, but it was very interesting to participate; The recovery of survivors from the sea of cruise ship “Achille Lauro” when I was in Oman.

Q: Do you recommend any particular place in Italy for Kuwaiti tourists to visit?

The entire country it worth a visit. Just to quote an example for those who decide to go to Rome, do not forget to visit Tivoli too, a small city about 30 km from Rome, where you can find Villa Adriana, the residence of the Emperor Adriano and the fantastic Villa d’Este.

On a lighter note, please tell us a little about yourself.

I was born in Catania, in the island of Sicily. I obtained a Degree in Political Sciences from LUISS University in Rome. I’m married with two kids.

Q:

Lastly, some advice to our readers.

The embassy is at disposal of all the people living in Kuwait for any necessity regarding business, visas and any other issues. Please fill free to contact us whenever you want.

Q: Where have your postings been before Kuwait and in what capacity?

I worked previously in Spain as First Counselor for Economic and

8

Mahmoud Al-Radwan Chairman & Editor-in-Chief

Ties that bind Ties between Italy and Kuwait have always been strong.

Diplomatic relations have been excellent and trade ties exemplary. Kuwaitis will always appreciate Italy’s stance during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, as it showed the deep-rooted bonds the two nations share.

Of course, Kuwaitis also love Italy for all it has to offer – from its sumptuous chocolates to chic fashion items to sleek cars. Not to mention football – Italian clubs are avidly followed by the football-mad people of Kuwait. We also love to travel to Italy and soak in the sights.

The peoples of the two countries are also benefiting from the close ties. In a globalised world, mindsets are increasingly getting harmonised. Regular interaction between Kuwaitis and Italians has resulted in ideas infused with Middle Eastern values and European flair.

We hope our readers enjoy learning more about this historic nation and its friendly people. Viva Italia!

9

FOREWORD Mujahid Iqbal Managing Editor

Go Italia!

Dear readers, Mention Italy and a host of images spring to mind – of revving sports cars, high-end fashion, delectable cuisine and diehard footballers. That’s Italy for you, a mixture of European and Mediterranean, sunny beaches and tranquil lakes, fertile plains and misty mountains.

In this issue, we have tried to portray the essence of Italy and what it has to offer in terms of economy, tourism and entertainment. Of course, KuwaitItaly ties have always been strong and enduring, and based on mutual trust and respect. Italian products are well-loved by all in Kuwait, and trade between the two nations is flourishing.

Kuwait also loves all things Italian and has adopted them wholeheartedly. When it comes to food, pizza and pasta rule. Ferrari and Lamborghini cars are objects of desire for many a Kuwaiti youth, while Juventus and the Milan teams have avid fans here.

We hope relations grow ever stronger and deeper in the years to come.

Happy reading!

10

ITALY IN A NUTSHELL Official Languages

Italian; two bilingual regions: Alto Adige, German and Italian; Valle d’Aosta, French and Italian

Capital City

Rome

National Holidays

April 25th (Liberation Day); June 2nd (Republic’s Day)

Religious Holidays

November 1st (All Saints); December 8th (Immaculate Conception)

Form of Government

Parliamentary Republic

Administration

15 Regions and 5 autonomous Regions: Friuli-Venezia Giulia; Sardegna (Sardinia); Sicilia (Sicily); Trentino-Alto Adige; Valle d›Aosta

Gross Domestic Product (in current prices)1

1 EUR 1,521 billion (2009)

Value added per Sector of the Economy

Services: 73.1 percent; Industry & Energy: 18.8 percent; Construction 6.3 percent; Agriculture, hunting and fishing: 1.8 percent (2009)1

Exports1

EUR 291 billion (2009)

Imports1

EUR 296 billion (2009)

FDI Flows2

Inflows: 30,538 million USD; Outflows: 43,918 million USD (2009)

Size3

301.340 km

Neighboring Countries

France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia; Enclaves: Holy See (Vatican City), Republic of San Marino

Population4

4 60,3 million inhabitants (1-1-2010)

Largest Cities4

Rome (2.8 million), Milan (1.3 million), Naples (963 thousand)

Time Zone

Central European time (CET) with European daylight savings time

Currency

Euro (1 € = 100 Cent)

Phone Dial Code

39

Internet TLD

.it

Power Voltage

230 V, 50 Hz

1 Source: Eurostat 2 Source: UNCTAD, World Investment Report, 2010 3 Source: Istat, Rapporto Annuale 2009, Contabilità nazionale 4 Source: demo.istat.it

12

Living in Italy Visitors, Work Permits and Residency

• Employees of employers headquartered abroad who are temporarily transferred to Italy.

Business visits up to 90 days A visa is required for business visits of fewer than 90 days. Citizens of EU Member States and certain other countries, such as the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Japan, are exempt.

European Union citizens No permit is required for European Union citizens to stay in Italy. If you plan to stay in Italy for longer than three months, you have to register with the Anagrafe (Register of births, deaths and marriages) of the municipality in which you are domiciled and request the related certificate. In order to register, you are required to present documentation proving you are employed, studying or engaged in vocational training. Alternatively, you are required to demonstrate you have sufficient financial resources to support your own stay as well as health insurance.

Work permits and residency (beyond 90 days) Non-EU citizens In order to work in Italy, nonEU citizens shall obtain specific permit (nulla osta), which the future employer shall apply for with the One-Stop Shop for Immigration (Sportello Unico per l’immigrazione). The One-Stop Shop for Immigration will issue the above permit in accordance with the decree establishing immigration quotas.

After receiving the permit, prospective workers shall go to the Italian consulate in their home countries. The consulate will notify them of the proposed contract and issue a visa within 30 days.The permit is valid for 6 months from the issue date, within which the worker shall enter Italy. Within 8 days of arrival in Italy, foreign citizens shall go to the One-Stop Shop for Immigration that issued the permit to sign the work contract (contratto di lavoro) and apply for the permit to stay in the country (permesso di soggiorno).

Non-EU citizens - Consolidated Immigration Act Regardless of immigration quotas, Article 27 (I) of the Consolidated Immigration Act (Legislative Decree 286/98) governs the procedures and conditions for issuing permits to work, entry visas and permits to stay in the country for certain categories of workers, including:

• Executives and highly-trained personnel of companies with their headquarters or branches in Italy • Exchange or mother-tongue university lecturers; university professors and researchers aiming to work within academia or other income-producing activity in Italy

14

Italian residency After receiving your permit to stay (permesso di soggiorno), you shall register with the Anagrafe of the municipality in which you reside.

Documents required: • Permit to stay • Valid passport.

Time required for issue: approx 2 months.

Tax ID number (Codice Fiscale) All Italian and foreign residents are required to have their own tax ID number (Codice

Fiscale), even whereby not subject to Italian taxation. The number is used to identify persons in their dealings with government departments and other public entities, and can be requested at One-Stop Shop for Immigration (Sportelli Unici per l’Immigrazione), specific police headquarters (Questure), or local Revenue Agency offices (Agenzie delle Entrate).

Banking Services and Bank Accounts

How to open a current account Foreign residents can open an ordinary bank account.

Non-residents (those in Italy for fewer than six months per year) can, in principle, open a special bank account for foreigners. A valid Tax ID number is required so as to open a current account. Some banks also require presentation of a residency certificate – although not a legal requirement.

Documents required: • Tax ID number • Permit to stay • Valid identity document.

Bank charges include a conventional fee expressed in value date days, which varies from bank to bank (in general, it is 1 day for cash deposits, 3 days for in-town checks, and 8-20 days for out-of-town checks).

Payment cards Debit cards are widely used and accepted throughout Italy. They may be used with automatic teller machines (ATMs) and for making payments in most shops, restaurants or similar commercial establishments.

Cheques, cash and bearer passbooks New rules for governing the use of cheques, cash, and bearer passbook savings accounts were introduced with Legislative Decree 231/2007. The most significant change lies in the fact that banks and Poste Italiane SpA (Italy’s National Postal Service) now issue non-transferable cheques, but transferable cheques can only be issued upon written request made to the bank. A stamp duty of € 1.50 is due on each cheque. All cheques (whether transferable or not) for amounts equal to or greater than € 5,000 shall specify the beneficiary and be non-transferable.

The rules for transferable cheques apply to cheques already in circulation. In addition, a limit of € 5,000 applies to cash transfers.

Transfers of larger amounts can only be

made through banks, Poste Italiane SpA, and electronic money institutions. Such rules also apply to transfers of bearer passbooks (bank and postal accounts) and bearer securities. The balance on bank and postal bearer passbooks shall be less than € 5,000.

Protection level All Italian banks participate in an official deposit protection system. The branches of banks registered in EU Countries can also elect to participate in the Italian deposit protection system to supplement the protection afforded by their home country systems. Branches of non-EU banks authorised to operate in Italy shall participate in the Italian deposit protection system unless they participate in an equivalent foreign system.

Healthcare National Healthcare Service The National Health Service operates through local healthcare authorities (ASL - Aziende Sanitarie Locali) and provides medical treatment to all EU citizens under reciprocity agreements for healthcare. In order to receive medical treatment, EU citizens shall obtain the European Health Insurance Card prior to departing their home country. The Card replaces the old E111 Form in use prior to 2006. Non-EU citizens visiting Italy shall have private insurance coverage (Italian or foreign). The coverage shall be approved by the local police department (Commissariato di Polizia) within eight days of arrival. Coverage shall last for the entire visa duration.

How to obtain medical treatment Foreign workers (whether EU or non-EU citizens) are required to go the nearest local healthcare authority (ASL) office to choose a general practitioner. By registering, a worker gains the right to receive a health card and number.

Pharmaceuticals Whereby necessary, general practitioners issue prescriptions for pharmaceuticals, which may be either partially or entirely paid for by the State.

Schools Foreign families in Italy may choose among a wide array of Italian and international schools.

The Italian school system encompasses

15

three main cycles: • Primary school (Scuola Primaria) 6-10 years of age (compulsory) • Secondary school (Scuola Media Inferiore), 11-13 years of age (compulsory) • High school ( Scuola Media Superiore), 14-18 years of age (first two years are compulsory).

International schools in Italy are mostly British or American. Many of the international schools follow the British school system, and approximately 30 of them are members of the European Council of International Schools.

American colleges, universities and research programmes As many as 90 American educational institutions operate in Italy, of which 36 based in Rome and 30 in Florence. Most of them are members of the Association of American College and University Programs in Italy (AACUPI). Other international schools, which can be found in many of Italy’s major cities, adopt the course curricula applied in France, Spain, Germany and Japan.

International Baccalaureate Most international schools in Italy offer this university-prep programme (recognised by over 600 universities throughout the world) during the last two years of high school.

Driving License A driving license issued by another EU Member State may be used in Italy. Nonresidents with a permit to stay in Italy can drive using their foreign or international driving licenses until they obtain Italian residency. After one year of Italian residency, a person can apply for an Italian driving license.

Specifically: • Non-EU citizens holding a foreign driving license issued by a country not holding a mutual recognition agreement with Italy’s Department of Motor Vehicles (Ispettorato Generale della Motorizzazione) are required to obtain an Italian driving license • Non-EU citizens holding a foreign driving license issued by a country holding a mutual recognition agreement with Italy’s Department of Motor Vehicles (Ispettorato Generale della Motorizzazione) can exchange their driving license(s) for an Italian license without being required to take any driving exam.

Logistics

In 2010 investments in Italian logistic sector increased of 75% in comparison to 2009. The average returns amounted to around 7,5%, in line with European levels. Market attractiveness is confirmed by the presence of many multinational and/or big companies in Italy; these include DHL Group (Deutsche Post), TNT Group (TNT Post NV), Kuehne + Nagel, Schenker, UPS, Geodis, Fiege Group, Eurokai, Cosco, Evergreen e PSA (Port of Singapore Authority).

Italy has a favourable geographical position in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, a strategic location for investments in logistics sector. It is able to intercept trade flows from/to Asia, the Balkans and countries of the Mediterranean coast. This position has a growing importance in view of the new expansion of European Union and the creation of a Euro Mediterranean free trade zone that will lead to the birth of the world’s largest transhipment area.

As for the real estate market, according to numerous specialized real estate agencies, in 2011 the revenues of logistics structuresis expected to be around 4 bln € of revenues. Some of Italian strengths in this field are the high efficiency levels of structures (class A); the possibility to offer “built to suit” solutions; the flexibility of contracts.

Logistics is one of the most profitable Italian business and it has very high prospects of growth. After the international crisis, a slight recover started in 2010 and signals from transports, transactions and the real estate market demonstrate that this positive period is still continuing. At the moment, logistics represents 7% of National GDP.

National logistics equipment is based on a set of infrastructures

China

54,4

Germany

41,2

USA

34

Italy

13,9

Rest of EU27

13,4

Brazil

7,6

Canada

5,6

Spain

4,9

India

4

France

4 Source: GSE - Statistical Report, 2011

and logistics hubs that, since the second part of the last century, have allowed Italy to develop constantly its socio-economic framework: more than 6.500 km of present highways, with a huge plan of expansion already approved; around 21.500 km of national roads; 24.216 km of rail network (1.370 km high speed); 3 hub ports (Cagliari, Gioia Tauro and Taranto) and 21 first level commercial ports; 2 intercontinental hub airports (Rome and Milan); 25 freight villages.

sophisticated and receptive to innovative technologies − contribute to making Italy one of the most outstanding pilot markets worldwide for development and launch of ICT products and services.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Italian telecommunications (TLC) market (2010) and Italian information technologies (IT) market (2010)

Italy boasts a long tradition of ICT innovation dating back to the beginning of last century. Today Italy remains a source of vigorous and dynamic innovation, a major developer of pioneering technologies, with an impressive track record of successful cases.

Its 60 million potential consumers (Source: Eurostat 2010) − highly

Market Italy is Europe’s fourth largest ICT market, with market value exceeding € 60 billion in 2010. TLC market share is worth € 41,8 billion and the IT one is equal to € 18,4 billion.

Life Sciences Italy is one of the world leaders in Life Sciences market, being

17

8 reasons to invest in Italy 1. A strategic position in Europe and in the Mediterranean Sea Lying at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy is the main crossway linking southern Europe to northern and central Europe and represents a meeting point for land, sea and air routes. Italy is the gateway to three key markets with over 800 million consumers.

2. The great strength of the Italian economy: small and medium companies A production network of 5 million companies with a strong entrepreneurial culture, creating high quality products in various economic sectors and able to compete in international markets.

3. A wide infrastructure network Companies deciding to invest in Italy can rely on a wide infrastructure network: • Second longest road network in the EU25, after France, including about 6,500 km of motorways, representing 13.7% of all motorways in the EU (25), and 21,500 km of national roads; • Fifth longest rail network in the EU25 with 16,703 km of working lines and 24,216 km of tracks; • One of the most developed freight village systems in Europe. 7 Italian freight centres are classified in the Top 20 of European logistic infrastructures, with Verona ranking first; • Second most important country in Europe for maritime freight transport: 24 main commercial ports, with 3 international hubs, scattered along 7,400 km of coastline and a total traffic of container around 10 million TEUs in 2010; • First EU country in maritime transport of passengers in 2009 with 92 million passengers.

4. Countless opportunities for expanding companies Italy is the 4th largest economy in EU (FMI) with a potential market of almost 60 million consumers, for innovative services (more than 25 million Internet users) and products, the Italian market offers countless opportunities to expand businesses in strategic sectors such as logistics, ICT, life sciences, renewable energies, tourism.

5. Facilities and support for foreign companies Invitalia comprises a single and reliable national reference point for foreign investors eager to expand or to set up a new business in Italy

by providing a free of charge spectrum of services for all stages of the investment process: updated detailed information on the business environment, investment opportunities in specific sectors and business advisory services throughout the implementation process.

6. Innovative value system 1. Innovation in Italy is driven by an extensive network of highquality universities public and private institutions (almost 100) 2. Over 40 modern network of science and technological parks, which ensure that research is widely integrated into industrial processes.

3. The parks network is a key to the innovation development: • 600 Hi Tech companies settled • Over 200 R&D Center (public and private) • 16.000 employees with a high level of technological expertise • Italy ranks 4th for registered trademarks and 8th for number of pending patents among G12 countries. The number of issued patents is one of the most relevant indicators for measuring the innovative output of a Country.

7. High qualified human resources Italy ranks 2nd in Europe in terms of manufacturing companies, with a skilled workforce internationally recognized and praised, contributing to the high quality of Made-in-Italy products. High standard of human resources in the research field, also supported by the tradition and the high quality of the University system and several research centers. Companies investing in Italy can rely on an average of 300,000 graduates per year.

8. Quality of life and lifestyle Italy is a modern and cosmopolitan country with 3,8 million inhabitants with an excellent standard of living. Superior health and education provision, endless opportunities in beautiful landscape, and a vibrant cultural country are just some of the reasons why more than 4 million foreigners (7,0% of total residents) have decided to live in Italy. Italy is recognized for its international brand in strategic sectors such as fashion, automotive, marine, design, mechanics. The Italian style, innovation, creativity and love for the tradition are all key success factors of the “Made-in-Italy” brand in the competitive world market. Moreover, Italy has the largest number of World Heritage (UNESCO) sites in Europe, with 43 locations listed as places of outstanding cultural and historical significance.

18

Kuwait-Italy

trade ties stand test of time Kuwaiti economy Kuwait is a Gulf state with a limited population (estimated 3.7 million inhabitants in 2011; two thirds consisting of foreigners), concentrated almost entirely in the homonymous capital. The country enjoys a high income per capita (equal to $ 47,982 per capita in 2011 - IMF-WEO database 4/2012, compared to $36,267 per inhabitant of Italy), while the gross domestic product at current prices reached in 2011, US$176.7 billion, since it puts the size of the Kuwaiti close to those of most populous countries.

Primary source of wealth of the state and is the export of crude oil, with a capacity to produce about three million barrels a day, with predicted increases of up to 4 million in 2020. The oil reserves, estimated at 101 billion barrels, are equal to 9-10% of the world. The revenue budget of the state is based on more than 90% on income from production and sale of crude oil and its derivatives, which represent almost the totality of its exports. The main economic sectors (industry, transport, services) are managed by public companies, which occupy 77% of the local workforce, while in the private sector the proportion is reversed

in favor of foreign workers, who have a numerically dominant role.

With the development plan 2010-14, Kuwait aims to encourage the participation of non-oil sector in the economy and achieve a minimum annual real GDP growth of 5%. The plan provides for increasing the private sector participation, particularly through BOT type contracts (Build, Operate & Transfer), and has an ambitious spending program to invest nearly $130 billion in all sectors of the economy.

Bilateral economic relations Italy is among the main economic partners of Kuwait. From the economic standpoint, the importance of Kuwait to Italy is determined by its position in the top 10 of oil producers and exporters in the world and the rich market that it represents for the full range of Italian products, with particular reference to machinery and medium-high level consumer products. The attention of the Italian operators towards the Kuwaiti market is growing, partly as a result of the good economic performance of Kuwait during the financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009.

During 2011, the sharp slowdown in the process of public tendering in Kuwait because of political disputes that end of the year led to the formation of a new government in Dec 2011 and new elections in Feb 2012 led to the failure to issue new maxi-races to Italian companies. This led to a fall in Italian exports to Kuwait, amounting in 2011 to €580 million, against €733 million in 2010.

The first months of 2012 show a resumption of bilateral economic relations, with the award of two contracts to Italian companies in the field hospital and hydrocarbons, respectively, for a total value of over €250 million. In the first two months of 2012, Italian exports also registered an increase of 9% compared to the corresponding period of 2011.

In Kuwait there are the following Italian companies: Saipem, Rizzani de Eccher, Italcementi Group, Maire Tecnimont, Trevi Group, ABB Italy, Fisia Italimpianti, Bonatti, Pizzarotti. The Minister of Economic Development, Infrastructure and Transport, Corrado Passera, completed in March 2012, a mission in Kuwait on the occasion of the “International Energy Forum’.

Main economic data 2007

2008

2009

2010*

2011*

2012**

2013**

114.610

147.391

105.929

124.310

162.991

181.384

190.746

57,592

60,456

45,491

44,879

42,540

40,634

39,548

+4,4

+6,0

-4,6

+3,1

+4,4

+5,4

+5,3

37,915

40,707

38,713

39,265

40,360

41,616

42,602

Government consumption (var. %)

+1.5

+4.0

-1.0

+1.5

+5.5

+7.5

+7.0

Private consumption (var. % )

+9.0

+7.4

-2.0

+3.5

+4.5

+6.0

+5.5

+24.4

+13.0

-3.0

+2.0

+7.0

+12.0

+10.5

7.5

9.0

2.1

6.0

3.1

4.3

4.2

Exchange rate KD:US$ (end-period)

0.273

0.276

0.287

0.281

0.277

0.279

0.280

Exchange rate KD: € (end-period)

0.399

0.384

0.411

0.376

0.369

0.359

0.361

Nominal GDP (US$ m)

External debt (US$ m) Real GDP growth (%) GDP per head (US$ at PPP)

Gross fixed investment (var. % ) Consumer prices (end-period; %)

(*)Economist Intelligence Unit estimates; (**)Economist Intelligence Unit forecast; April 2012

20

Kuwait trade balance (US$ mld and % change) Export (FOB) % annual change Import (FOB) % annual change Kuwait trade balance

2007

2008

2009

2010*

2011*

2012*

2013*

62.526

86.944

51.686

66.965

97.363

92.011

103.628

10.75%

39.05%

-42.09%

33.23%

45%

-6%

7%

19.962

22.939

17.288

19.062

21.325

22.492

23.970

17.72%

19.99%

-25.53%

5.18%

10.5%

5.6%

6.7%

42.564

64.005

34.398

47.903

76.038

82.857

79.658

Trade interchange between Italy and Kuwait (€ m) 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Export

547

819

735

626

734

580.38

% change 2010-2011 -21.0 %

Import

72

121

151

76

108

79.8

-26.4 %

Total interchange

619

939

886

702

842

660.18

-22.0 %

Main Italian exported items to Kuwait in € January- December 2011

1, Machinery, mechanical appliances and parts thereof

170,936,929

2, Iron and steel items

60,871,013

3, Furniture, bedding, mattresses, cushions

45,167,161

4, Machinery and electrical equipment

39,423,891

5, Clothing and accessories other than knitted

23,879,440

6, Articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, etc,

22,814,120

7, Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and accessories

22,603,212

8, Instruments and apparatus for optical, medical-surgical, parts and accessories

22,004,088

Total exports

580,386,568

Main Italian imports from Kuwait in € January- December 2011 1, Chemicals 2, Plastics and articles thereof 3,cast iron, iron and Steel 4, Fuels Total imports 2, Plastics and articles thereof

49,797,790

14,119,113

3, Ghisa, ferro e acciaio Iron and Steel

6,669,040

4, Combustibili Fuels

3,728,374

Totale importazioni Total imports

79,810,216

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Interchange Italy Kuwait-I quarter 2012 (Amounts in millions of Euro) I quarter 2011

I quarter 2012

Exports

143,66

207,39

Change 2011-2012 +44,3%

Imports

19,35

15,02

-22,5 %

Total Interchange

163,01

222,41

+36,4 %

Source: ISTAT Kuwait, main Italian exports in Euro I quarter 2012 1. Machinery, mechanical appliances and parts thereof

98.533.137

2. Articles of iron and steel

13.239.832

3. Clothing and accessories other than knitted

9.538.532

4 Furniture, bedding, mattresses, cushions, neon signs

9.309.758

5. Machinery and electrical equipment

8.299.061

6. Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and accessories

6.567.887

Total exports

207.394.232

Kuwait, main Italian imports in Euro I quarter 2012 1. Organic chemicals

8.850.488

2. Plastics and articles thereof

3.122.345

3. Iron and steel

2.591.826

Total imports

15.021.511

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Italian by Design

I

taly is recognized as being a worldwide trendsetter and leader in design - as a matter of fact, Italian architect Luigi Caccia claims the “Quite simply, we are the best” and that “We have more imagination, more culture, and are better mediators between the past and the future”. Italy today still exerts a vast influence on urban design, industrial design and fashion design worldwide. As a matter of fact, Italy’s iconic design has emerged into the common phrase “Made in Italy”.

Interior design

Italy is a world trendsetter, and has produced some of the greatest furniture designers in the world, such as Gio Ponti and Ettore Sottsass. Italian interior design in the 1900s was particularly well-known and grew to the heights of class and sophistication. At first, in the early 1900s, Italian furniture designers struggled to create an equal balance between classical elegance and modern creativity, and at first, Italian interior design in the 1910s and 1920s was very similar to that of French art deco styles, using exotic materials and creating sumptuous furniture. However, Italian art deco reached its pinnacle under Gio Ponti, who made

his designs sophisticated, elegant, stylish and refined, but also modern, exotic and creative.

In 1926, a new style of furnishing emerged in Italy, known as “Razionalismo”, or “Rationalism”. The most successful and famous of the Rationalists were the Gruppo 7, led by Luigi Figini, Gino Pollini and Giuseppe Terragni. Their styles used tubular steel and was known as being more plain and simple, and almost fascist in style after c. 1934. After World War II, however, was the period in which Italy had a true avantgarde in interior design. With the fall of Fascism, rise of Socialism and the 1946 RIMA exhibition, Italian talents in interior decorating were made evident, and with the Italian economic miracle, Italy saw a growth in industrial production and also massmade furniture.

Yet, the 1960s and 1970s saw Italian interior design reach its pinnacle of stylishness, and by that point, with Pop and post-modern interiors, the phrases “Bel Designo” and “Linea Italiana” entered the vocabulary of furniture design. Ever since the late 1970s and early 1980s, some equipment began to

23

Italian by Design

I

taly is recognized as being a worldwide trendsetter and leader in design - as a matter of fact, Italian architect Luigi Caccia claims the “Quite simply, we are the best” and that “We have more imagination, more culture, and are better mediators between the past and the future”. Italy today still exerts a vast influence on urban design, industrial design and fashion design worldwide. As a matter of fact, Italy’s iconic design has emerged into the common phrase “Made in Italy”.

Interior design

Italy is a world trendsetter, and has produced some of the greatest furniture designers in the world, such as Gio Ponti and Ettore Sottsass. Italian interior design in the 1900s was particularly well-known and grew to the heights of class and sophistication. At first, in the early 1900s, Italian furniture designers struggled to create an equal balance between classical elegance and modern creativity, and at first, Italian interior design in the 1910s and 1920s was very similar to that of French art deco styles, using exotic materials and creating sumptuous furniture. However, Italian art deco reached its pinnacle under Gio Ponti, who made

his designs sophisticated, elegant, stylish and refined, but also modern, exotic and creative.

In 1926, a new style of furnishing emerged in Italy, known as “Razionalismo”, or “Rationalism”. The most successful and famous of the Rationalists were the Gruppo 7, led by Luigi Figini, Gino Pollini and Giuseppe Terragni. Their styles used tubular steel and was known as being more plain and simple, and almost fascist in style after c. 1934. After World War II, however, was the period in which Italy had a true avantgarde in interior design. With the fall of Fascism, rise of Socialism and the 1946 RIMA exhibition, Italian talents in interior decorating were made evident, and with the Italian economic miracle, Italy saw a growth in industrial production and also massmade furniture.

Yet, the 1960s and 1970s saw Italian interior design reach its pinnacle of stylishness, and by that point, with Pop and post-modern interiors, the phrases “Bel Designo” and “Linea Italiana” entered the vocabulary of furniture design. Ever since the late 1970s and early 1980s, some equipment began to

23

be logoed by notable Italian fashion houses, such as Prada, Versace, Armani, Gucci and Moschino. Examples of classic pieces of Italian furniture include Zanussi’s rigorous, creative and streamlined washing machines and fridges, the “New Tone” sofas by Atrium, and most famously the innovative postmodern bookcase, made by Ettore Sottsass for the Memphis studio in 1981, inspired

by Bob Dylan’s song Memphis Blues. The bookcase became huge a cultural icon and design event of the 1980s.

Automobile design

Italy also is very influential in car design, and has produced some of the greatest status symbols of the century. The automobile

industry in the nation is a quite large employer in the country, with a labour force of over 196,000 (2004) working in the industry. Italy is the 5th largest automobile producer in Europe (2006). Over the ages, Italian cars have been recognized worldwide for their stylishness and practicality.

Famous Italian cars include the Alfa Romeo convertibles of the 1950s and the Ferrari Spider and Ferrari Formula supercars. There are also several symbolic vehicle types which are less luxurious than those cars, such as the iconic Fiat Topolino and Fiat 500, and the symbolic Vespa Piaggio, which became one of the most fashionable and affordable vehicles in Italy after World War II, being first produced in 1946.

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Fashion design

Italian fashion is amongst the world’s most important fashion designs, such as those of France, USA, Great Britain and Japan.

Fashion has always been an important part of the culture of Italy, and its society. Italian designs began become one of Europe’s main trendsetters ever since the 11th-16th centuries, when artistic development in Italy was at its peak. Cities such as Venice, Milan, Florence and Vicenza started to produce luxury goods, hats, cosmetics, jewelry and rich fabrics. During the 17th-early 20th centuries, Italian fashion lost its importance, and Europe’s main trendsetter became France, as French fashion began to become

hugely popular, eversince luxury dresses began to be designed for the courtiers of Louis XIV. However, since the 1951-53 fashion soirées held by Giovanni Battista Giorgini in Florence, the “Italian school” started to compete with the French haute couture, as labels such as Ferragamo and Gucci began to contend with Chanel and Dior. Currently, Milan, (Italy’s center of design) is considered the true fashion capital of the world, according to the 2009 Global Language Monitor, and Rome ranked 4th. Both these cities annually compete with other major international centres, such as Paris, New York, London and Tokyo.

Examples of major Italian fashion houses are: Gucci, Armani, Emilio Pucci, Valentino, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli, Trussardi, Versace, Krizia, Etro, Miu Miu, Laura Biagiotti, Max Mara, Fendi, Moschino, Missoni, Benetton and Brioni (fashion), to name a few. Italy also is home to many fashion magazines, such as Grazia, Vogue Italia, Vera, Chi, Gioia and Donna. Other Italian accessory and jewelry brands, such as Bulgari are amongst the most important in the world.

Milanese company Luxottica is currently the world’s most successful eyewear company.

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Commercially, Italian Milan-based fashion design is far more successful than its Parisian rival. Armani is well-known for its minimalism and sophisticated style, Versace for its extravagant and ultra-luxurious lines, Gucci for its symbolic chicness and style, Prada for its glitz and glamour, Valentino for its supreme elegance, Dolce & Gabbana for its fantasious and outrageous dresses, Romeo Gigli for its romantic and creative ideas and Moschino for its smart/casual outfits and t-shirts.

‘Made in Italy’ hallmark of quality

By Alfredo Rizzo

I

taly has a diversified industrial economy, divided into a developed industrial north, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south. The economic structure is comparable to that of most other advanced OECD economies, and its main strength is in manufacturing, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), family owned firms, in very specialized products that require high-quality design and engineering. In terms of GDP, agriculture accounts for 1.8 %, whereas industry accounts for 25% and services 73.1%.

The strongest components of the economy are the clusters of family-owned SMEs established in 111 industrial districts, producing high-quality consumer goods including clothing, furniture and technology like kitchen equipment, machine tools, agro-industrial and food products, textile machinery, leather and footwear machines, food processing machines and ceramics and metalworking machines. In 2010, thanks to a renewed strategy, the export from 101 districts has been over 10% more than 2009.

In 2010 exports from Italy to the world accounted for 15.7% more than in 2009 whereas imports rose 22.6%; in terms of products, we registered an export increase of coke and refined oil derivates, chemical products together with clothing, furniture and leather products. In turn, imports registered an increase of 40% each for metal products, oil and derivates and electronics apparatus. Mercosur countries, Turkey and China have been the main destinations of our export. hanks to a forecasted positive performance of mechanical tools, electric apparatus, transport and textile/clothing productive sectors, export growth is expected to main

destinations including BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries, Chile, USA, South Africa, Indonesia, Mexico and Arab Gulf economies as well Germany and Poland in Europe.

Trade between Italy and Kuwait in 2010 exceeded €842 million in value while exports from Italy accounted over €734 million (+ 17.2% compared to 2009). Italy’s main exports to Kuwait are mechanical machines and apparatus, clothing, processed food, natural stones and marble. In turn, Kuwait exports to Italy chemical products and oil derivates. In 2010, Kuwait exports were over €108 million in value (+43% compared to 2009).

Together with USA, China, Germany, South Korea, France and UK, Italy is a very important commercial partner of Kuwait sharing 6% of the total exports. Kuwait’s direct investments in Italy are manly in the oil business: Kuwait Petroleum Italia; Q8 gasoline distribution as well in the finance sector. Italy is represented in Kuwait by Saipem, ABB Italia Riva Calzoni, Foster Wheeler Int. Corp.Italiana, Technip, Globchem, Marie Technimont, Fisia Italimpianti, Trevi Group, Danieli Engineering, ABB PS & S (Italia) Italcementi, Rizzani de Eccher Aloni &Bretoni, Pizzarotti and by the most famous and prestigious fashion brands and furniture stores.

In order to promote foreign trade and commerce, business opportunities, industrial cooperation and to protect from imitations the best of “Made in Italy” products, the Ministry of Economic Development - Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico - finances and supports the role of the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade –ICEas the agency entrusted for the matter.

26

Information about economies, customs, fiscal/financial rules, marketing researches; promotion through international trade fairs and missions, forums and annual public and private promotional projects; multilateral cooperation; training services to develop human resources and assistance to find good and reliable partners are the main services provided by ICE. With 115 offices based in 86 overseas countries, ICE offices are now running as Italian trade promotion sections at Italian embassies. In 2010, more than 600 companies, based both in Kuwait and Italy have been assisted by Kuwait’s ICE office and several promotional initiatives between trade missions and commercial workshops have been organized in the same period.

Having in mind the traditionally close relations between the two countries, and planned project opportunities in the oil sector, infrastructure, education and training together with potential economic growth of Kuwait in the coming years, the ICE team together with Commercial Office of the Italian Embassy is ready for any assistance and support required by both Kuwaitis and Italian firms.

History of

ItalianUnity

made easier

If You Think the History of the Unification of Italy is Not Complicated, You’re Not Italian. Italians Know It’s Molto Complicata

By Roberto Severino

2

011 marked the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. A momentous accomplishment, it is celebrated every March 17, the day in 1861 when Victor Emmanuel II of the House of Savoy and King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of Italy. But as simple as that crowning moment may sound, not much leading up to the historic day that would shape the modern nation of Italy proves to be semplice. In continental Europe, many states had been politically strong, unified and centralized for centuries, whereas, despite its long established national cultural ideology, Italy achieved comparable political status only much later. The multi-faceted process that led to Italy’s political unification is known as “il Risorgimento.” A complex resurgence of often contrasting political ideas and ideals that were first launched at the end of the 18th century, then reinvigorated in the 19th century, il Risorgimento underlay a nationalist struggle directed mainly against one particular enemy— Habsburg Austria, which then ruled in Lombardy and the Veneto region and, indirectly, also in much of the rest of the peninsula. Many forces and personalities shaped il Risorgimento.

Men such as Vincenzo Gioberti (1801-1852), an influential priest, writer and politician, endeavored to create a confederation of all the seven extant Italian states (the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Lombardo Veneto Kingdom, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy of Modena, the Duchy of Parma, the Papal States, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies) under the spiritual and political guidance of Pope Pius IX. Others, like Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) and Giuseppe Mazzini (18051872), both of whom espoused more radical political programs, wanted to do away with all forms of monarchy, including that of the Pope. In their place, they wanted to establish egalitarian, secular forms of republican government. And still others aspired to a constitutional form of a national monarchy

under the House of Savoy. This, with the able maneuvering of Piedmont-Sardinia’s Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour (1810-1861), was the form of government that would ultimately prevail.

Although often strongly disagreeing with each other on how best to achieve the goal of the political unification of Italy, Garibaldi (the heroic, ideal- istic soldier), Mazzini (the lucid theorist and unrelenting organizer) and Cavour (the astute politician and statesman) later were recognized as the triad that most effectively brought to fruition the centuriesold dream. They created a unified nation that would finally take its rightful place among the modern nations.

Giuseppe Garibaldi was the inspirational leader of the drive towards Italy’s unification.

He had come to be known as the “Hero of the Two Worlds” because, in the 1830s and 1840s, before fighting for Italy, he had fought countless battles in South America, contributing with his “Red Shirts” to the independence of Uruguay. These

28

volunteers owed their name to the fact that they went into battle wearing red shirts used by butchers so blood could not be easily detected. In 1860, with the legendary “I Mille,” his 1,000- man military expedition to Sicily, Garibaldi went on to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the largest and most populated of the 19th-century Italian states. Remarkably, he then met with Victor Emmanuel, the Piedmontese king, in Campania, near Teano, and simply handed over to him the newly conquered territories.

Although a staunch republican, Garibaldi understood that for Italy a republican solution was unthinkable, or at best premature, due to opposition of the powerful French and Austrian monarchs and their steadfast support for the Papal temporal rule. Garibaldi was further disillusioned by the king’s (and Cavour’s) unwillingness to admit his volunteers into the regular Piedmontese army, or to officially acknowledge them for their great accomplishment. He immediately

left for a self-imposed exile on the island of Caprera off the coast of Sardinia.

Interestingly, about a decade before these momentous events, Garibaldi spent a few years of exile in the United States, at Staten Island, N.Y. He became a naturalized citizen while staying there, working with the Italian scientist and entrepreneur Antonio Meucci, a friend and political supporter now considered by many to be the true inventor of the telephone. In New York, the memory of Garibaldi’s sojourn never faded. The Garibaldi Guard of the 39th New York State Volunteers–named in his honor– fought throughout the Civil War with great distinction. Lately, the connection between Garibaldi and America has become even more intriguing, though controversial. A few years ago, a historian unearthed in an archive in Turin a postcard sent by Garibaldi to King Victor Emmanuel II that appears to confirm that, at the beginning of the Civil War, President Lincoln offered Garibaldi the command of the Northern Union Army.

As for Mazzini, after expounding his ideas widely and joining the secret republican society of the Carboneria, the austere patriot and republican philosopher was imprisoned and risked his life many times for his political

activities. He eventually left Piedmont for Marseille, France, to found the movement of “Giovine Italia” (Young Italy) whose political goal was that of an Italy “una, indipendente, libera, repubblicana“ (united, independent, free, and republican).

Twice condemned to death in absentia by Piedmontese courts, Mazzini spent most of his life abroad. Occasionally, he returned to Italy to participate in daring revolutionary deeds such as the creation of the Roman Republic (Feb. 9 - July 4, 1849) that he briefly led as a member of the triumvirate.

But Piedmontese’s enmity was enduring.

In 1860, just as Mazzini was planning to join Garibaldi, who was successfully campaigning against the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Kingdom of Sardinia excluded him from a general amnesty.

Not until 1870 would Mazzini so benefit, along with other political prisoners, for the celebration of the conquest of Rome.

Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, was a moderate political realist and one of the 19th century’s most consummate masters of diplomacy. When appointed first minister of the Kingdom of Sardinia, he used his skills to

Proclamation of the Roman Republic, 1849, lithograph published in 1861

29

first consolidate that state and then, through alliances and short wars of independence, to promote its territorial expansion. By 1861, the year in which Cavour died just three months after Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed first king of Italy, the former Kingdom of Sardinia would encompass most of present-day Italy, with the exception of Veneto and of the Papal States.

Cavour understood that by contributing a Piedmontese contingent to the Crimean War (1853-1856)—fought by a coalition of Great Britain, France, Piedmont-Sardinia and the Duchy of Nassau against Russia over influence in the Ottoman Empire—he would ensure himself a place at the victors’ table. This gave him the opportunity of putting on that table what had come to be known as the “Italian Question,” enabling him to skillfully play France against England, the two superpowers of the time, to counter Austria’s interests in the Italian peninsula.

To secure French military support against Austria for the annexation to PiedmontSardinia of Tuscany and Romagne, Cavour did not hesitate to swap Garibaldi’s hometown of Nice and the province of Savoy to France, much to the dismay of

Garibaldi and Mazzini. To further secure Napoleon III’s goodwill toward the Italian cause, he sent to France an envoy whose beautiful wife, the Countess of Castiglione, Cavour’s own cousin, he entrusted with the task of seducing the French emperor.

Cavour’s doctors attributed his sudden death in 1861 to a severe bout of malaria that he had contracted years before in the rice fields of his native Piedmont. However, soon after his demise, certain accusations were made that recently surfaced evidence seems to corroborate. The evidence suggests a female French agent under orders of Napoleon III may have poisoned Cavour because he had not honored a secret treaty that would have ceded Sardinia and Liguria to France in exchange for Piedmont’s annexation of the Papal regions of Marche and Umbria, and of the Two Sicilies. By 1861, a Kingdom of Italy that spun out of a much “enlarged” Kingdom of Sardinia, with Victor Emmanuel II at its helm, had become a reality. Victor Emmanuel, despite being the sovereign of a new and more important political entity run by a constitutional, parliamentary government, insisted on keeping the “II” after his name.

That led many skeptics to surmise that the new unified geopolitical entity had been the result of an expansionistic design rather than a democratic process. This new state did not yet include all of Italy. The Papal States and the Pope’s temporal rule were defended by a strong French military contingent. Veneto was protected by Austrian troops. However, soon the fluid European situation presented Italy with the occasion to acquire them both. In 1866, rather than stay neutral, Italy intervened on the side of Prussia in a shortlasting war against Austria (known in Italy as the Third War of Independence) and was rewarded with the annexation of Venice and Veneto. In 1870, the specter of defeat in the Franco- Prussian war forced France to recall all its troops stationed in Rome, allowing the Italian army to take over the remaining Papal territories and occupy Rome on September 20. In October of that year, the Romans voted to join the new state that now numbered some 25 million inhabitants. And, in July 1871, the city became the capital of a unified Italy. But events leading to a unified Italy had occurred in rapid succession. In just 10 years, from 1861 and 1871, three different Italian cities had been the capital of Italy: Turin (1861-65), Florence (1865-1871) and Rome (since July 8, 1871). And the key achievement of Italian unity was accomplished in only two years (1859-1861).

Like a mighty river growing and swelling over the years out of countless drops of rain, feeding thousands of rivulets, the Risorgimento ultimately coincided with a common dream whose sources lie deep in the mountains and in the past. Even today, it represents the most enduring, fundamental factor on which the national identity of the new Italy has been built. Roberto Severino, a native of Catania, Italy, is a wellknown educator. He has written extensively on many literary and historical subjects and is a Professor Emeritus of Italian, Georgetown A mid-19th century photograph of Giuseppe Mazzini University.

by Domenico Lama, an Italian patriot and pioneering Engraving of Camillo photographer Although exhilarating, it left many social and economic questions unsolved. Still to be dealt with were important issues such as literacy, the right to universal suffrage, a truly representative government, the issue of local autonomy, the pronounced discrepancy in the standards of living of its citizens, and the enormous economic difference between the industrialized North and the largely agrarian South. The latter, especially, led to many episodes of social unrest and, in the intervening years, prompted a painful mass migratory movement towards far-away countries and, later, internally, from the South of Italy to the North. As for the political shape and extension of Italy, it finally would be completed only after the conclusion of WWI (1914-1918) with the addition of Alto Adige, Trentino and Trieste. Yet, as important as all of these people, events and often controversial issues may have been, the consciousness of a common national and cultural soul that shaped the new nation went well beyond the contingent and, at the time, compelling urgency of any of the single elements that contributed to the Risorgimento.

30

Benso, Count of Cavour, 1860, by Adolphe Eugène Disderi.

Italian slow cooker

There’s no easier way to put together warming winter dishes than with the help of a slow cooker, so take fresh inspiration from these delicious Italian recipes

S

low cookers are electrical, counter-top appliances with a metal outer sleeve containing an element and a lidded ceramic cooking pot which sits on top of the element. They cook food at relatively low temperatures compared to other cooking methods, and are very energy efficient, using up to 80 per cent less energy than conventional ovens.

Slow cookers are also handy for busy lifestyles – with as little as 15-20 minutes’ preparation time, they can be set up to cook a meal ready for the evening and left safely on while you are out. They are designed for moistheat cooking where moisture in the food condenses on the lid and drops back into the pot, making it a great way to cook soups and casseroles. In addition, the slowcooking process can make cheaper cuts of meat tender by cooking them over low heat for several hours.

ITALIAN PASTA AND BEAN SOUP This hearty soup of pasta and beans is a classic from the southern region of Puglia. The pasta shapes traditionally used are orecchiette, meaning ‘little ears’, but you can use any shape that you have at hand.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, garlic and potato and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, stock, herbs and beans. Season to taste then transfer to a slow cooker, cover and cook on HIGH for 3½ hours.

Remove the lid, add the pasta and chilli flakes and stir. Cook for a further 20-30 minutes depending upon what pasta shapes you use, or until the pasta is al dente. Ladle into bowls and serve sprinkled with a little Parmesan.

As you can see from the selection of recipes over the next few pages, there are plenty of excellent Italian inspired meals that can be made using a slow cooker, from traditional soups to rich pasta recipes, moist risottos and succulent meat dishes. Take the effort out of cooking this month, and give one of these a try.

32

SERVES 4 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 large potato, peeled and diced 4 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped 1 tbsp tomato purée 1.25 litres chicken or vegetable stock A sprig of fresh thyme, sage or rosemary 2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 150g small dried pasta shapes, such as orecchiette A pinch of dried red chilli flakes Salt and freshly ground black pepper Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Living in the ‘Pasta’ Pasta is one of the most popular foods, on account of its distinctive taste and also its simplicity

A

ny food fan in Italy will tell you that one of the cornerstones of any good meal is pasta. Pasta – such a simple concept (basically, unleavened dough), which, taken from its purest form, can result in a myriad of delicious, nutritious dishes.

One of the great things about pasta is its large variety of different types, or more precisely, shapes. Recently around 310 specific ones have been documented as well as their over 1,300 names, which vary depending on the region or the area. One of the most traditional is pasta lunga (long pasta), like spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, tagliatelle, tonnarelli and ziti. These are commonly eaten in both Italy and all around the world, as well as various versions of pasta corta (short pasta), such as penne, fusilli, garganelli, maccheroni, cavatelli, fusilli, farfalle or radiatori.

Pasta ripiena (stuffed pastas) are also highly popular today, with typical examples being

meat, vegetables and cheese. These result in pasta dishes such as ravioli, agnolotti, tortelli or Tortellini. And pasta can even made for soups – special pastas such as orzi, quadrucci and maltagliati are good examples of this perfect accompaniment to a bowl of soup.

But what are the origins of this simple meal?

One rumour is that Venetian merchant traveller Marco Polo was somehow linked with bringing back pasta from China. A written work called The Macaroni Journal was said to have tied in with this reference to pasta, with the aim of promoting this popular food to the United States of America.

Another rumour is that Marco Polo was said to have described a food similar to ‘lagana’ in his chronicles. Whether or not both or either of these are true is open to speculation, but the origins of pasta, nevertheless, are recorded earlier than in Marco Polo’s time (Polo was born in 1254 and passed away in 1324).

34

The references to lagana vary in terms of what it is, but they can be traced back as far as the first century in the writings of Horace (in which he refers to them as fine, fried sheets of dough). A similar sort of lagana is referred to in the next century. Athenaeus of Naucratis wrote of a recipe for sheets of dough made from wheat flour and juice or crushed lettuce, which were spiced and then deep fried in oil (the recipe was attributed to the previous century from Chrysippus of Tyana). Other oblique references to early forms of pasta include a note of lagana in a 5th century cookbook. This could be argued as a forerunner of lasagne in that the recipe talks of layers of dough with meat stuffing, although having said that, the method of cooking the dough does not tally with the traditional methods of cooking pasta.

However, a compound made from flour and water, known as itrion, was spotted by Greek physician Galen in the 2nd century. From the 3rd to 5th centuries, itrium was recorded in

the Jerusalem Talmud as a form of boiled dough.

While another variant of this, itriyya, was mentioned in a 9th century dictionary by Arab physician Isho bar Ali as a dish made from semolina which was dried prior to cooking. This was then mentioned in writings for the Norman King of Sicily, Roger II, by Muhammad Al-Idrisi in 1154. Vast quantities were said to have been exported from Norman Sicily at around this time. And in fact, this ‘forerunner’ to pasta was hugely popular in Sicily because it was both healthy and could be stored for a long time (this was particularly crucial for long ship journeys).

The concept of pasta had arrived and had made its mark, and was now carving a strong reputation across the globe.

But pasta enjoys a special place in Italy’s heart, where it is traditionally eaten as the first course or ‘piatto unico’ (a one meal dish). Not only does it taste good, it’s highly adaptable, and can be used in conjunction with other meals such as salads or soups. It is also highly nutritious. It’s a good source of nutrients such as iron, folate and B-vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. It’s relatively low in sodium, and in the cases of egg-free pasta, there is no cholesterol.

There are two types of pasta - dried and fresh. Fresh pasta is locally made with fresh ingredients and, in north and central Italy, it is usually made with a mixture of eggs and all-purpose flour, what in Italy is referred t as “00” flour. Since it contains eggs, it is more tender compared to dried pasta and only takes about half the time to cook. In the South, in regions such as Apulia, Campania and Sicily, fresh pasta can be made without eggs. The only ingredients needed to make the pasta dough is semolina flour and water, which is often shaped into orecchiette, busiate and cavatelli. Traditionally fresh pasta was produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of simple tools, but today many varieties of fresh pasta are also commercially produced by large scale machines, and are widely available in supermarkets.

no eggs in it. In the right conditions, dried pasta can be stored up to two years. An Italian law states that dried pasta can only be made with 100% durum wheat flour (durum wheat semolina) and needs to be dried at a low temperature for several days to evaporate all the moisture allowing it to be stored for a longer period.

The other notable aspect of making good, traditional pasta dishes is the pattern. A good number of traditional pasta types are ‘ridged’ on the surface, such as penne rigate, which means that they absorb the pasta sauce particularly well. Most dried pasta is commercially produced via an extrusion process. Making pasta with a copper or bronze mould, ensures that even pasta liscia (pasta with no ridges) gets a rough surface able to better absorb the sauce – a steel mould may be cheaper but it will not produce the desired effect because it is smoother.

Whether you are eating in from the comfort of your own home or eating out in a restaurant, nothing hits the spot quite like a good, well-made pasta dish. It is rich, full of flavour, and above all, delicious!

Even dried pasta can be made with or without eggs. The one with eggs is usually labeled as pasta all’uovo while it is generally understood that “normal” dried pasta has

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Potato, Basil And Green Bean At first you might be alarmed at the combination of potatoes, rice and beans.

Don’t be, because it’s delicious and makes a substantial meal.

Spooning pesto on top before serving is optional, but it will intensify the flavour dramatically.

Put the potatoes and beans in the slow cooker with 400ml of hot stock. Cover with the lid and cook on HIGH for 2 hours. About 15 minutes before the end of cooking time, heat the butter and oil in a saucepan set over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and mix well.

Transfer to the slow cooker and stir into the potato and bean mixture along with the remaining hot stock. Cover with the lid and cook on HIGH for 1 further hour. The risotto is ready when the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender but still firm (al dente), Turn off the slow cooker, cover with the lid, and leave to rest for 3-4 minutes.

Add the rice to the pan and stir, using a wooden spoon, for about 1 minute, until the grains are well coated and glistening. Pour in the wine and stir until it has been completely absorbed.

Add the Parmesan and basil and season to taste. Mix well. Spoon into serving bowls, top with basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil or fresh pesto, if using.

Serve immediately.

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Risotto SERVES 4 4 new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1cm cubes 50g green beans, cut into 1cm lengths 800ml hot vegetable stock 50g unsalted butter 1 tbsp olive oil 6-8 shallots depending on size, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 275g risotto rice, such as arborio 75ml white wine 100g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated A large handful of fresh basil, leaves torn Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper TO SERVE: Fresh basil leaves Extra-virgin olive oil (optional) Fresh pesto (optional)

Tagliatelle

WITH RICH MEAT SAUCE This is a lovely, easy sauce that bubbles away in your slow cooker to become deliciously sticky. It’s a little like a Bolognese sauce but makes a nice change to the traditional recipe.

Place all the sauce ingredients in the slow cooker, breaking up the mince into pieces with a wooden spoon. Cover with the lid. Cook on HIGH for 5 hours. Add the pasta, stir into the sauce and cook for a further 30 minutes until tender. Alternatively, if time is short, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions in a separate saucepan and drain well. Toss with the sauce. Serve immediately, sprinkled generously with freshly grated Parmesan and extra black pepper.

SERVES 4 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 celery stick, finely chopped 450g lean minced beef 400g tin cherry tomatoes (or regular chopped tomatoes) 300ml beef stock 2 tbsp tomato purĂŠe 1 tsp caster sugar 1 tsp mixed dried herbs Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper TO SERVE 320g dried tagliatelle Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In season RECIPES

Goats’ cheese and chive soufflés

serves 2 Preparation 10 minutes Cooking 35-40 minutes

300ml milk 1 tbsp unsalted butter 1 heaped tbsp plain flour 1 free-range egg, beaten 100g soft goats’ cheese, crumbled 1 small bunch of chives, chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 1800C/Gas Mark 4.

First make a thick béchamel by adding the unsalted butter to a pan, heat gently and when melted add the flour and stir in well. Add a ladleful of milk to the roux at a time, stirring to avoid lumps forming.

Once all the milk has been added, allow the béchamel to simmer for a minute, then remove from the heat

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and mix in the egg, cheese and chives.

Season to taste.

Spoon the mixture into greased ramekin dishes and place the dishes in a large ovenproof dish. Fill the large dish half way with water and bake in the oven for around 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Gaga for

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Gelato!

hile there is some confusion as to where or who really invented gelato, its history can be traced as far back as the 16th century. Historical records show that the practice of freezing fruit juice or fruits by placing them in containers surrounded by ice was almost certainly taking place during the Middle Ages, in the Far East. There is also evidence to suggest that this type of preparation was known in Tuscany, Aosta, Sicily and in other regions of the Peninsula.

attribute the honour to have re-invented gelato and made it famous to Caterina de’ Medici, during the middle of the 16th century , and to a certain Ruggeri, a cook who prepared it in occasion of her wedding.

Others talk of Bernardo Buontalenti (1531 1608), the architect to the Royal Court of the Medici family, who was hired to create and organize luxurious events for the Florentine banquets, including stage constructions, theatre events, fireworks, and food. For one of his creations,

However, gelato, as we know it today, clearly has its origins in Italy during the Renaissance period. Some historians,

Buontalenti introduced his invention of “frozen desserts� made with zabaglione and fruit.

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Moreover, Italians are also credited with introducing gelato to the rest of Europe; Sicilian born Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli is undoubtedly one of the most influential individuals in the history of gelato and the first one to sell it to the public. Procopio perfected a machine invented by his grandfather Francesco, a fisherman who dedicated his free time to the creation of an ice-making machine able to produce top quality gelato. The grandson, discovering the use of sugar in place of honey and of salt mixed with in order to make it to last longer, improved the quality and obtained the result we are much more familiar with.

In 1686 he was welcomed in Paris as a brilliant inventor and opened a café named after himself called “Cafe Procope”, which quickly became one of the most celebrated haunts of the literary establishment in France. In Italy meanwhile, the art of traditional gelato making was passed on from father to son, improved and perfected right up to the 20th century, when many gelato makers began to emigrate, taking their know-how to the rest of Europe.

Today, gelati are typically made with fresh fruit or other ingredients such as chocolate, nuts or biscuits and are often eaten in cones or in bowls with a wafer type biscuit.

Gelato made with water and without dairy ingredients is known as sorbetto. Some Italian food products use gelato as a main ingredient. These include ice-cream cake, semifreddos, spumoni, cassate, tartufo, and many others. Although licking a cone while walking through the city streets remains a national pastime, Italians now consume more ice cream at home as snacks or afterdinner treats, averaging four kilograms a year of the pre-packaged product, according to a report from the Italian Ice-Cream Institute.

This has increased from 250 gm per head in the 1950s, when commercially packaged

ice cream was first launched in the country.

A total of 3.5 billion portions of tubs, cones and other ice-cream products for home freezers are sold annually, with a turnover of almost two billion euros.

Over the years, gelato has passed through different fashions. For example in the 80s the blue Smurfs ice-creams were in vogue, inspired from the popular children’s show, or jasmine and other flowers’ ice-cream flavours. Gelato also plays a central role in modern Italian haute cuisine, the new generation of chefs has introduced new innovative flavours like tomato, wine, olive oil and basil. Recently, at the Identita Golose

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event, a famous patissier presented the last experiment “meat gelato”. But Italians still seem to prefer more traditional flavours as among the best sellers you keep finding the most classic flavours. Chocolate is the nation’s favourite flavour (chosen by 27% of ice cream lovers), followed by hazelnut (20%), lemon (13%) and strawberry (12%).

OLIVE OIL: APULIA’S GREEN GOLD

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APULIA’S

mong fields and old oil mills, festivals and initiatives, the love of a people for one of the excellent products of Mediterrean diet.

Olive oil is considered being Apulia region’s gold (Puglia). Apulia produced almost 2 million tons of oil annually. Vast expanses of olive groves are the backdrop of this land exposed to the sun, and bordered by the sea. The millstones and old mills, represent the ancestral respect and devotion of this people for this special tradition of flavor. In some villages of Salento, placed along the coast or in the inland, the cultivation and care of olive trees, authentic monuments of nature, is a costum, a fine art with a long story: from pruning to harvesting, from grinding to consumption.

Olive oil represents a strong attraction for the whole territory starting from Salento area to Gargano peninsula. From the mountains of the Daunian sub-Apennines to the slopes of Serre Salentine, you are completely astonished by the great and noble centuries-old olive trees, that have become part of the landscape. From north to south, there are countless lands allocated for these crops, many of which are used for growing organic farming. However, for a wine and food tour in the region of Apulia aimed to the discovery of PDO olive oil, it is worth visiting the main production areas. The travel starts with the oil Collina di Brindisi, produced in the homonymous area of Brindisi

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Liquid Gold

and in the municipality of Carovigno, Ceglie, Messapica, Cisternino, Fasano, Ostuni, San Michele Salentino, San Vito dei Normanni and Villa Castelli.

In the whole area of the province of Foggia is produced the extra virgin olive oil Dauno (PDO).The olive oil Terra d’Otranto (PDO) comes from the lands of the province of Lecce and many cities of the province of Taranto. Finally, the olive groves of the city of Bari and of the surrounding areas, produce the extra vergin olive oil named Terra di Bari (PDO), which includes the oil Castel del Monte, Bitonto, Murgia dei Trulli and of Grotte.

In an attempt to honor this ancient tradition, Coldiretti Lecce (Federation of Italian Farmers), Repubblica Salentina and some of the best mills of the peninsula, have created “Benvolio”, an event dedicated to new freshly pressed oil produced in many oil mills in Salento area. It is a sort of festival that every year celebrates the socalled “green gold”, the primary food of the Mediterranean diet.

Between late October and early November, many activities such as olive tastings, olive harvest, meetings, and guided visits for students are held. A rich program covers a myriad of events, some of which are organised by individual farms, while others are orgnised by groups of participating mills. Among the initiatives: a guided and training tours for families or students that want to take part in harvesting and pressing of the olives. One of the organisers of this event is a group of students from Repubblica Salentina that in recent years has been the supporter of numerous initiatives created to spread the knowledge of the area and to increase tourism.

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Fiat Sets the Pace

Fiat is an international group with a clear focus in the automobile sector that designs, produces and sells cars for the mass market under the Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Fiat Professional and Abarth brands and luxury cars under the Ferrari and Maserati brands.

Its global reach has increased as a result of the integration with Chrysler Group, through which its portfolio has recently been expanded to include the Jeep and Chrysler brands. The new Fiat lineup includes the following models:

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new Fiat 500 showcases the brand’s ingenuity to build world-class small cars that ignite a spirit of the times through simple design, beautiful craftsmanship and timeless value. As a result, the Fiat 500 has continued to surprise and delight customers worldwide for over 50 years.

Fiorino: The Capable, Compact Light Urban Van The Fiat Fiorino represents a whole new choice for the light van market thanks to its compact style, useful performance and exciting styling.

Designed to be agile in urban

2012 Fiat 500: The Right Car at the Right Time Beautiful Italian styling combined with timeless functionality, efficient design and innovative technology are the attributes that made the original Fiat 500 (Cinquecento) a timeless icon. More than 50 years later, the same qualities make the new 2012 Fiat 500 relevant for an entirely new generation of drivers.

Like the original Cinquecento, the

surroundings, the new Fiorino is easy to park and highly economical to operate. The Fiat Fiorino occupies a unique LCV segment, being the first ultra-compact vehicle to have been specifically designed for use in busy towns and cities. The rapid growth of e-commerce in particular has led to a substantial increase in demand for small vans to deliver goods and services ‘the last mile’ to homes and businesses. In this context, compact dimensions and outstanding

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manoeuvrability outweigh the need for excessive carrying capacities.

2012 FIAT Linea: Redefining Class and Luxury Fiat is redefining performance and luxury benchmarks in the small to med-size segments with its 2012 Linea model. With its assortment of best-in-class features the new Linea is the epitome of Italian design and ingenuity. The Fiat Linea features a stylish, dynamic exterior: a smooth, essential body shape, a compact front enlivened by elongated dualparabola headlights, a slender

profile, a steeply raked windscreen making for improved aerodynamics.

The same care was devoted to the interior, where the lines are harmonious, in complete accord with the body shape, and create a welcoming, bright environment, which is able to ensure outstanding interior habitability and superior comfort in terms of ergonomics and space.

ITALY

The Country Of Cars

Cars are perfect examples of “Made in Italy”, because they incorporate both elegance and tradition. Every year in Italy are organized many car exhibitions, fairs and markets, most of them are focused on the figure of some among the most important Italian designers, who conceived unique and breathtaking examples of cars.

During the year, and all over the country, the following exhibitions give to tourists a chance to know the history of Italian automobile: the Auto and Moto d’epoca Exhibition in Padova, the Fuoriserie Exhibition every April, in Roma, Motorissimo in Trento, aand the Classic Show in Adria. Finally, Le Bellissime Italiane - Auto di ogni tempo, (Wonderful Italian cars of any time), takes place at Calenzano, near Firenze, at the St. Art. Center. The show floor is simply and dynamically organized, has a surface of 1500 square meters and gives visitors a chance to chronicle the history of Italian automobile from 1920 to 1980, including both cars produced in the early post-war years and the most recent ones, racing and street versions.

Most of cars shown in the exhibition, have unique features as well as a distinctive coachwork, that made them famous all over the world: some examples are FIAT 8V, that was meant to relaunch the image of FIAT, and of course, Ferrari 250 Testarossa. Only 34 examples of Ferrari 250 Testarossa were produced, therefore, this car is highly desired by collectors: a prototype of Ferrari 250 Testarossa was sold by auction last August in US by Gooding & Company for 16,39 million dollars.

Visitors will also have the honor to admire a Lamborghini Miura in the exhibition: it was produced between 1966 and 1973 and lots of VIPs at the time purchased this car, such as Claudio Villa, Little Tony, Bobby Solo, Gino Paoli, Elton John, Dean Martin and Hussein of Jordan. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi bought two Lamborghini Miura, one of them purchased by auction by the actor Nicolas Cage who paid $490,000 for it; this being the highest amount of money ever paid for a Lamborghini Miura. The Lamborghini Miura exhibited in Calenzano, belonged to Mister Corrado Pani, who was Mina’s (an Italian singer) partner.

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In Calenzano is also exhibited a Lancia Stratos; with its distinctive and incomparable style, this car once belonged to Sandro Munari known as “the Dragon”. Furthermore, tourists can also admire a Lancia 037: both Lancia Stratos and Lancia 037 won the world rally championship at least one time.

As for the cars from the twenties and thirties, tourists will have the chance to admire some models exhibited only during international competitions, such as a Lancia Lambda of 1925: this car, produced in the early post-war years, and it is considered the first Vincenzo Lancia’s masterpiece, the second will be the Aprilia in 1936. The Isotta Fraschini exhibited was produced in 1926 and represents one of the most luxurious and prestigious cars in the history.

Visitors will have also the honor to admire the unique example of Fiat 525 Viotti, the first joint production by the FIAT company (the Italian automobile company that is still based in Turin) and the Viotti coach-building company (Carrozzeria Viotti). This cooperation culminated with the production of Fiat 508 Balilla, that reached a huge amount of sells.

A Berlinetta 202, designed by the “master” Battista Farina, (known as Pinin Farina), this car was sold to the Italian automotive company Cisitalia. The so-called Nuvolari designed by Giovanni Savonuzzi, an engineer who was the responsible for Cisitalia technical department in 40ies. The name of this car was choosen in order to pay homage to the great pilot from Mantua, who drived the car during the Mille Miglia competition in 1947 won by the pilot Clemente Biondetti from Florence.

In Calenzano, visitors will admire the Italian most important designers and coachbuilders masterpieces by masters as Mario Ravelli from Beaumont, Franco Scaglione, Giovanni Michelotti, Franco Martinengo, Marcello Gandini, Bertone, Castagna, Zagato, Viotti, Vignale and Bizzarrini: their “works of art” exhibited in Calenzano show

the excellence and charm of their “creations”, also after years from their production.

This exhibition is promoted by Calenzano Municipality funded by Tuscany Region and

by Florence Province, by ACI (the association of Italian municipalities) and ASI (the Italian “vintage” car club), ideated by Agostino Barlacchi and organized by the Italian Tourist

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association and CAMET (Club Auto Moto d’Epoca Toscano) (Tuscany Region “Vintage” cars and motorbikes association). Visiting the exhibition in Calenzano is like checking an encyclopedia. The visitors are attending a fashion show in which the models are the cars who make famous the “Made in Italy” abroad.

A tour of the

Ferrari Museum

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This beautiful region offers to engines lovers the Motor Show, the Monza circuit, the new Autodromo Marzaglia, the Righini, Panini and Stanguellini Collections,and also the Museum Ferrari and the opening soon of the House Museum Enzo Ferrari.

True guardian of this myth, is the Museum Ferrari in Maranello (Modena), visited annually by over 200,000 fans from around the world.

The exhibition changes constantly, offering different kind of exposition, satisfying both the car racing experts and the lover of vintage car. Among the most attractive halls, there is one in which there are about 40 prestigious models, chosen in rotation, both from museums and private collectors; these models show the evolution of style and design of Ferrari brand.

There is also the hall dedicated to Formula One and to the Cavallino lovers. The Hall of Victory celebrates the victories of the Scuderia, through the ehibition of the world champions cars from 1999 to 2008, of 110 trophies, and the original helmets of the 9 World Champions Drivers, such as Villeneuve, Berger, Mansell and Prost. Here you can see a lot of items that belonged to these pilots: from helmets to gloves, from suits to shoes.

There is also a real reconstruction of the Ferrari Formula One box, containing the

F12Berlinetta

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ho says Emilia Romagna, also says land of the engines, because here was born and has become a myth one of the greatest symbols of Made in Italy: the Ferrari brand.

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disassembled parts of the last season car, in the opposite there is the control center of racing and the outpost of telemetry: a must for those who want to experience the Formola One Box. Surprises are not finished!In the sound box you can hear the sounds of the engines of the main cars of Formula One and GT on the track and on road, while in another halls of the museum you can see some of the recently motors 8 and 10 cylinders mounted on the car of Scuderia World Champions from 1999 to 2008.

Finally, it is a must a visit in the reconstruction of the first office of Enzo Ferrari in Modena, where in 1929 began the myth of the Red “Cavallino”.

An important museum is dedicated to the creator of the brand Ferarri: The House Museum Enzo Ferrari in Modena. The museum will open on 2012, March 10th, but since February 18th, date of birth of Enzo Ferrari, will start different activities, including a beautiful Modena dressed up for a long period.

This museum complex was built after the restoration of the house where Enzo Ferrari was born in 1898. The house and its garage are kept intact, but has been built a surprising futuristic building that reproduces the “car bonnet” of a Ferrari in yellow aluminum, the color that symbolizes the city of Modena and above all the color chosen by Enzo Ferrari as

background of the Cavallino.

The protagonists of the exhibition will be cars from collections and museums, symbol of Italian brands. The cars will be surrounded by curved windows within which there are historical documents, objects, memories, and various unpublished audio-video.

In the museum dedicated to Enzo Ferrari could not miss an exhibition dedicated to the life of this pilot and manufacturer who stated: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Objects, documents and photos to commemorate his history, through motor sports, places, competitions, men who surrounded him: starting from the Circuit of Modena at the Aerautodromo and the Mille Miglia; Scaglietti, Fantuzzi, Stanguellini, to Maserati, Pagani, De Tomaso and Alfa Romeo. Visiting his house, through a permanent multimedia trace, you can retrace the main events of his life.

These Unique places make even stronger the identity of the Motor Valley of the Emilia Romagna, which over time has acquired an international importance.

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Embassy Marks the

National Day of Italy Ambassador of Italy and Mrs Martina Nicoletti held a reception on May 30 at Hotel Missoni Kuwait to celebrate Italy’s National Day. A large number of officials and other dignitaries attended the event.

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Kuwait Italian Business Group The Kuwait Italian Business Group, KIBG, is a non-profit association established under the patronage of the Italian Embassy in Kuwait to develop and strengthen the relations between the Italian and Kuwaiti business community members in Kuwait and to provide networking opportunities for them to share experience and business information.

KIBG aims also at raising awareness in Kuwait of the Italian companies, products, services and businesses in an attempt to facilitate their fit with the various forces at play in the Kuwait development programs .

In this context , KIBG is also keen to interact with similar business groups in Kuwait, in order to maximize the business network and cooperation opportunities.

KIBG activity started in 2011, encompassing monthly meetings with guest speakers addressing the participants on topics of wide interest such as the new labour law in Kuwait.

Furthermore, KIBG was among the organisers and key supporters of a mid-year conference on Kuwait Development Programs, held at the Regency Hotel in June 2011, with experienced speakers, intense participation and wide echo in Kuwait.

Led by a small group of Board Members, driven by enthusiasm and cooperative spirit, KIBG will resume the monthly meetings before the summer of 2012, and will take further organisational and operating steps in order to deliver results consistent with its challenging objectives.

info.kibg@gmail.com

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KIBG holds seminar on top financial risks Kuwait Italian Business Group (KIBG) held a meeting on June 11th, 2012 in the Golden Suite (Suite d’oro) on the 17th floor of Missoni Hotel, Salmiya. The guest speaker was Mr M. R. Raghu, CFA, FRM, Senior Vice President, Research at Markaz (Kuwait Financial Centre SAK), who spoke on the top 10 financial risks in 2012.

KIBG was represented by well-known Italian businessman Mr Massimo De Rose, Vice President of Unicapita Consultancy Co Mr David Dubrulle, Managing Director of Sartoria Italia Mr Alain Roncoletta and Ms Katia Airoldi among others. Ms Bernardetta Gravili, Commercial Attache’, Embassy of Italy in Kuwait was also present.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

H.E. Italian Ambassador, Fabrizio Nicoletti, Mr. Jaafar Behbehani and Mr. Alain Roncoletta during the ribbon cutting ceremony H.E. Italian Ambassador, Fabrizio Nicoletti with attendees at the opening event H.E. Italian Ambassador, Fabrizio Nicoletti, Mr. Alain Roncoletta and volunteers from Al Kharafi Kids Center Kuwaiti Singer Rahmani with his pianist Attendees to the Gala dinner Mrs. Francesca Roncoletta

Pasinelli

with

Mr.

Alain

Beautiful Italian handmade ceramic works from Castelli Mr. Jaafar Behbehani and Mr. Alain Roncoletta during the cheque donation to Al Kharafi Kids Center Mr. Sandro Vimercati with Mrs. Nadia Italian Ceramic Painter Mrs. Antonietta Faiani

10 painting on ceramic works with a visitor

H.E. Italian Ambassador, Fabrizio Nicoletti

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11 with Mr. Alain Roncoletta, Event Organiser

Salhiya

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I 3

4 5

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Speaks Italian

n January 2012, Italian Ambassador HE Fabrizio Nicoletti announced the launch of the Italian Week under the theme of “Salhiya Speaks Italian 2012�. The event, organized under the patronage of the Italian Embassy and in cooperation with the Salhiya Complex, took place on Friday 13 Jan until Thursday Jan 19 at the Salhiya Complex.

One of the most beautiful closing ceremonies was also organized in this regard marked by a charity dinner at the JW Mariott Hotel in support of the Al-Kharafi Activity Kids Center. The dinner also featured the much talked about Kuwaiti opera singer Rahmani.

Speaking about the event, Ambassador Nicoletti underlined the importance of the cultural ties between Italy and Kuwait. Participants to the exhibition included Italian companies established in Kuwait and companies participating for the first time in addition to representatives of Italian companies visiting the country especially to take part in this exhibition. The event saw also the presence of Telethon Italia, a non-profit organization whose mission is to assist in the growth of excellent scientific research into genetic disorders in Italy.

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The concept of the exhibition was very warmly welcomed by the Salhiya Complex and the Al-Kharafi Activity Kids Center which have praised the event as very significant towards bringing cultures together through art and style. The event has also paved the way into building solid bridges between Kuwait and Italy but also aimed to introduce the young generations to the different art disciplines.

From his part, Mr Alain Roncoletta, the Managing Director of “Sartoria Italia�, the organizing party, said that preparations and planning for the exhibition were challenging but exciting considering the appreciation and support provided by all the participants. During the exhibition, a full program of daily live workshops for ceramic paintings, carving, gilding with gold but also food preparations and other workshops were organized to reflect the authentic Italian manufactures.

Organized by:

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imercati is a company operating in high-level classic furniture branch. They are localized in district Brianza and build furniture is their passion. Since 1920. Style and quality are their strengths. Style is research and reproduction of most significant pieces of various ages, destined to remain in the history of furniture. Quality is the result of experience handed down from generations of experienced cabinetmakers, carvers and polishers, updated by the work of skilled craftsmen with attention to detail and use of selected materials. By style and quality they attain to furniture items not destined to last a few fleeting seasons, but furniture designed and built to cross generations and remain a family fortune.

Vimercati is one of the few companies that still polishing their furniture in a traditional way, with shellac dissolved in alcohol and beeswax, avoiding industrial systems of finishing. The result is an extraordinary softness of touch and a unique transparency of areas, which are maintained over time.

They are considered one of the most traditional expression of Italian Classic Furniture.

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eckell is born from the exploration of unpredic-table emotions.

Thanks to the masterful research of its designers, the innovation of its shapes becomes a simple, living material, capable of lighting up the entire room in which it is located. The purity of its lines, coupled with the luxurious elegance and grace of Teckell makes this a highly coveted possession. Its style, harmonious and refined, achieves a perfect balance making Teckell a revolutionary adaptation of the traditional foosball table.

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he working of brass takes place entirely in our workshop using the latest generation equipment for milling and turning of pieces for which we start from a full bar. To guarantee solid pieces worked one by one, with the maximum care to detail, completely absent of casting and forming.

Extreme attention is given to the choice of the other materials, like wood in all its various types, and to all the accessory elements, which give us the chance to offer our clients unique quality products.

MEZZANINE 1 – GATE 4 – SHOP 23 Tel. +965 67639309 Info.sarto.ita@gmail.com www.sartoria.progitalia.com

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Il Coltello d’Amore

on the wall above the headboard of the newly married couple’s bed.

The Knife of Love

This dazzling association of love and knives carries many precise meanings:

By Saladini

“Il Coltello d’Amore” or The Knife of Love is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating knives for its historic origins that are still nowadays highly respected.

It is made up of precious materials as well as specific ornaments that turn it into a very particular token for its beauty and splendor.

The historical writings, dating back to the 19th Century, bear witness to a tradition that consisted in exchanging the Knife of Love between the betrothed.

This exchange holds a very emotional significance; it ratified the agreement of a contract before it was officially registered.

Extensively documented in thesis talking about the bestows of the knife that the young man conferred to his beloved and, according to the tradition, a very particular knife was offered to the groom-to-be by his fiancée and to the bride-to-be by her fiancé.

They used to offer a pocketknife richly decorated with an inlaid handle and special inscriptions on the lame. After the wedding, it was very common that these knives were hanged

For the groom, it was a message of incitement that he must prove himself worthy of in his life, and, to courageously defend the most precious person he has; and for the bride, a direct entitlement to safeguard her own honor, even though it will cost a life.

The decorations on the handle assumed a significance of a lucky charm to protect against the evil eye aroused by the envy of having found the beloved. For this reason, the engravings on the handle served as small eyes to deviate the others from looking at the beloved person.

The bestowal of the Knife of Love also bears the significance of a pledge that even goes to the point of having a straight lame with rough and direct inscriptions on the reversed side saying: “si veramente mi porti amor sei la stella del mio cuore”, “costante ti sarò finché morirò”, “che tu possa perire di questa lama se costante non mi sarai”. “if you truly bring love to me you are the star of my heart”, “I will be devoted to you until I die”, “that you may perish with this lame if you are not faithful to me”.

Exhibition in Italy portrays Kuwait’s modernization

Hussein Ismail, the Board Chairman of Kuwait Petroleum International

MILAN: This ancient city hosted a Kuwaiti exhibition that shed light on the Gulf country’s tourist and cultural landmarks and provided a platform for interaction with Italian entrepreneurs exploring business opportunities in the region.

The exhibition themed “Don’t wait .. discover Kuwait” got underway in Oct 2011 after inauguration by Kuwait’s Information Undersecretary Sheikh Salman Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah and the Mayor of Milan Giuliano Pisapia.

Hussein Ismail, the Board Chairman of Kuwait Petroleum International, the main sponsor of the event, said in a statement to KUNA that the exhibition constituted “an open invitation” for interaction between Kuwaiti and Italian entrepreneurs. Kuwait is famous of openness, warm hospitality for tourists, has abundant investments aboard, particularly in Italy and Europe, where the KPI trademark, Q8, is well

known, Ismail said.

Moreover, the Gulf country has a solid infrastructure with multiple opportunities for foreign external investments. European and Italian authorities seeking to launch businesses in Kuwait can depend on the Kuwaiti labor force “as an added value,” Ismail said. Many young Kuwaitis have worked in national petroleum agencies abroad, accumulating substantial experience.

Alessandro Giloti, the head of the Kuwait Petroleum Italy, said Q8 depicted Kuwaiti ingenuity and modernization, as a result of the innovative services it provides, with emphasis on the needs of the clients and the high sense of responsibility.He described the exhibition an “an echo of the Kuwaiti modernization,” praised the choice of Milano as the venue of the activity, as a renowned hub for European-level cultural and economic interaction.

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Wearing Italian on the

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talian designers proved a popular choice for stars at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles this year. Actors and actresses hit the red carpet in looks from Versace, Armani, Giambattista Valli, Gucci, Marina Rinaldi and Valentino.

Valentino dressed young stars Shailene

Oscar Red Carpet Woodley and Amara Miller. Ellie Kemper wore Armani, dazzling in a form fitting rust sequins gown and holding a Salvatore Ferragamo gold Swarovski-encrusted minaudiere. Melissa McCarthy wore a peach-coloured frock created by Marina Rinaldi.

Emma Stone went for a more va-va-voom Giambattista Valli number, hitting the award show stage in a red hot evening dress. Cameron Diaz walked the red carpet in a nude Gucci gown and Salvatore Ferragamo blush satin peep-toe pumps.

Our favourite was Penelope Cruz who wore a princess-like Armani blue gown set off by twinkling diamonds and a classic, old Hollywood-stylehairdo.

Without a doubt, Agelina Jolie stole the show on the red carpet in a full-skirted black velvet gown with a thigh-high split

by Versace, her unusual and very revealing pose causing quite a stir.

Italian Oscar Winners for Art Direction, Dante Ferretti and Francesca Loschiavo, wore the best of made-in-Italy with an Armani tuxedo and a wonderful silver gown by Italian maison Sarli Couture.

Francesca Loschiavo wore a black and red Sarli’s dress even at the Bafta award (British Academy Film Award) in London

on the 12th of February where she won the Bafta for Best Production Desing for Hugo by Martin Scorsese. She concluded that Sarli’s gowns bring good luck!

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Marilyn’s Italian Style File

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ollowing the recent hit movie, ‘My Week with Marilyn’, the life and style of screen queen Marilyn Monroe looks set to take centre-stage later this year. As America’s most celebrated sex symbol, the MM image is recognised the world over and this August marks the 50th anniversary of the ultimate star’s untimely death. Perhaps surprisingly, her iconic looks, both off screen and on, were inspired by innovative Italian designers - and one Italian influenced film studio designer, in particular.

a Marilyn themed exhibition featuring 14 pairs of their/her custom-made shoes.

It is interesting to wonder whether Marilyn had a feel for Italian style before absorbing any cultural influence from her second husband and lifelong friend, Italian American baseball star, Joe di Maggio. For a while in the ‘50s, they lived together in the

Of her personal wardrobe classics, one of Marilyn’s all-time favourites was the film-star finish of a camel cashmere Maxmara coat.

While off-duty, she adored the resort-wear trend of Capri pants, created in 1948 and named after Italy’s chicest island. Along with Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn popularised the ‘50s trouser trend abroad.

By the early ‘60s, the easy luxury of Pucci’s slinky silk jersey pieces typified her look as she entered her mid ‘30s. She owned the signature simple and timeless tie-belt dress design in a whole colour palette from flesh tones to mauve; her favourite was said to be in vibrant lime, which poignantly aged just 36, she was buried in.

Like most females, Marilyn adored shoes – in common with Sophia Loren and other stars, none more so than custom-fit Ferragamo’s.

She owned many pairs - from simple white heels to ruby crystal courts similar to Judy Garland’s in ‘The Wizard of Oz’, and is forever linked with the brand’s inventive steelreinforced stiletto. In honour of the wellshod blonde bombshell, from June, the Ferragamo museum in Florence is hosting

bohemian Little Italy area of San Francisco.

Movie-wise, Marilyn’s favourite siren style costumes were by one man: an Oscarwinning designer given an Italian-American mantle by film publicity, William Travilla.

Though he dressed around 270 stars over fifty years - including Jane Russell, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawford, Errol

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Flynn, and later, Barbra Streisand, to the TV cast from 1980’s cult series, ‘Dallas’ – Travilla’s main claim to fame remains as Marilyn’s magical image-maker. The two fatefully met at 20th Century Fox studios in 1950, early in her career. Designing across eight of her films, his signature, sensuous imagery helped make Marilyn’s star shine. His famous glamour gowns for her include a trio from 1953’s ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,’: the ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ candy pink satin - later copied in Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’ video; the daring gold ‘goddess’ lamé and the showgirl scarlet sparkler Marilyn wore, matching co-star Jane Russell, in the film’s opening number.

He created the most iconic movie star dress of all time – the white, sunray-pleat skirt design ballooning over that subway grating in 1955’s ‘The Seven Year Itch’. It was seen as significant in Marilyn’s divorce from second husband Joe Di Maggio – apparently unhappy at his wife on show in such a way.

Sold by owner actress Debbie Reynolds in 2011, it made a staggering $4.6 million – the highest amount ever paid for any movie costume.

For his part as her most-requested dresser, Marilyn wrote: ‘Billy Dear, please dress me forever. I love you, Marilyn.’ Travilla equally enthused on his muse: ‘…completely natural with the instincts of a feral cat and incandescent beauty that God seldom bestows on mere mortals… My clothes for Marilyn were an act of love. I adored her.’

Spokesperson for the late Travilla’s estate and UK author of ‘Dressing Marilyn,’ Andrew Hansford, takes up the tale.

Why do you think Travilla’s Marilyn designs are so iconic over fifty years later?

‘All of Travilla’s designs are timeless: he was obsessed with classicism in design, from Grecian goddess pleating to fluid Italian style draping. Costumes were treated like couture: hand-sewn and made to perfection. Constructed from the inside out, he used boning, metal and fabric, with an architectural instinct. His skill was unlearned and he liked to think ‘outside the box’; the results were a dream but complex, impossible to replicate. When he started out in the ‘30s, he relied on creative vision and translated costuming into the new Technicolour and Cinemascope.

massive. Somewhere between a little girl and an exhibitionist, Marilyn was fun and carefree, without the ego of a diva... Both liberal in politics, they were ahead of their time in terms of equality and civil rights – together risking trouble by visiting ethnic clubs in the days of racial segregation and so on. Clothes-wise, she enjoyed playing ‘dressup’ with him… when it came to creating her ultimate look she trusted him as the best in the business. She commissioned him to create personal dresses for her – such as a white copy of the ‘Diamonds’ pink dress and he styled her skirt suit for her wedding to Joe Di Maggio.’

In Hollywood’s heyday, its fashion influence was massive; with bespoke studio costume design the USA’s answer to Euro-couture.

Costume designers could transform actors into icons: dressing acted like star-dust and could make – or even, break – a big name.

Travilla came on the scene to create the Marilyn movie illusion. Marilyn wasn’t yet well-known but she sought him out. She knew and loved his style – his designs were already acclaimed within the Hollywood elite.’

Why do many costumes made for Marilyn stand out, even from other stars?

‘On Marilyn especially, they really were ‘goddess’ gowns, cut to her God-given contours, enhanced with trademark drape or pleating. Like the gold lame pleated number, they became favourite styles she was sewn into and publicised in, on and off camera. She hated anything flowing as it wouldn’t show off her small yet full, hourglass figure. Vanity sizing’s changed things but her size though shapely, is not as big as people think: probably closest to a UK size 8/10, her vital statistics averaged 37/22/36.

Cinemascope had a widening effect disliked by actors. It could look aesthetically bad with the 1950s full skirted fashion. Her costars Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable agreed to wear this look, but Monroe did not – and stole the show in her trademark tight dresses!’

Why was there such a special chemistry between Travilla and Marilyn?

‘Both were charming and neither was pompous – even when Marilyn became

knowing much on Marilyn at that stage but grew to love the idea of her through the process that unfolded.’

You decided to take it further by writing your recent book on Travilla, ‘Dressing Marilyn’…

‘I felt it needed to continue and four or so years ago, I went to California to meet Bill Sariss. The Travilla estate was an eye-opener: some 600 sketches, 900 dresses on view. The book shows Marilyn’s key images: only 1% of the whole collection. I taped my interview with Bill - who had developed Alzheimer’s but was still clear on past facts - and he kindly decided that I could curate the collection and raise money for The Alzheimer’s Society.

Bill simply wanted his talented friend Bill Travilla’s name to live on round the world.’

What interesting details did you discover about Travilla dressing Marilyn?

‘All the ‘ins and outs’ involved in design at the time: getting costumes past the film censors and making the right fabric choice for ‘glorious Technicolour’. The designer also had to know the character and the actor playing the character in order to create the best image. In addition, more than one original existed of most designs… it was standard practice to make three or four copies per film –they simply got dirty through filming and needed replacing. Also the fact that as Marilyn liked a ‘clean’ line to costume and clothes, he often had to inbuild underwear!’

The tale of how you came by the Travilla collection is intriguing. Following his death in 1990 how did it cross your path?

‘I used to live in San Francisco and had a great friend I’d lost contact with. One day he popped up on MSN. I owned a beauty clinic in the UK that needed some marketing. He actually offered to send me a Marilyn dress for the window - as bequeathed to his good friend Bill Sariss, who was Travilla’s business partner. A week later, seven of Marilyn’s most famous dresses arrived on my doorstep: a priceless collection including the famous white, gold, pink and red designs plus three personal dresses. On trust, I was allowed to exhibit them in the UK in 1998 and 14,000 people turned up! I felt an utter fraud not

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Will you be involved in any further Marilyn/Travilla related projects, for the 50th anniversary?

‘There’s a huge amount going on and I will be selective to see what’s tasteful and appropriate…The dresses are to be exhibited in LA later this year – though I would have liked to have shown them again outside of the States. However, it’s been really exhausting. I have enjoyed seeing the elation Marilyn’s dress presence has brought to people – but have been living in fear every time a bead falls off or hem comes undone! In need of the utmost care, no bank would insure the collection - so I kept it all laid flat in tissue paper underneath my bed, can you believe!’

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Jil Sander Jil Sander is definitely back. The menswear collection shown in Milan on Saturday — the first collection Germanborn Sander has designed for her own label in eight years — had the undeniable minimalist touch which characterizes the eponymous label founded in 1968.

The collection was prim, proper and precise. Pristine white shirts paired with an elongated jacket and slim trousers, both in dark Jil blue, graphic printed T-shirts in fabric just stiff enough to keep them from looking sloppy and classic two-tone lace-up shoes made up the summer look.

“It’s good to be at home again,” the designer told The Associated Press backstage after the much applauded show — the first of the four-day preview Milan menswear shows for summer 2013.

In the label’s stormy history — Sander left her company twice in the past 12 years — other designers tried their hand at her style, but no matter how creative, they were never quite able to match her very personal minimalism.

Dolce & Gabbana These are happy boys. Happy that it’s summer. Happy to be Sicilian.

A live band in traditional costume, complete with mandolins and tambourines,

accompanied the 73 men and boys who walked down the runway of the Dolce&Gabbana (D&G) venue in downtown Milan, wearing yesteryear combinations of black and white, a reference by the designing duo to their Sicilian roots.

Often opulent if not ostentatious in their fashion preferences, this round the duo opted for simplicity, starting with the models.

Ranging from 12 to 43 years of age, all nonprofessionals, they come from Sicily from such walks of life as student, house painter, barber, waiter or simply unemployed.

Thus bring on a fuchsia pink trench coat, an electric blue bomber jacket or a shiny turquoise lapel on a classic tweed overcoat.

Footwear, mainly of the sturdy sandal type, and practical tote and iPad bags also come in glaring hues.

Versace Donatella Versace has always put up a good fashion fight. For next summer she outfits a man facing today’s tough world with clothes fit for an ancient Roman arena.

“We wanted to put our clothes on real men because fashion should be for real people,” Stefano Gabbana said, speaking to reporters ahead of the show.

“The new gladiators are the young. I would like to see them fighting for a goal,” she told reporters ahead of her Saturday night show, which closed the first day of menswear preview showings in Milan for summer 2013.

Maybe that is why despite the yesteryear setting, the models looked so at home in their striped black-and-white Tshirts over slim black slacks or plain black shorts accessorized by a black Sicilian cap.

To underline her point, the designer opened the show with a bare-chested model sporting a gilded warrior belt, wrestling trunks and high-laced centurion sandals fashioned in contemporary sneaker fabric.

Burberry

Above and below: Models display creations by Burberry Prorsum and Versace during the Spring-Summer 2013.

“Come rain or shine” read the fashion notes at Burberry Prorsum. But the latest menswear collection by British designer Christopher Bailey, shown Saturday in Milan, was much more about shine than it was about England’s proverbial bad weather.

Everything in the summer 2013 preview collection, from short-sleeved shirts to traditional rain attire, was in shining, almost blindingly bright shades of metallic, or better yet, fluorescent fabric.

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Italian Fashion Wows

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cosmetics, jewelry and rich fabrics. Since the 1951-53 fashion soirees held by Giovanni Battista Giorgini in Florence, the “Italian school” started to compete with the French haute couture, and labels such as Ferragamo and Gucci began to contend with Chanel and Dior. Milan is generally considered to be part of the “big four” global fashion capitals, which, aside from the Italian city, consist of New York City, Paris and London; occasionally, the «big five» also includes Rome.

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taly is one of the leading countries in fashion design. Fashion has always been an important part of the country’s cultural life and society, and Italians are well known for their attention to dressing-up well; «la bella figura», or good impression, remains traditional in the Italian way of living.

Italian design became prominent during the 11th-16th centuries, when artistic development in Italy was at its peak. Cities such as Venice, Milan, Florence and Vicenza started to produce luxury goods, hats,

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Fashion in Italy started to become the most fashionable in Europe since the 11th century, and powerful cities of the time, such as Venice, Milan, Florence, Vicenza and Rome began to produce robes, jewelry, textiles, shoes, fabrics, ornaments and elaborate dresses. Italian fashion reached its peak during the Renaissance. As Italy is widely recognized as the cradle and birthplace of the Renaissance, art, music, education, finance and philosophy flourished, and

Examples of major Italian fashion houses are: Gucci, Armani, Emilio Pucci, Valentino, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli, Trussardi, Versace, Krizia, Etro, Miu Miu, Laura Biagiotti, Max Mara, Fendi, Moschino, Missoni, Bottega Veneta, Benetton and Brioni (fashion) to name a few. Italy also is home to many fashion magazines, such as Grazia, Vogue Italia, Amica, Flair, Gioia. Other Italian accessory and jewelry brands, such as Luxottica and Bulgari are amongst the most important in the world.

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along with it, Italian fashion designs became immensely popular (especially those worn by the Medicis in Florence. The fashions of Queen Catherine de› Medici of France, were considered amongst the most fashionable in Europe).

After a decline in the 17th to mid-20th century, the nation returned to being a leading nation in fashion, and Florence was Italy›s fashion capital in the 50s and 60s, whilst Milan led the way in the 70s and 80s, with then-new labels, such as Versace, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana opening up and setting up their first boutiques and emporia. Until the 1970s, Italian fashion was mainly designed for the rich and famous, more or less like the French haute couture. Yet, in the 1970s and 80s, Italian

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fashion started to concentrate on ready-towear clothes, such as jeans, jumpers and miniskirts. Milan became more affordable and stylish for shoppers, and Florence was deposed of its position as the Italian fashion capital.

Today, Milan and Rome are Italy›s fashion capitals, and are major international centres for fashion design, competing with other cities such as Tokyo, Los Angeles, London, Paris and New York. Also, other cities such as Venice, Florence, Naples, Vicenza, Bologna, Genoa and Turin are important centres. The country›s main shopping districts are the Via Montenapoleone fashion district and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (Milan), Via dei Condotti (Rome), and Via de› Tornabuoni (Florence).

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Italy’s Treasures:

Leonardo Da Vinci Say ’Leonardo’ and Da Vinci slips off the tongue. In every part of the civilised world this artist is recognised for his extraordinary talent and insight.

Leonardo the child and youth Born in 1452, Leonardo became famous in his own lifetime. It is said he was the love child of a man who belonged to a noble Florentine house of Vinci, in the Val d›Arno.

Young Leonardo was apparently a beautiful child and later his good looks, combined with his confidence and talents, added grace to his presence in the courts and social circles of the time. Men were said to be in awe of his beauty.

While very young he was already designing and constructing objects. His father took him to Florence to a famous artist Andrea del Verrocchio, who practised his art in various media. Here Leonardo was surrounded

by intriguing artefacts and paintings.

Verrocchio was skilled in all manner of crafts.

Leonardo’s curiosity In this time he was drawn to the intelligence of nature and immersed himself in studying nature’s secrets. He was fascinated and explored design, colour and the order and patterns within nature, including the movements of the heavenly bodies across the sky.

He observed and took notes of his observations. He experimented and documented his experiments. Thirteen volumes of manuscripts are a testament to this.

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The work ‘The adoration of Kings’ was created here while he was with Verrocchio, and though unfinished, it remains a masterpiece. (Uffizi Gallery, Florence).

Leonardo had an extraordinary talent, to show deeper than the image or the emotion portrayed in the image. It was as if he wished to show the soul behind the subject to the onlooker.

Leonardo the musician In 1482 he went to Milan. He had recommended himself to Ludvico Sforza, then Duke of Milan, as knowing some military secrets which he could offer. However, when he came it was with a strange harp of his

own making with which he charmed Sforza.

was a scientist, inventor and a constant observer of nature. Today, almost five hundred years later, we are still gazing with awe and wonder at his work, his ability to reach the soul through his understanding of life through nature’s orderly patterns.

the adventurer Cesare Borgia. This role was in the realm of military engineering. He was then commissioned by the Florentine Republic to work with Michelangelo on the ‘Battle of Anghiari’, a work that was never fully completed by either of these men.

The early version of the ‘Virgin on the Rocks’ was created about this time (Louvre, Paris).

The crossbow, underwater breathing apparatus, a design for a parachute, an ornithopter are just a few examples of his ideas that have had effect long after his departure.

Leonardo was moving around, to Rome then Milan and again back to Florence for the commissioned second version of the ‘Virgin of the rocks’ (National Gallery, London).

Leonardo the Inventor and Scientist His ever curious mind travelled into areas where he explored the mechanisms of movement, geometry, light and water. He

The Wandering years Leonardo spent the next few years wandering, and it is not always clear where he was to be found. He did some work for

Leonardo the painter During his time under the patronage of Sforza he produced many works, ‘The Last Supper’ (Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Florence) and the famous La Gioconda or Mona Lisa (Louvre, Paris) with the mysterious smile were amongst these.

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The two versions have been brought together for the first time for the exhibition at London’s National Gallery on Leonardo da Vinci : Painter at the court of Milan.

He continued with his experiments and observations, drawings and designs.

Political changes were taking place in Rome at the time, and being suspected of being sympathetic to the French, he decided to accept the offer of Francis I to live in the Chateau d›Amboise, in France.

Francis I already had possession of La Gioconda and was an admirer of Leonardo’s work. It was here that Leonardo da Vinci died in 1519.

This man left us a gift, he went deep, and brought to the surface the world which he discovered beneath that surface. One man’s study of the natural world, both visible and invisible is still discussed and debated, the truths and ideas therein discovered and rediscovered.

His wonderful designs and inventions have been incorporated into mechanisms and machines which were used in his day and have influenced our present time. War machines, flying wings, a swing bridge,

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an aerial screw, the odometer and many hydraulic machines. Truly Leonardo is one of Italy’s great treasures.

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VERONA: THE CITY OF SHAKESPEARE A visit to the places of Romeo and Juliet ,Verona is the city of love and to pay tribute to William Shakespeare that made it famous around the world .you must visit the places of the best romantic tragedy: Romeo and Juliet

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ndoubtedly the first destination is the house of Juliet, visited annually by thousands of tourists. This is the Stallo del Cappello, an old tower house dates back to 1200-1300. According to tradition this was the house of Capulet family, the family of the heroine of Shakespeare.

Damaged by centuries, the house and the picturesque courtyard have been restored with a clever use of architectural and decorative elements inspired by medieval times.

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oday in the house there is a collection of antique engravings whose subject the story of two lovers, furniture and costumes used for the famous film by Franco Zeffirelli. In the courtyard you can admire the magnificent bronze statue of Juliet, by Nereo Costantini, that became the symbol of Verona.

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After Juliet’s house you should visit the house of her beloved Romeo, which is located in a secluded alley in the historical center of Verona, not far from the Scaliger Tombs. This is a rustic brick castle belonged to the Montecchi family - and attributed to Romeo - on which stands the typical Ghibelline swallow-tail. Currently the building is privately owned, however, can be seen from the outside and relive those days of struggle between Guelphs and Ghibellines in which the inhabitants of the center of Verona, even if protected by the river Adige and by the walls, they built towers and private fortifications in their defense.

This tour of the places of the legend of Shakespeare will end at the famous Scaliger Tombs, a masterpiece of Italian Gothic. On top of this mausoleum of the leading members of the lordship which held power in Verona between the 1200 and 1300, there are the figures of noblemen riding who lived, fought, loved and ruled Verona in the Middle Ages: Cangrande, Mastino II and Cansignorio. The other half of this tour is the medieval walls that surround the city of Verona, started during the Middle Age, under

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the bloody tyranny of Ezzelino Romano.

Along the walls you can see the gates of Bra, the main entry in the period of live of Romeo and Juliet. Alongside these ancient gates there is a bronze bust of William Shakespeare and a plaque that quotes the famous speech of Romeo when he went into exile.

The last stop of this romantic tour in the city of Romeo and Juliet is Juliet’s tomb, identified in the Monastery of San Francesco in Corso, the only one that was outside the city walls when was set the tragedy, and the only one accesible by the exiled Romeo. The monastery was built in 1230 on the site where, according to tradition, St. Francis of Assisi dwelt. Here was committed the tragic denouement of two lovers story, and it is here, in a dark room in the crypt, among the tombstones of monks, an empty red marble sarcophagus is shown as the tomb of Juliet.

But Verona is not only the city of the tragedy of the English writer, but also a beautiful city full of monuments that you should visit, starting from the picturesque Piazza delle Erbe, dear to poets and painters, in whose center stands the imposing fountain of Madonna Verona, behind which you can admire the lavish and baroque Palazzo Maffei. From

here, across the pedestrian Via Mazzini, popular for shopping, you reach the famous Arena. This is also the best area for a walk, known as Listone. On the right, at the end of Via Borsari stands the Borsari gate. Leaving the Roman amphitheater behind us, along via Roma until you reach the old manor home of Scaligeri: Castelvecchio; moving towards Corso

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Cavour, before arriving at Porta Palio on the right there are the area of San Zeno, and one of the greatest glories of Roman architecture: the Basilica of San Zeno.

To enjoy a unique view of this city you should go on the Pietra sull’Adige bridge, the only Roman bridge still intact.

His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah the Amir of Kuwait oil painting on canvas, 120 x 120 cm, 2009, Enzo Manara

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Breathtaking art of italian artist

Enzo Manara

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The most common reaction of the people who see paintings of Mr. Manara : Wow! I have never seen anything like that...!

oday when the art became some kind of hobby for everybody, when there are no more rules to follow, when the only thing that seems to have value is the force of provocation and the power to shock with the ÂŤpseudoÂť artistic expression, I like to discover that still exist people who create the exquisite beauty with eternal value, who put their whole life to the search for harmony and exercising the perfection and aesthetics.

One of those persons currently lives and works between Italy and Kuwait is italian artist Enzo Manara. Well known as established ceramic designer in Sassuolo, Enzo in Kuwait held two art exhibitions receiving the highest appreciations. Manara graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts

in Bologna achieved a real success working for twenty years in Sassuolo (province of Modena) - number one area in Italy for the production of ceramic tiles. He worked as Art Director to design collections of ceramics tiles for brands like Trussardi, Gardenia Versace, etc. For years he was a consultant for the international ceramics such as Portobello (Brazil) and ceramics Cleopatra (Egypt).

received fame for a famous golden portrait of HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, the Amir of Kuwait. The portrait was purchased by Italian company Technimont and presented in Bayan Palace.

He never stopped to make paintings and sculptures, but had no time to follow his career development as a painter and realized portraits and paintings on commission. Manara is working in Kuwait for some design projects, in his studio he offers private lessons of painting but most time he is requested as a portrait maker. In fact he

Enzo Manara in his life has created thousands of different ceramic tiles designs. The most strange and the most incredible luxurious mosaics with golden and platinum enamel, minimal and baroque, geometrical and floreal - Manara`s creativity is very eclectic and almost unique.

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His art is breathtaking, the artistic talent and ability is extremely high. People call him The Master, and anyone who sees his art becomes fascinated.

Calcio with a Passion!

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ootball in Italy is more than just a sport. It is a passion, a cultural identity, something which several Italians have lived and (others have) died for. Here’s a brief account of football in Italy.

Football – calcio in Italian - is a passion in most countries across the world, but few nations would be able to hold a candle up to match the flame that burns for the game in an Italian’s heart. Four World Cup wins and one European Championship glory for its national team aside, Italian football clubs have also competed in more European club championship finals (26) than clubs of any other country.

The rich history of silverware wins for Italian clubs continues further, with more players winning the coveted annual Ballon d’Or award (18) for individual footballing excellence, while playing for an Italian club than playing for a club in any other country.

And we haven’t even got round to talking about the Italian fans yet!

The curvas (home stands) across the nation stand firmly behind the goals of the home team warning the visitors off their home turf with joy and menace

in equal measure.

Domestic Football When trying to understand the significance and the importance of football in Italy, one has to visit the grassroots setup of Italian football, the breeding ground of the future stars of the game. The Serie A is the highest, most coveted domestic professional football league in Italy, which is at the top of the domestic football pyramid.

Nine more leagues follow, which may be categorized as professional and amateur football clubs. The Serie A is rated as the third best league in Europe today, behind the English and Spanish domestic leagues.

Twenty clubs compete for the Serie A title in Italy, which is played out in a round robin format, where each team plays the other team twice over the annual football season.

The domestic structure ensures entry of fresh teams each year, by relegating the bottom three teams to the lower league, while promoting three teams from the lower league to the Serie A. Apart from their respective leagues, Italian clubs also compete in the

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Coppa Italia in which 78 Italian clubs from the top 4 leagues in Italy compete. The Coppa Italia is played in a knockout format, as opposed to the point-based ranking system which the leagues follow.

Facts about Serie A Here are a couple of interesting facts about domestic professional football in Italy.

• Turin based club Juventus nicknamed the Bianconeri (they play in white and black striped jerseys) and La Vecchia Signora - are the most successful domestic Italian teams.

Over their history, Juventus have won the Serie A 28 times and have been runners up 21 times. Juventus also holds the joint record for most Coppa

Italia wins with AS Roma - 9 wins each - and have a glittering amount of silverware in their trophy cabinet.

• While Juventus have been successful domestically, it is AC Milan who have enjoyed success in European competitions - having won the Champions League 7 times as opposed to Juventus’ 2 Champions League successes. They are the third most successful team in the Serie A - behind Juventus and Internazionale - having won 17 titles.

• Milan based team and current Italian Champions Internazionale - nicknamed Nerazzuri with respect to their black and blue striped jersey - are the only teams to have played out their glittering 102 year history in the topmost Italian league and have never been relegated.

Internazionale, for all their efforts have won the Serie A eighteen times in the competition’s 80 year history and are the second most successful Italian club in that regard.

• Juventus, Internazionale and Torino hold the joint record for the most number of championship titles won in consecutive seasons, with each club having won it 5 times on the trot.

• Former AC Milan and Italy national team captain Paolo Maldini one of the most famous Italians, holds the record for most number of appearances in the Serie A having appeared a mind-boggling 647 times in the 25 years he played for AC Milan.

• Silvio Piola who played with a host of Italian clubs including Lazio, Torino and Juventus holds the record for the most number of goals in the top flight of Italian football, having scored 274 goals in 537 appearances.

• Goalkeeper Marco Ballotta is the oldest player to have ever played in the Serie A and played his last game for Lazio at the age of 44 years and 38 days. A career which saw him play for 11 clubs in his 26 years in Italian football, Ballotta never managed to make it to the national team.

The Italian National Squad The national team, known as the ‘Azzurri’ given their famous blue jerseys, last won the World Cup 2006 in a rather eventful final against France - taking their total tally of World Cup

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wins to 4, which makes them the nation which has won the second most number of World Cups - after Brazil. Along with Brazil, they also hold the record winning the World Cup consecutive times in 1934 as well as in 1938. Legendary striker Giuseppe Meazza was the hero for both those wins in the days when Italy was ruled by a dictatorship under Benito Mussolini. The European Championship was won in 1968 in the only major international competition to have had a replay. Italy drew against Yugoslavia ‘11’ after extra time. Those were the days when the penalty shootout hadn’t been devised yet and with the draw, Italy won the second leg 2-0.

After a long patch at the World Cup finals tournament without a tournament victory - which included a defeat in the 1970 World Cup final to Brazil - the Azzurri won the tournament in 1982 courtesy goals in the final against West Germany

by Altobelli, Tardelli and the legendary Paolo Rossi.

There was heartbreak for Italy in 1994, where they lost the World Cup final to Brazil - again - this time on penalties. For all his exploits, poor Roberto Baggio will perhaps always be remembered for missing the final penalty, in that shootout.

scoring player for the Italian team.

• The Italian national team played their first international game on the 15th of May 1910 against France in Milan - a game they won 6-2.

• On an unhappy summer’s day in Budapest on 6th April 1924, Italy suffered its most undignified defeat at the hands of Hungary losing 7-1.

• Italy’s biggest victory has the date 2nd August stamped on it - the day the Azzurri triumphed 9-0 against the United States.

But Italy was revived again when captain Fabio Cannavaro and coach Marcelo Lippi led the team to another World Cup victory in 2006. Not really fancied throughout the tournament, they won their games in rather dramatic fashion each time.

The round of 16 knockout games against Australia is still talked about because the penalty call which Totti later converted and won Italy the game is widely considered debatable. The semi-final against Germany went into extra time, towards the end of which staring into the possibility of a penalty shootout - Fabio Grosso first and then Alessandro Del Piero scored the second goal in the final minutes of the game. The final will be forever remembered for that headbutt by Zinedine Zidane on Marco Materazzi and the former’s subsequent sending off. Italy won on penalties and as Cannavaro lifted the famed Jules Rimet trophy up high, the whole nation was frenzied with jubilation.

An identifying aspect of an Italian is the club he roots for. While Juventus remains the most supported club in Italy, other clubs like AS Roma, AC Milan, Internazionale, Napoli and Lazio do evoke feverish levels of crowd support. Go to all the places to visit in Italy and the love for football in Italy is palpable!

Interesting Facts about the Italian National Football Team Here are some interesting facts about the Italian National team.

• Italian World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro is the highest capped Italian, having worn the Azzurri jersey 136 times since his debut in 1997.

• Luigi Riva’s 35 goals in 42 appearances between 1965 and 1974 makes him the highest

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February: The Month of Carnival From Venice to Sciacca and Acireale, passing through Ivrea, Viareggio and Fano: the oldest and the best known festivals in Italy

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n Italy, February is definitely the Carnival›s month.

Each city is full of masks and confetti, lights and colours that create a unique and festive atmosphere. The origins of Carnival are ancient and date back to the Roman Saturnalia, which were celebrated in honour of the new year, but also to the Lupercalia and the Dionysian celebrations. However, the etymology of the word “carnival” is derived, with high probability, from the Latin “carnem levare”, because originally the expression indicated the banquet that was held just before the last day of the period of abstinence from meat during the Lent.

over the world. It is worth doing a little tour of Italian carnivals in February and attend, at least, the most famous ones. Starting from the Veneto region, the Carnival of Venice bosses the show.

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stablished by the Venetian oligarchy to offer the public a

In fact, in the Roman-Catholic liturgical calendar, the Carnival is placed between the Epiphany (January 6) and the Lent. From a festival characterised by an immoderate enjoyment of food, drink and sensual pleasures, given as a safety valve to the lower classes, over the centuries and in different geographical areas, the Carnival has been enhanced, mainly due to the subversion of social order, with new and different nuances.

In Italy there are carnivals of ancient traditions and well-known at an international level, capable of attracting thousands of visitors every year from all

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period of time dedicated to entertainment and festivities, its dominant feature is represented by the masking, created to cancel all forms of personal belonging to social class, gender or religion. Nowadays, the Carnival of Venice is a charming folk

festival and a unique event for its history, atmosphere and masks. During the two weeks of the Carnival in the lagoon you can see numerous demonstrations and events of all kinds. Furthermore, as in the past, impressive private parties and masked balls are still held in the great Venetian palaces. In these places, which seem unchanged over time, guests can immerse themselves in the same glory and tradition of the past Carnivals. Among the most fascinating moments of the celebration is the spectacular “Angel’s Flight�, which is also tied to tradition (the first person who did it

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the most important and internationally appreciated events (during the 2011 edition, 325.000 people took part in the parade).

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he first masked parade was held in 1873, when wealthy middle-class men gathered along the streets protesting against high taxes. The main features that characterised the event through the ages are undoubtedly the typical floats parading along the promenade in Viareggio. On these floats, huge burlesque papier mâché masks reproducing big names of the political, cultural and show business world are shown triumphantly. Year by year, extraordinary floats with more and more sophisticated movements and spectacular effects, show how the outstanding artistic skills of Italian craftsmen and new technologies are harmonically fused together. During Carnival days, all-night-long parties are held on the streets with the sound of music bands, masquerades and lot of fun.

If you are in the Marche Region you cannot miss Fano during the period of Carnival. In fact, the Carnival of Fano has ancient origins and it shows at least three original elements: the throwing of candies from the floats to the crowd; the characteristic «vulon» mask, parody of the most prominent characters in the city; and the Arabian music, a music band whose instruments consist of tins, coffee pots and jugs.

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ating back to the half of the 16th century): an artist, secured to a metal cable, makes his descent on the rope from the bell tower of St. Mark to the Doge’s Palace.

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he historical Carnival of Ivrea, a small city in the Piedmont region, in the Province of Turin, is also worth visiting. The Carnival in Ivrea is one of the most ancient (being institutionalised in 1808) and particular festivity in the world, finding its climax in both the spectacular parade and in the fascinating so-called “battle of the oranges”.

The Carnival of Ivrea re-evokes the civil war between local people and the Emperor’s Army, broke out after the murder of the loathed tyrant Ranieri di Biandrate by the hand of the “Mugnaia” (miller›s daughter).

The rules of the battle are the following:

teams of walking : “aranceri” (lit., orange handlers), personifying the citizens, defend the squares of the city from the attack of the team of the Army that throws oranges (representing the arrows) from its floats to the “citizens”. In the meanwhile, the parade of the Mugnaia moves along downtown streets, distributing sweets and presents to the visitors. Moreover, it is important to notice that in the three days when the traditional parade is held through the streets of the city centre, many floats, folk dancers, musician bands, coming not only from different Italian regions but also from other European countries, take part in the event.

Moving South toward Tuscany, we have the Carnival of Viareggio, which is one of

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n the South of Italy, Apulia is certainly the Italian region with the greatest amount of events: from Massafra to Gallipoli, from Dauno to Manfredonia, without forgetting the Terranovese Carnival in Poggio Imperiale. However, special attention must be given to the Carnival of Putignano in Itria Valley, which is the longest Carnival in Italy: it starts on the 26th of December and lasts until Mardi Gras.

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n addition to the most common events (magnificent masked parades with their fantastic floats made in papier mâché), the fascinating Propaggini Festival is also celebrated. During this show dozens of dialect poets perform for many hours, one after another, on a stage built in the main square of the city, declaiming satirical poems composed in rhymes.

As regards to the islands, Sicily proudly boasts one of the richest traditions about Carnival. To be quoted: Acireale Carnival, in the Province of Catania, dating back to

the sixteenth century, was once celebrated with a citrus fruits battle, while nowadays it is renowned for its allegorical floats (in particular the impressive ones decorated with flowers).

The Carnival of Sciacca is also worth mentioning, whose origins go back to the Roman Empire. Well-known for its beautiful papier mâché artifacts realised by local potter masters, the Carnival is characterised by allegorical floats› parade passing through the old part of the city, while accompanied by masked crews dancing to the rhythm of themed music.

Every year this Carnival ends with the setting of the fire, when the mask of the king of Carnival, Peppe Nappa, and his own float are burnt.

Kuwait Days in Milan ends with economic symposium

By Mahdi Al-Nimr The activities of the cultural event Kuwait Days in Milan concluded in October 2011 with a symposium on the growth potentials of economic cooperation between Kuwait and Italy.

The symposium, held on the fourth and last day of the event, was hosted by Milan Chamber of Commerce at Giureconsulti Palace (Palazzo dei Giureconsulti) in collaboration with Promos - a special agency of the chamber for the development of international activities and promoting the entrepreneurial system in Milan and worldwide.

The symposium was opened by Kuwait Consul General in Milan Sami Al-Hamad and director of Promos’ Mediterranean and Middle East division Federico Maria Bega. It gathered representatives including Kuwait

Investment Authority’s (KIA) Dr Ahmad AlTahous, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development’s (KFAED) Youssof Al-Bader, Kuwait Petroleum Italy’s Claudio Sacconi and Saipem Oil and Gas Company’s Antonio Pronito from the Italian side as well as a large number of economists and business people from both sides.

In his address to the gathering, Al-Hamad praised the historical ties between Kuwait and Italy and the growing economic commercial and cultural exchanges. ”The bilateral trade volume topped €550 million in 2010 and grew by 17.2 percent in the first half of 2011,” the Kuwaiti diplomat pointed out. ”The current year is of special significance for both nations; it saw Kuwait celebrating the 50th anniversary of its independence, the 20 anniversary of liberation from the Iraqi invasion and the fifth anniversary of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s

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assumption of office. This year also saw Italy celebrating the 150th anniversary of its unification on June 2,” Al-Hamad said. He added that the economic symposium which culminated the Kuwaiti cultural activities aimed primarily to spotlight the promising investment opportunities and potential joint ventures for the business communities in both sides.

On his part, Sacconi briefed the gathering on the economic growth of Milan, highlighting the achievements of Kuwait Petroleum Italy which became the 15th largest energy company in Italy. The company produces three million tons of oil byproducts a year and supplies some 3,000 petrol stations, he added. Meanwhile, Al-Bader explained KFAED’s activities and the fundamental aspects of the economic and financial systems. He invited Italian companies to tap the promising investment opportunities offered by Kuwait’s development plan.

Pisa Sights and Tourist Attractions

By Martha Bakerjian

What to See in Pisa

• The Torre di Pisa or Leaning Tower is one of Europe’s most famous towers. Building on the tower started in 1173 but wasn’t finished until the late fourteenth century. The cylindrical tower, 54 meters tall, has eight stories, six of them with open galleries. Inside the spiral staircase has 294 steps leading to the top of the tower.

When people think of Pisa they usually think of the Leaning Tower, but Pisa has many interesting sights and attractions.

The Campo dei Miracoli, with its Romanesque buildings, is the highlight of a visit to Pisa but getting away from the tourist crowds one finds other interesting sights, too.

• The Duomo is an imposing white building dating from 1063. The facade, constructed in the twelfth century, has four tiers of open galleries housing statues and decorated with marble inlay. The doors have bronze panels with bas-reliefs from the sixteenth century. Inside there are a sixteenth century wood ceiling, several important art works, and a magnificent marble pulpit.

Many people take a day trip to Pisa and rush to the leaning tower and Duomo.

Here’s a video on Wandering Italy about how to get from Pisa train station to Piazza dei Miracoli to see the leaning tower and cathedral.

Pisa’s top sights and attractions: • Piazza del Duomo or Campo dei Miracoli, Field of Miracles is holds the main attractions of Pisa, one of Europe’s greatest groups of Romanesque buildings. The key buildings trace life’s path for medieval people from birth to death. The piazza was built outside the main city center but within the stillpreserved city walls built in 1155.

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• The Battistero or Baptistery is a round white-marble building.

Construction started in 1152 and was completed in the late fourteenth century with the addition of an eightsided cupola. The pulpit, supported by lions resting on columns, is decorated with scenes from the life of Christ.

Also inside are some impressive statues, originally from the outside.

• Camposanto was the cemetery for noble citizens of Pisa. The floor is covered with tombstones and there are many funerary monuments.

The portico held many medieval frescoes which were damaged during WWII and removed for restoration.

• Museo dell’OPera del Duomo, at the eastern end of Piazza del Duomo, holds a huge collection of important artworks from these buildings.

• Piazza dei Cavalieri was the center of Pisa in its days as a republic and was remodeled in the sixteenth century, becoming the symbol of Medici power in Pisa. The square has some magnificent sixteenth century buildings, the church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri, and the Palazzo dell’Orologio (clock building) with two ancient towers joined by an arcade.

• Santa Maria della Spina is a picturesque little church near the river. It has charming spires and high niches with beautiful statues.

• Pisa’s Botanical Garden is one of the oldest in Europe.

• A Pisa Walk on Europe Travel has an in-depth suggested walking itinerary from the train station taking in some lesser known sights in Pisa.

• Museo Nazionale di San Matteo is in the former Benedictine convent of San Matteo. The museum chronicles the development of medieval Christian painting and sculpture in Europe.

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n a l i M l guide trave

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ith something almost Northern European in the air, yet exuding Italian style, Milan is Italy’s most cosmopolitan city. Situated on the flat plains of the Po Valley, the capital of Lombardy is both hardworking and glamorous - powerful in businesses from finance to fashion and, of course, football.

But what gives Milan its certain something is its status as the epicentre of Italian fashion and interior design. International fashionistas, designers, supermodels and

paparazzi descend upon the city twice a year for its spring and autumn fairs.

Valentino, Versace and Armani may design and manufacture their clothes elsewhere, but Milan, which has carefully guarded its reputation for flair, drama and creativity, is Italy’s natural stage. This is certainly one of the best places in Italy to shop, or window shop.

Things to see in Milan

Basilica Sant’Ambrogio Built by Saint Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan, the original basilica dates back to the fourth century. The three saints’ remains can

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be seen in a glass case under the main altar.

The Sant’Ambrogio basilica (ninth-12th centuries) is one of Milan’s finest churches, a monumental building in the mature Lombard Romanesque style, retaining its early Christian basilica plan based on the architecture of ancient Rome. The Chapel of St Victor (Sacello di San Vittore in Ciel d’Oro), at the end of the south aisle, is a vaulted funerary chapel built in the church cemetery in the fourth century.

Duomo (Milan Cathedral) Milan’s Duomo is the world’s largest gothic cathedral; begun in 1386, it took 500 years to complete. The best time to visit is in bright sunshine, when the windows create

a kaleidoscope of colour through the cavernous interior. St Charles Borromeo, its most important benefactor, lies buried at its heart. A champion of the Counter Reformation, he commissioned the wooden choir, many of the statues and the nivola , the peculiar basket that is used in one of Milan’s stranger ceremonies: twice a year (May and September), Milan’s most important relic, a nail from the cross of Christ, which has been displayed over the high altar since 1461, is brought down by the bishop who is hoisted up there in the nivola .

Visitors should explore the underground octagonal chamber where Borromeo is buried and the adjacent Treasury. WWII bombs thankfully just missed the cathedral’s

roof, which nests amid a majestic web of flying buttresses, spires and pinnacles.

Above the forest of 135 spires and 3,500 statues, the small gilded copper statue of the Virgin, the ‘Madonnina’, erected in 1774, stands over the central lantern, 109 m above the city.

the museum in 1952. The sculpture’s rough surface and abstract sinuosity is strikingly modern. Upstairs, above the extensive sculpture galleries, there is a large collection of paintings, including notable works by Mantegna, Antonello da Messina and Leonardo da Vinci.

Museo Bagatti Valsecchi The Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi, built by two brothers in 1883 as their ideal Renaissance household, was only opened as a museum in 1994. Avid collectors of antiques from the 15th and early 16th centuries, they furnished the rooms with their vast collections. The result is a fascinating insight into the mentality of 19th-century Milan,

Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci (Leonardo da Vinci National Science and Technology Museum)

which had just recovered its independence, nostalgically looking back to the days of the Sforza. Highlights of the collection include the fine painting of Santa Giustina by Bellini and the exquisite majolica and Venetian crystal glassware.

Museo d’Arte Antica, Castello Sforzesco (Museum of Historic Art, Sforza Castle) Three municipal museums compete for attention within the red-brick 15th-century Sforza Castle on the edge of the Parco Sempione, but the most venerable is the Museum of Historic Art. Visitors come to see Michelangelo’s last work, the unfinished Pieta Rondanina , depicting the Virgin cradling the body of Christ, which was bought by

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In Milan, the city of The Last Supper , interest in the creative genius of Leonardo da Vinci is understandable. Most visitors come to this museum, devoted to the history of science, to see the Leonardo Gallery, with its host of models (both static and functioning) that illustrate Leonardo’s intuitive genius. His designs for war machines, flying machines, architecture and production awaken admiration for a man whose ideas, even when not 100% successful (such as the rotating screw, claimed as a precursor to the helicopter), display incredible foresight.

Museo Poldi Pezzoli The Poldi Pezzoli Museum’s varied and often exquisite collection of art, furnishings and historic arms was put together by the 19th-century aristocrat Gian Giocomo Poldi Pezzoli (1802-79).

Milan’s second favourite painting (after The Last Supper), Antonio Pollaiolo’s Portrait of a Lady, hangs here. The profile portrait of an elegant and well-attired lady has since become an icon for Milan’s own style and elegance.

The museum also hosts paintings by Andrea Mantegna and Sandro Botticelli.

Museo Teatrale alla Scala (Theatre Museum at La Scala) Opera lovers should visit this museum, crammed with rich mementoes of the celebrated opera house, La Scala. Two collections are devoted to Milan’s darling Giuseppe Verdi, whose ‘Slaves Chorus’ from Nabucco remains the unofficial Italian anthem. Memorabilia include the spinet on which he learned to play, scores in his own hand and the jewel-encrusted baton presented to him after the triumphal

the two teams often have an electric atmosphere. The San Siro also hosts rock concerts during the closed season.

Excursions from Milan Bellagio The picturesque mountain and lake setting of Bellagio is an obvious tonic for the city weary. Bellagio is located some 50 km north of Milan, so visitors must have a car or take a train to Como and then catch one of the boats from Piazza Cavour quay. Bellagio enjoys fantastic views and a temperate microclimate - hence the luxury villas nestling around its narrow streets. The Villa Serbelloni has wonderful terraced gardens, while the neo-classical Villa Melzi boasts beautiful landscaped gardens. reception of Aida . Rossini, Puccini and Toscanini are honoured alongside him.

Santa Maria delle Grazie and The Last Supper The Last Supper (Il Cenacolo) is one of the most famous paintings in the world.

Lodovico Sforza commissioned Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece (1495-97) for the refectory adjoining the Dominican church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The painting depicts the dramatic moment of Christ’s revelation of the betrayal. The 12 apostles are grouped into threes, Christ at the centre, Judas to the right, his hand frozen on the bag of silver on the table. Over the years, paint flaked off because Leonardo applied it directly to dry plaster (fresco secco) instead of bonding the pigments with wet plaster (buon fresco).

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (San Siro Stadium) The world-famous San Siro Stadium (also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza) is jointly home to Milan’s two main football teams and two of the best teams in Italy’s Serie A football league, AC Milan and Internazionale. Both clubs have proud footballing traditions and the San Siro Museum tells the histories of both clubs with memorabilia including cups, medals and shirts as well as life-size replicas of some of the clubs’ great players including Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Nereo Rocco. Guided tours of this incredible 86,000 capacity ground are available. Both sets of fans are fiercely proud of their clubs and derby games between

Bergamo Only 43 km from Milan, the walled hilltop town of Bergamo is an enchanting place with a wealth of medieval, Renaissance and baroque architecture. Highlights include the Piazza Vecchia in the heart of the upper town (Bergamo Alta), with the Palazzo della Ragione and the Torre della Civica. In the nearby Piazetta del Duomo, the cathedral is overshadowed by the Romanesque church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which includes a 19th-century memorial to the native composer, Gaetano Donizetti.

The best views are from the Castello on the summit of San Vigilio. The Accademia Carrara, at the bottom of the plateau on the eastern side, is one of Italy’s finest art galleries, featuring important art from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Trains run from Milan’s Porto Garibaldi or Lambrate stations.

Certosa di Pavia The Carthusian Monastery of Pavia is a living museum, an architectural treasure box containing prized artworks and run by the monks who produce excellent Chartreuse liqueurs. Located 140 km south of Milan, in an idyllic setting, the monastery is reachable by bus or train. The Certosa di Pavia is a 15-minute walk (skirting the Certosa walls) from the station. Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti ordered the monastery’s construction in 1396, the same year as Milan’s cathedral, as a monument to the Visconti dynasty. The Cistercian monks conduct tours, showing the cloisters, cells and beautiful frescoes by Pietro Perugino and Bergognone. The ornate marble facade by Amadeo is a masterpiece,

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famous throughout Italy.

Shopping in Milan Milan is a temple to high fashion, home of Armani and Versace, and naturally sure to delight the high priests and priestesses of style.

Key areas: Top of the list for fashion lovers in Milan is the Quadrilatero d’Oro (Golden Quad), formed

by Via Montenapoleone, Via Sant’Andrea, Via Monzani and Via della Spiga. Names such as Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Prada, Valentino and Versace read like an ABC of Italian chic. If you don’t fancy venturing inside such hallowed ground as Versace’s four floors of couture, you can stick to window-shopping paradise on Via della Spiga, where traffic is banned. L’Armadio de Laura, Via Voghera 25, has some fine offbeat thrift and end-of-season returns. Antique fairs are popular at the weekends around the Naviglio Grande, while the pedestrian Via Fiori Chiari is a particularly pleasant spot for browsing galleries, with a number of good cafés along the way.

Markets: For those who prefer the bustle of street markets, Viale Papiniano (metro San Agostino) is open all day Saturday, while Via Zivetti (metro Centrale FS) is open on Wednesday mornings. The flea market, Fiera di Senigallia, takes place along the Darsena basin on Saturdays.

Italy Ranks Third for the Most

Plastic Surgery I

Procedures Per Person

n what country do they perform the most chin implants? Botox injections?

Breast enlargements? A study from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery revealed trends in surgical and nonsurgical procedures around the world. Italy ranked third for the highest total number of procedures, adjusted by population.

In the initial data from 2010, the United States and Brazil clearly lead the pack for the most procedures, each with over 1.5 million, but then there is a sharp drop. China, the next entry on the ranking list, has nearly a third of that number. But these figures do not compare the number of procedures to the population to show how commonplace these cosmetic procedures are.

The Economist produced an infograph that expands the study’s findings. When population is taken into account, the US and Brazil drop out of the top three, and South Korea, Greece, and Italy rank for the highest number of cosmetic procedures per person.

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The Italian press frequently speculates which television, film, and music stars have had work done, but few will admit to it.

As Vogue Italia recently pointed out, Alba Parietti is one of the few Italian stars willing to reveal the truth on the matter. This study suggests, however, that the practice extends far beyond celebrities.

By number of procedures alone, Italy ranked seventh in 2010, rising from ninth in 2009.

Italy also ranked fourth for the most breast augmentations performed and fifth for the most eye lifts. Nearly half of the procedures performed in Italy in 2012 were non-invasive, a category that includes botox injections, chemical peels, and laser hair removal.

24 hours in

Florence

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s the birthplace of the Renaissance period, opera and even gelato, Florence has enough cultural heritage to fill a whole lifetime. But while Italy’s former capital may at times seem stuck in a 15th-century time warp, its glitzy 21st-century boutiques and bustling cafés ensure the city’s vibrancy is still very much intact.

Follow our 24 hours in Florence guide to make the most of what can be an overwhelming city on first viewing.

would not be complete without a trip to the Uffizi (Piazzale degli Uffizi 6). As with most attractions in Florence, this famous gallery can become very crowded, but don’t despair; it’s open from 8.15 am (closed Mondays) so get here for opening to avoid the crowds – you can also book ahead for tickets to save queuing. With fewer people, you’ll be able to study Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus in full, not over the top of hundreds of heads jostling for the briefest of glances.

EARLY RISE Get up early and head to Piazzale Michelangelo to catch the dying pinkish hues of the sunrise over one of the world’s most handsome urban skylines. It’s well worth the steep trek up the winding path peppered with fragrant orange trees, and you’ll certainly be awake by the time you reach the top (although you can always take a taxi or bus instead). Watch as the city slowly wakes up before walking back down and across the bridge towards the Centro Storico, Florence’s architecture-infused historical quarter that’s bursting with art galleries and museums.

BREAKFAST Having probably had your fill of art for the time being, it’s time to fill your stomach. Wander along the riverside for a look at one of the most iconic bridges in the world, the Ponte Vecchio, which has shops clinging to its ochre-washed sides for dear life. Head along Via Por Santa Maria towards Piazza della Repubblica, stopping off en route at Mercato Nuovo to rub the nose of the wild boar Il Porcellino statue as a promise to return.

Florence and Renaissance art go hand in hand – after all, the city was home to legendary artists Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Sandro Botticelli, to name but a few – leading to its nickname of the ‘cradle of the Renaissance’. A visit to the Tuscan city, therefore,

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Piazza della Repubblica has been a meeting point for artists and intellectuals for centuries and is the perfect place for breakfast.

No place sums up the square’s importance more than Caffé Giubbe Rosse where the futurism art movement originated in the early 1900s, probably over a cup of strong Italian espresso or some tongue-tingling limoncello. Opposite, Gilli, which has been here

since 1733, serves up decadent chocolates and golden pastries. Alternatively, sit at a table in the small roof terrace café of La Rinascente department store with its views of terracotta-tiled roofs as far as the eye can see.

MID-MORNING From Piazza della Repubblica, you’ll pass the magnificent Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, known simply as Il Duomo due to its tiled dome structure. This is flanked by the birdcage-shaped Battistero di San Giovanni and the towering Giotto’s Campanile – each magnificent examples of 15th-century architecture that dominate the skyline.

Eschew the gathering crowds here and head to the Galeria della’Academia on Via Ricasoli where Michelangelo’s statue David stands. It’s worth the long queues if just to tick it off your ‘been there done that’ list – just try to avoid buying one of the many aprons with David’s figure emblazoned across the front. There are countless museums to explore in the Centro Storico. Among the most inspiring, however, is Museo di Leonardo da Vinci (Via dei Servi 66), where drawings of numerous contraptions by Italy’s most famous polymath are brought to life in functioning wooden models.

LUNCH A short stroll away is the bustling Mercato Centrale (closed Sundays), which is animated with the patter of traders and the Fiorentine chatter of locals, a dialect that gave birth to modern-day Italian. After perusing neatly piled stalls

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of fresh vegetables, butchers’ counters stocked with every imaginable animal part, and delicatessens bulging with prosciutto, sample delicious local produce at one of the many food stalls. The pick of these is Nerbone, a longstanding locals’ haunt that’s famous for its panino con il lampredotto (tripe sandwiches); but its simple pasta dishes and more conventional panino con il bollito (beef sandwiches) are also tasty and cheap.

AFTERNOON Sated and hopefully not too laden with jars of homemade ragu, bags of citrus fruits and salty strings of salami, it’s time to head to the hub of Florence’s fashion scene, Via de’ Tornabuoni. Guccio Gucci, founder of the Gucci label, was born here, and the city was also the birthplace of Roberto Cavalli and home to Salvatore Ferragamo, so Florence has fashion coursing through its ancient streets. It’s no surprise therefore that Gucci has a large shop on Via de’Tornabuoni near its Italian fashion rivals Giorgio Armani and Bvlgari.

If the stifling city air, coach loads of tourists

and the smell of melting plastic is getting a little overpowering, head to the hills. Buy a biglietto from a tabacchi and take bus 7 from Piazza del Duomo to the hillside town of Fiesole, just 10 minutes away. The former Etruscan dwelling was ransacked by the Florentines in the 12th century, but the cathedral and bishop›s palace remain standing to this day. Take a stroll to the Roman amphitheatre before visiting one of the many cafes surrounding the main square in preparation for a walk up the steep meandering slope to San Francesco Monastery. From here, cypress trees grapple for the limelight with opulent country houses and the monastery itself; but the stunning views of the city and beyond remain the centrepiece.

EVENING Book a table at the window of La Reggia degli Etrusch (Via San Francesco, 18) just yards away from the stunning Fiesole viewpoint.

This restaurant has one of the best panoramas of Florence and is the perfect place to see the sun set over the buzzing city below.

Choose from local pasta specialities and meat dishes with a modern twist, which include filetto di manzo lardellato all›uva (beef fillet with grapes).

Upon arrival back in the city centre, you may be in time to catch an opera performance at the intimate St Mark’s Anglican Church (Via Maggio 18). For a more lively night out, cross the river to the Oltrarno district where you can party into the early hours.

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24-hour Guide to….

Rome

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hen in Rome, indulge, It is difficult to miss the coffee cup clatter and espresso machine chaos. But don’t let this fool you: Italians are quite the blase bunch, hardly ever on time, so pace yourself, stop to smell the brioche and maybe even have one with a cappuccino.

The Eternal City offers some of the world’s most prestigious hotels including the Rome Cavalieri (www.romecavalieri. com), which provide a stunning selection of themed suites and terraces of utmost sophistication, not to mention a spectacular view. For high caliber hotels within walking –distance of the center, book into the Hotel Regina Baglioni (www.baglionihotels.com) located on the well-known Via Veneto:

or the Grand Hotel de la Minerve (www. grandhoteldelaminerve.com) with its unbelievable view of the Pantheon.

There is nothing like starting your day with a stroll in the chic gardens and worldclass art gallery of Villa Borghese (www. galleriaborghese.it), before scouring the smallest country on the earth, the Vatican City (www.vaticanstate.va) where the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter’s Basilica (www. saintpetersbasilica.org) hold the world’s most breathtaking masterpieces by the like of Michelangelo and Bernini.

After serving the city from the Basilica’s peak, it is time for lunch. However, if football is your fancy then catch AS Roma’s Totti in

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the eternal city

a match at the Stadio Olimpico. Those with an appetite should head back to town to dine at the popular Il Plazzetto (www. ilpalazzettoroma.com). Built at the top of the Spanish Steps in the 16th century, the restaurant combines contemporary Italian décor with a historic presence. For a vantage view, insist on the terrace.

Temptation to hit the shops is high in Rome and fortunately in the heart of this architectural urban marvel, there is plenty of choice. Make your way down to the piazza di Spagna and follow the fashionistas into Via Condotti. The boutiques of Hermes, Chanel, Dolce & Cabbana, Findi, Valentino, Bulgari and many more should revive even the most tired style.

Next, the glories of ancient Rome await.

Close by stands the Pantheon, Rome’s best preserved dome structure, famous for its only source of light – the oculus – in the ceiling. Pick up a little treat at the Geletaria di San Crispino (www.ilgelatodisancrispino. it), famous for its peculiar selection of ice cream, Grab a couple of “gusti” (flavours) for your walk to Piazza Navona, a center of Baroque architecture, considered to be one of the liveliest in the city. Its Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi serves as the perfect place to cool off among the street vendors, artists and performers.

As the sun sets, take the last tour of the day at the Colosseum, the amphitheatre built almost 2000 years ago for staggering 50,000

spectators. A masterpiece of engineering the Colosseeo’s ancient spectacles showed the ruthless face of the Roman Empire.

Afterwards, a caffe ristretto is in order before heading back to the hotel to change.

After all, it is imperative to make a fashion statement tonight.

Evening aperitif time and almost all restaurants and cafes offer an array of hors d’oeuveres. Favourites can be enjoyed at the reinvented, trendy Doppiozeroo (www. doppiozeroo.it) of the elegant Frenchinspired Le Bain (www.lebain.it). After sampling the tastes of Roma. Dine with decadence at Cavalien’s La Pergola (www. romecavalieri.com), which boasts three Michelin stars. For a genuine Roman dinner

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experience the Hostaria dell’Orso (www. hdo.it), a former favourite with the stars of the classic film La’ Dolce Vita.

Today, the medieval building is beautifully restored and combines quality design with refined historical cuisine. Spend the remainder of the night mingling with Rome’s finest on the third level if you so wish.

Alternately, spend a relaxing night at one of the sidewalk cafes. The late night Campo dei Fiori is the perfect place to sit and watch the vendors prepare for the open market once morning comes.

For a finale, pass by the Fontana di Trevi and make a wish. Most visitors don’t know this, but its charm is far more potent at night.

Incomparable

Venice!!

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Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute (Basilica of St Mary of Health)

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he Basilica was raised for a citizenship vote after the plague of 1630, employing more of a million of wood pieces to build the foundation. Outside it is like a impressive and richly decorated mole; and inside you can admire a central octagonal ground floor, open to the chapel.

The presbytery rises in correspondence with the majestic portal, overhung from a smaller cupola, and at major altar, a heavy sculpture representing Venice thanking to Virgin the plague guard. At the altar, you can admire the Greek-Byzantine icon that represents the Madonna col Bambino. In the major sacristy, a canvas from Tiziano, and the wellknown work of Tintoretto, Le nozze di Cana.

What to see

Venice is elegant, precious, inimitable, entertaining, and romantic. It is a jewel of the Italian touristic landscape where churches, buildings, old bridges, monuments and piazzas are a record of the artistic and cultural vivacity that marks the history of this city.

The heart of Venice is the wonderful Piazza San Marco - the most elegant in Europe-

surrounded by outstanding buildings: the impressive Bell tower and the Cathedral with its five portals with marble and mosaic decorations, an anticipation of the luxury and richness of the interiors; the Palazzo Ducale, a symbol of the golden age of the Serenissima; Torre dei Mori, known as Torre dell’Orologio (the clock tower), for the masterpiece of engineering that has been telling Venice the time for centuries; and the Ala Napoleonica, site of Correr Museum.

Not far away, is Campo Santo Stefano with the church of the same name, which is one of the biggest in Venice.

From the piazza the visitor can see the island of San Giorgio Maggiore and the high bell tower that rises from the monumental structure of the old Benedictine monastery, a masterpiece realised by important architectures of the time, including the renowned Andrea Palladio.

A real outdoor museum, that can be toured by boat or by gondola, along the Canal Grande, the main “street” of the city. It starts from Punta della Dogana, the old harbour of Serenissima with its peculiar triangular shape that is now, like Palazzo Grassi, a Contemporary Art Centre.

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The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is another must see, exhibited in the Palazzo Venier de’ Leoni it is considered the most important collection of the 20th century.

There are also other important museums: the Gallerie dell’Accademia, housed in the majestic structure of the Scuola Grande de la Carità that includes a church of the same name and a monastery; and Ca’ Rezzonico, one of the most beautiful buildings of the Renaissance, home of the Museo del Settecento Veneziano (museum of 1718th century Venice).

On the right bank of Canal Grande -accessible also by crossing the Ponte del Rialto - it is possible to reach the districts of San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsoduro, where some of the most famous “campi” of Venice are surrounded by wonderful religious buildings and palaces: San Rocco, with one of the old Grandi Scuole di Venezia and the church dedicated to the Saint; the renowned Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, one of the most important Franciscan structures; San Polo; San Giacomo dall’Orio with the church of the same name at its centre which is decorated with wonderful venetian Renaissance artworks; San Sebastiano masterfully decorated by Paolo Veronese; San Pantalon; San Nicolò dei Mendicoli with one of the oldest churches of the city and Santa Maria della Salute.

From Piazza San Marco, crossing the renowned Ponte dei Sospiri - with a wonderful view of the lagoon - you reach the Castello district, rich in architectural and artistic masterpieces. The “campi” of Venice are historic piazzas, usually embellished with

remarkable monuments in the middle, and dominated by impressive and wonderful religious buildings from where they take their names. In this sestiere (district) there are many interesting churches: the Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, where state funerals were held; the Chiesa di Santa

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Maria dei Miracoli, a fabulous example of Renaissance architecture; the Chiesa di San Zaccaria; the Chiesa di San Giovanni in Bragora - considered one of the most beautiful churches in the city- and the Chiesa di Santa Maria Formosa, based on a design by Codussi.

oldest human settlements in the area.

On the northern side of the Lagoon there are wonderful natural landscapes, with beaches that change colour depending on the sunlight, just like the Dolomites that have nourished, over the centuries, this beautiful coastline.

It is possible here to find some of the touristic jewels of the Province of Venice: Caorle, with its narrows alleys between pretty coloured houses; Jesolo, core of amusement and nightlife; Bibione, with its pinewood that reaches right down to the beach; Cavallino, the main European “open air” tourist destination.

Two further places that are well worth a visit along the same route are: the biggest Arsenal in the world, built in the 12th century, then extended thanks to the significant political and economic development of Venice; and the Scuola San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, which is home to some of the most beautiful paintings by Carpaccio. In Cannareggio, Campo della Madonna dell’orto is one of the last surviving examples of the ancient herringbone pattern paving, and its church of the same name, was decorated by the famous Tintoretto, and the Scuola dei

Mercanti can also be found here. The Chiesa di San Giovanni Crisostomo Codussi’s last opus is another magnificent example of Renaissance architecture.

In the old Ca’ d’Oro building there is a precious art collection of venetian school pieces.

Venice is surrounded by a group of islands: Burano, renowned for the production of lace; Murano, for its glass making; Pellestrina, characterised by sandy dunes and cane thickets; and Torcello, one of the

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Along the banks of the Brenta there are many sumptuous aristocratic venetian villas built between 1500 and 1700, symbol of Venetian wealth and prosperity of that time.

Some of the best architects and painters of that period,such as Palladio and Pellegrini, designed these marvellous architectural works.

It is possible to find the same splendour in the around Mirano, in the Terre del Tiepolo, named in honour of this family of artists. This area witnessed a period of great cultural development during the Serenissima domination, when impressive villas and palaces were built, and today it is still possible to admire their magnificence.

Magical Capri

Magical Capri, which Jean Paul Sartre defined “Island” with capital “I”, seems immutable in time, a stupendous pearl mounted as a jewel upon the sea....

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tiny plot of land that marks the entrance to the gulf of Naples, with peaks and cliffs jutting over the sea.

The faraglioni, two superb boulders, emerge from the water just a few meters from the coast. Legend has it that the giant Cyclops, mythical figures settled on Capri by the gods, had flung those huge masses against the Greek and Phoenician ships that wanted to profane their secrets.

Indeed, the first to appreciate the marvels of Capri were the Greeks and the Phoenicians, but it was the Romans, more than others, who left their mark. Emperor Augustus first and Tiberius later were enchanted by the island. Tiberius turned it into a sort of personal kingdom where he spent a good eleven years of his life. The two emperors can be credited with having constructed building and roads. Some remains can still be seen such as the Augustan gardens with the famous belvedere, a window that opens onto a fairytale scene.

“Modern” Capri, the first actual town, dates back to the thirteenth century when frequent pirate incursions convinced the islanders to build a fort precisely where the piazzetta is today, in order to control the port area. The first houses began to spring up around the fort. The most recent style of the island, a style which is quite similar to today’s appearance, is characterised by villas suspended on the rock cliffs between the sky and the sea and dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century when the lovers of Liberty and subsequently of the Belle Epoque, brought their protagonism to Capri, their characters and dynasties. The last of the Hapsburgs and the first nouveau-riche like the Thyssen, the Pirellis and the Agnellis. Today, just like in the times of Hemingway, Malaparte, Faruk, Onassis, when at sunset the “piazzetta” (Piazza Umberto

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I) becomes a salon, animated by thousands of guests, all seated at tables at the “Gran Caffè” Vuotto” .

Alleys paved with ancient pastel-grey cobblestones branch out from the famous “piazzetta”, the heart of the island. And beneath the arched porticoes made of dark volcanic stone, the most exclusive shops which sell colourful silk blouses, mid-calf pants and hand-made sandals, all symbols around the world of the informal famous fashion known as the “Capri style”.

The pants were a creation of fashion designer Sonja de Lennart in 1948 and they were first made popular in Capri in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Later they became also popular in the United States during the 1960s and woderful movie star Audrey Hepburn made them famous in movies like Sabrina, Funny Face and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. After a drop in popularity between the 1970s and 1990s, today Capri pants are back in fashion. Capri sandals are hand-made in soft leather and decorated with exquisite pieces of costume jewelry. Like the famous pants, the sandals have been purchased by customers of international fame such as Principessa Margaret, Soraya, Maria Callas, Sofia Loren, Anita Ekberg, Naomi Campbell and many others.

Sun, sea, good food and nights stretching until dawn, among the muffled notes and lights of the nightclubs. And so, on this magical island, love stories intertwine and dissolve again, every day and every night one hundred stories are born and die, like a mid-summer’s dream of a Capri night.

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Giardino Giusti Verona V

enture over the Ponte Romano to the eastern bank of Verona’s river Adige and you will find yourself in an oasis of peace and calm. Hidden behind the crumbling orange façade of Via Giardino is one of Italy’s most attractive Renaissance gardens and best-kept secret – Giardino Giusti. A garden of such tranquillity that in an instant you are taken from a dusty Italian street full of irate drivers honking their horns and transported into a world of Renaissance refinement. And you’ll know immediately what the English traveller Thomas Coryate meant when in 1611 he described this garden as a “second paradise”.

In the western section of the parterre (formal garden with flower beds and gravel paths), are greenhouses brimming with lemon and orange trees that are built against the surviving 12th century city walls. The warm air is full of zest with uplifting citrus smells and I breathed in deeply as I followed in the footsteps of illustrious past visitors, among them Cosimo De’ Medici, Emperor Joseph II, Goethe and Mozart. Today though (because thankfully the gardens are not on Verona’s tour bus itinerary), there’s hardly ever anyone there and I had the entire gardens to myself.

The terraces are ordered so that they gradually uncover the views of the city. The lower area of tightly clipped and perfectly manicured box hedges contrasts with the upper area of natural wilderness, which would have been perfect for a game of hide and seek between a Renaissance lady and her lover. The terrace is hidden by woodland, home to cuckoos and warblers, and has the atmosphere of secret trysts and whispered promises. It is undoubtedly a place reserved for romance and the secluded benches hidden amongst the foliage are obvious invitations for this. According to local folk

Agostino Giusti was a Knight of the Venetian Republic and Squire of the Grand Duke of Tuscany and the man responsible for the design of this lovely garden, which served as a backdrop for his palace. Laid out in 1570 with all the quintessential Italian charm of that period, with statuary and nature deliberately juxtaposed, it was lovingly restored in the 1930s and has most of its original features intact from fountains to mythological statues to a maze and an acoustic grotto. Not to mention an impressive collection of Roman remains.

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law, lovers who manage to find each other in the tiny maze are destined to stay together forever.

It’s a joy to wander up the old stone steps of the cypress avenue, with the 16th century ‘mascherone’, the immense grotesque stone mask with bulging eyes, gnashing teeth and flaring nostrils, looking down on you. From here you can climb up to the stalactite grotto, an artificial cave carved in to the hillside with an arched entrance flagged by columns and pediment, giving it the appearance of a temple. This was originally covered with an intricate design of shells, mosaic and mother of pearl but little remains today.

The final climb takes you to the belvedere (meaning beautiful view) where you are treated to one of the most stunning panoramic vistas of the city with the Lamberti Tower, the Basilica di Sant Anastasia and the Duomo all in sight.

Giardino Giusti is a place to unwind, reflect and linger away from all the hustle and bustle of life. A place you never hurry away from but always scurry back to.

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Trieste

Trieste, #1 on Lonely Planet’s List of Overlooked Cities

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onely Planet, the largest travel guidebook publisher in the world, recently published a list of “10 of the world’s unsung places” on their website.

This list includes cities which usually don’t make it onto tourists’ must-see lists and are largely undiscovered for a variety of reasons, including geographical position

and their proximity to more glamorous and well-known cities. Trieste, in Friuli Venezia Giulia, was the top city on the list, followed

by Arras (France), Gujarat (India), Chóngqìng (China), Aberdeen (Scotland), Utrecht (The Netherlands), Meknès (Morocco), Helsinki (Finland), Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), and Takayama (Japan).

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Described as a “cultural melting pot,” Trieste, added to the Italian peninsula in 1918, borders Slovenia and is situated on a spit of land thrust into the Adriatic Sea. The city has a distinct Central European atmosphere and the neoclassical architecture and Viennesestyle cafés recall its past as the sole port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As Lonely

Planet describes, Trieste “retains an enticing, elegiac sense of the past�. In addition, the city was the site where James Joyce began writing Ulysses, instead of in his native Dublin.

churches and interesting museums. Trieste is also a convenient base for exploring the Miramare Castle, built in the 19th century and offering a 22-hectare cliff and seashore park, and for continuing on to Slovenia and Croatia.

The city offers visitors a variety of sites to explore including Roman ruins, castles,

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Villa D’Este claims European prize

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Villa d’Este - Tivoli

illa D’Este near Rome has been named Europe’s most beautiful garden.

The 16th-century gardens, grounds, fountains and fancy waterworks of this Renaissance jewel at Tivoli have beaten the great gardens of England, France and Germany, officials said Wednesday.

“Villa d’Este won not only because of the special qualities of its garden but also because of its accessibility, state of upkeep, modern and efficient services and ease with which information can be obtained,” said Tivoli cultural heritage superintendent Anna Maria Affanni.

The European Great Garden competition was launched three years ago and Villa d’Este, the most majestic example of the Formal Italian Garden, won the right to compete for Italy last year.

Visitors Guide

Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli hailed the award and said the villa was “one of the most beautiful places in the world”.

Villa d’Este - Location:

The prize, sponsored by US outdoor power tools giant Briggs and Stratton, will be awarded in Paris on June 18.

The Villa d’Este is located in the Piazza Trento, Viale delle Centro Fontane, in the Italian region of Lazio, near the town of Tivoli, 34 km east of Rome on the S5 road. A Renaissance gem, the villa is perhaps the finest example of mannerist residences in Europe.

The spectacular fountain garden was created by the great architect and landscape gardener Pirro Ligorio for Cardinal Ippolito II D’Este (1509-72), a rich Renaissance prince, collector and patron of the arts.

Over the following 150 years, numerous additions and restorations were carried out.

The garden - declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001 - draws more than half a million visitors each year.

One of the most original and famous features of the garden is the monumental Fontana dell’ Organo, built around a water-operated organ.

Villa d’Este recently underwent a major facelift although funds are still needed to restore the famous Bicchierone (Big Glass) fountain by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Tivoli, an ancient town situated just outside Rome, also boasts the magnificent ruins of Hadrian’s Villa - the largest villa of the Roman Empire.

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The Villa has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2001.

The Gardens and Waterworks: The Villa’s gardens are a place one doesn›t visit for the plantings, but rather one goes to be surprised by the clever application of Renaissance plumbing in the fountains and waterworks, and to marvel at how they are integrated with the landscape. There are something like 500 fountains here. Many statues, some of the stolen from nearby archaeological sites like Hadrian›s Villa, complete the tableau. The gardens are the perfect illustration of Renaissance culture as expressed in the countryside. For the rest of Renaissance culture as expressed in the city environment, you should plan a trip to Florence, of course.

How to Get to Tivoli: Most tourists do the Villa d’Este and Hadrian’s Villa as a day trip from Rome. By car, take the S5 out of Rome to Tivoli. The Villa d’Este is on the western side of town.

If you’re staying in Rome, the easier way is to take a tour that combines the two destinations. Viator offers: Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este Half-Day Trip from Rome (book direct).

Tivoli and Villa d’Este Via Train: You can get a train on the Roma-Pescara Line from Rome’s Tiburtina station to Tivoli. It takes about a half hour.

Then you’ll hop a shuttle bus to the town center and Villa d’Este.

Tivoli and Hadrian’s Villa via Bus: Blue COTRAL buses leave the terminal at Rome’s Ponte Mammolo stop on Metro line found for Tivoli every 15 minutes. It takes about an hour. There’s a shuttle bus service from Tivoli main square to Hadrian’s Villa. (Hadrian’s Villa is not in Tivoli but on the plain below-a bus ride away) Opening Hours - Villa d’ Este: Find Opening hours and other essential information from Villa d’Este, Tivoli Official Site.

Villa d’Este History and Visitor Information: The Villa d’Este was commissioned and built by Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, the son of Lucrezia Borgia and the grandson of Pope Alexander VI. Pirro Ligorio worked seventeen years designing the garden.

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Thomaso Chiruchi worded on the Hydrolics and Claude Venard, a Burgundian and a highly regarded manufacturer of hydraulic organs, also worked on the Villa d’Este’s most spectacular achievement: the Fountain of the Hydraulic Organ (Fontana dell’ Organo Idraulico).

The good cardinal only desired a villa and garden worthy of “one of the wealthiest ecclesiastics of the sixteenth century” The garden, like many other forms of art, is designed in a way to encourage exploration, stimulate imagination, and elicit surprise. It will.

You can explore here for hours, but remember that there are elevation changes that may make it strenuous to see everything.

Tourist office in Tivoli The tourist office in Tivoli is located in the Piazza Garibaldi, close to the main bus stop and the Villa d’Este. You might be able to pick up maps and information even after closing.

Villa d’Este Pictures For pictures, see our Villa d’Este Pictures.

Where to Stay HomeAway has some interesting apartments and vacation rentals in Tivoli (book direct) if you wish to linger in the area a while. Venere offers user-rated hotels in Tivoli.

Villa dEste on the Web • Symbolism at Tivoli - (Great Background Information)

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Royal Palace of Caserta One of my most favorite places in Italy I used to visit every year for enjoy is Royal Palace of Caserta (italian : Reggia di Caserta) constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples.

Reggia di Caserta is situated in town Caserta, southern part of Italy, region Campania ( distance Naples – Caserta is circa 35 km) In 1997, the Palace of Caserta was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, described

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in its nomination as «the swan song of the spectacular art of the Baroque».

The construction of the palace was begun in 1752 for King Charles VII of Naples, who worked closely with his architect Luigi Vanvitelli.Vanvitelli died in 1773: the construction was continued by his son Carlo and completed in 1780.

The king›s primary object was to revive the

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ancient splendor and to have a magnificent new royal court and administrative centre for the Kingdom. It is one of the largest palaces and one of the largest buildings realized in Europe during the 18th century.

The Royal Palace is a huge complex of 1200 rooms and 1790 windows. Overall, the palace covers an area of no less than 47,310 meters.

Reggia di Caserta was used as the location for Queen Amidala’s Royal Palace on Naboo in the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and again in the 2002 film Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones as Queen Jamilla’s palace. The same room was also used in Mission: Impossible III as Vatican City. The main staircase is also used in Angels & Demons as the Vatican’s staircase.

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Lucca

Celebrates the Risorgimento

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ive exhibitions, a website, a comic book and various itineraries in the city to close of celebrations that Lucca has organized to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. The exhibition provides a path between some of the memorable places in the history of the Tuscan city: from the Casermetta del Baluardo of San Colombano to the Historical Archives Lucchese, from the State Archives to the State Library, and to the National Museum of Mansi Palace. The exhibition shows, through the study of the genesis of the events and the fate of several city monuments, the different phases of the Italian Renaissance by highlighting the ways in which Lucca citizens interpreted the unit message.

The Tuscan city, in fact, adhered to the unit process in an original way: first with the annexation to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and then to the Kingdom of Italy, it showed a strong desire to preserve its cultural roots. Lucca chose to celebrate the independence and national unity embellishing and decorating the historic centre of the city with new monuments. These monuments dedicated to the fathers of independence can be admired through a tour in this beautiful town.

Beginning with Francis Burlamacchi’s statue, erected in 1863 in Piazza San Michele, you proceed with the monument of Tito Strocchi, follower of Garibaldi and Mazzini, realized by Artemisium Mani in 1883, in the city cemetery. The work in bronze, which stands on the bastion of Santa Maria, by sculptor Augusto

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Passaglia in 1885 and dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele II. In Piazza del Giglio, there is the marble statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, by Urbano Lucchesi, inaugurated in 1889 on September 20th.

The hero of two worlds is represented by a full-length marble statue with two bronze reliefs on the pedestal that represent the landing of the Thousand at Marsala and the battle of Calatafimi. The bust dedicated to Giuseppe Mazzini opened in 1890, March 20th is smaller and it is more isolated (it is at the bastion of St Regulus). The bronze monument of Benedetto Cairoli, was built in 1893 as a symbol of Freedom. Finally, in the old Piazza delle Erbe, renamed Piazza XX Settembre, you can admire the Genio Alato of the complex of Caduti delle Patrie Battaglie - by Urban Lucchesi.

Behind these monuments there is not only the history of a country but also the story of an entire community. A path that combines some memorable places in the history of Lucca, enriched by documents and images displayed in various exhibitions, situated in

twelve local newspapers testifying to the Lucchese reactions in the main events of the Risorgimento.

Finally, in the National Museum of Palazzo Mansi there is a whole section dedicated to the iconography of the Risorgimento, with portraits of members of the Princely House, of characters related to the Italy Unification and the sketches of monuments by Urbano Lucchesi and Augusto Passaglia. To enrich this traveling exhibition in the city has been created a website that proposes twenty virtual tour - from the Clock Tower to Tower Guinigi, from the Principles hall to the hall of Savoy - to discover the secret corners of the city: comics (with the attached comics walk itinerary) entitled “The keys of the city.”

different urban locations. In the bastion of St. Colombano is shown an ideal path of the Renaissance of Lucca as the purchase of all symbols of identity of the city (the city walls in 1866 - 1870, ex-Ducal palace, the tower of Annunciation of the Porta San Gervasio, the side of the tomb of Ilaria Carretto).

Many events will accompany Lucca in 2013, when the city will celebrate 500 years from the construction of modern urban walls. For Lucca historical and monumental wealth the city has been proposed to include the old town in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are so many things to see in Lucca, starting with the nearly intact walls that surround it. You can access the city, passing through six gates, from the north and clockwise are: Porta Santa Maria (1592), St James Gate or Porta San Jacopo alla Tomba (1930), Porta Elisa (1811), dedicated to Elisa Baciocchi, Porta San Pietro (1565), Porta Sant’Anna, Porta Vittorio Emanuele or Buco di Sant’Anna (1910), Porta San Donato (1629).

In addiction, the ideal path shows what happened in other Tuscan cities, particularly in Florence. At the Historical Archive of the City of Lucca, there is an exhibition about the monument of Vittorio Emanuele II, since the birth of a committee run by the working class of Lucca for its implementation (1878, January 9th) until the inauguration in 1885, september 20th. At the State Archives of Lucca you can admire the documents, belonged to the Archives Sardi, related to the Provincial exhibition in the 1877 . The State Library hosts an exhibition “The Local Press 1870-1882”, with the display of articles from

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Other gates dating back to more ancient walls are: the Old Porta San Donato (1590), in San Donato Square which is home of the Opera of the Walls, Porta San Gervasio (1198), along Via del Fosso dates back to the Middle Ages and Porta dei Borghi. The old town has preserved its medieval appearance, thanks to the fine architecture, ancient and numerous churches (Lucca is also called the city of 100 churches),and thanks to the many towers, bell towers and monumental Renaissance palaces.

Among the towers, the Clock Tower is the highest one (50 meters); here you can admire the hand-wound clock mechanism and the internal wooden staircase of 207 steps still preserved.

The Tower Guinigi is one of the most representative monuments of Lucca, with some holm oaks over the top. Some squares of the city are worth a visit: Square Amphitheatre, built on the ruins of the ancient Roman amphitheater by the architect Lorenzo Nottolini; Piazza San Michele historic heart of the city; Piazza San Martino wtih the famous Cathedral; Piazza Napoleone desired

by Elisa Baciocchi during her principality and Piazza del Giglio which overlooks the homonymous theater.

The

Glass Island

T

he glass island lies in the Venetian lagoon and comes under the communal authority of Venice herself. In 1291 a large number of glaziers’ workshops and furnaces were transferred here for fear of the fires which their work risked causing all over the city. Murano, a group of five islands, had until then been a summer holiday residential resort for the nobility. Consequently, its whole appearance became affected by the glassmaking industry which came to employ more than a thousand people to work the furnaces, an industry which has been carried on to the present day, even if it has in the meantime been turned into an art and craft activity which limits its production to glass objets d’art. In the Museum of the Glassmaker’s Art, which is housed in Palazzo Giustinian, there is a collection of glassware from Venice and all over the world. Nearby is the church of Santa Maria and San Donato, a significant example of 12th-c. VenetianByzantine architecture with mosaics and frescoes from the 12th and 13th c.

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The Villa of the Monsters in Bagheria

B

agheria, once the playground of rich aristocrats from Palermo, hides a fantastical secret. At the heart of the urban sprawl - amidst traffic chaos, unremarkable modern tenements and the neon facades of twenty first century commerce - lies the Villa Palagonia. From the entrance gate, the only clue to its peculiar existence is the pair of bizarre stone guardians leering at the unwary passer-by.

This most unusual of Sicilian villas was built in 1715 for the fifth Prince of Palagonia, Don Ferdinando Gravina. The beautiful baroque summer residence owes its notoriety to the Prince’s grandson, Francesco Ferdinando, who commissioned the sculptures and ornate decoration. The gruesome-twosome at the entrance are only a hint of what lies beyond. Having decided to ignore their mocking stare, we passed through the flower-covered gate house and strolled the gravel drive towards the villa’s elegant curves. Aware of an uncanny sensation of being watched, we turned to confront the full menagerie. What bitter phantoms of

the mind could have given birth to such a panoply of characters?

Mythology and reality clash to produce disfigured hybrids: a hunched-back gnome grimaces towards a scowling cherub; a periwigged aristocrat bids music from a courtier; a horned dragon with a human face watches as a young noble dances on the head of a gargoyle. The statues line the perimeter wall, but the passage of time has depleted the original number, thought to be over six hundred in total. Theories

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abound as to why the seventh Prince felt compelled to populate his garden with so many grotesque caricatures.

Francesco Ferdinando may have been railing against Mother Nature who had not blessed him with Hollywood looks. It seems his wife found solace in the arms of more than one lover and the rumour spread that each new sculpture was born of jealousy; a satirical jibe from the cuckolded husband.

Prince Gravina has also been portrayed as an eccentric loner obsessed with esoteric

pursuits, which would account for some of the more obscure ancient Eastern references in the sculpture. The German writer, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, was convinced the answer to our conundrum lay in madness – a mind that gave free rein to a passion for deformity.

Visits from the Grand Tourists Much of the villa’s legendary fame comes from the accounts of travellers such as Goethe. His classical soul was very scathing of the overwrought sculpture and ornamentation. Patrick Brydone, an English contemporary, was more tolerant of the Prince’s fevered imagination: ‘… a man of immense fortune, who has devoted his whole life to the study of monsters and chimeras, greater and more ridiculous than ever entered into the imagination of the wildest writers of romance or knight errantry.’

Henry Swinburne, the eighteenth century travel writer, was one of the first to note how the softness of the stone would see the Prince’s legacy gradually erode into dust – a fate he was not inclined to lament: ‘I was in a hurry to leave this world of monsters, which almost made me giddy.’ Our modern

perspective, saturated with imagery, is more inclined to celebrate the unusual and welcome anyone brave enough to step off the well-trodden path.

The Curse of Palagonia During the Prince’s life-time and in the years following, the local women were afraid to look the statues in the eye, fearful that their glance would have unfortunate consequences for any unborn offspring. All deformities at birth were blamed on the evil influence of Francesco’s gargoyles. Prior to Patrick Brydone’s visit, the local government had even given serious consideration to demolishing the statues but, as the writer points out, Gravina was thought to be so inoffensive and charitable that such an action would have broken his heart.

The curse was to strike again many years later in 1948 when the carabinieri were pursuing men associated with the bandit Salvatore Giuliano. Shots were fired into the dark shadows of the Villa’s garden where the men were hiding; daylight revealed that the five-eyed goblin at the entrance was glowering down at the dead body of a policeman.

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Inside the Villa Leaving behind the statues along the perimeter, we passed a stone bench at the foot of the grand staircase leading to the main entrance of the house. Prince Gravina, forever frozen in time, stares out blankly from the frieze above the bench - a location much favoured by the Magnum photographer, Ferdinando Scianna, whose most famous image of the Argentinean writer, Jorge Luis Borges, was taken on this very spot.

The stairs flank the archway that gave access to horse and carriages, arriving for one of the many balls hosted by the Prince’s wife.

They sweep elegantly to a balustraded platform in front of the grandiose doors. A bocca della verità (mouth of truth) gapes forebodingly, hungry to be fed with the anonymous misdemeanours of the local aristocracy!

The vestibule is decorated with trompe l’oeil frescoes depicting the Labours of Hercules and the doorway to the spectacular mirrored ballroom has a sobering message for all who enter, which translates as: See your reflection in the glass and contemplate in its magnificent splendour the image of mortal fragility that it expresses.

Sadly, the glass has been so mottled with age that it’s difficult to contemplate any reflection – the true fragility of time. The ceiling mirrors, however, are still intact and the magnificent marbled walls and floors make it a short leap of the imagination to conjure up the decadent delights of the past. We can even see Francesco Ferdinando huddled in a corner, with a jealous eye on those more favoured in looks and personality. It is still rumoured that his eccentric decoration extended to the furniture; plushly covered seats hid spikes to surprise the unwary.

Modern Art Hindsight could hail the villa as a surrealist masterpiece worthy of the likes of Dalì. One famous local artist, Renato Guttuso, now buried in the grounds of his own museum in Bagheria, took inspiration from the Prince’s sculptures. Best known in the United

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Kingdom as the illustrator of Elizabeth David’s Italian Food, he painted one of the archways bedecked with statues looking down on the equally prickly pads of an Indian Fig. His painting is a lasting testimony to our enduring fascination with Francesco Gravina’s imagination.