Upim stores here in Italy have gone through a major makeover and one of its representatives told reporters that although the stores will continue to be middle-class oriented, they  have in mind a few surprises for their customers. From now onwards  Upim  will in fact become more like an American mall - one of those places where people can not only find almost anything they want but also relax and enjoy themselves. This new phase in the history of the chain store  will be marked by an exhibition of pop art (September 15); customers visiting the stores in Via Buenos Aires and Piazzale Corvetto in Milan will have the unique opportunity to see 12 paintings by Andy Warhol, including the portrait of Marilyn Monroe and the famous Campbell’s soup dress! There’s no doubt that Upim is stepping into a new era!

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We don’t know the exact date the restoration will begin but according to the Italian Culture Minster Sandro Biondi it should be finished by 2013! The Italian government is now looking for private sponsors to help it restore one of Rome’s most important and best loved landmarks; a restoration which will cost an estimated 25 million euros. Sponsors would be allowed to advertise their contributions in a way “compatible with the value and decorum of the Colosseum. Among the first sponsors willing to shell out a few millions, Tod’s founder, Diego della Valle.

By the way you will be glad to know that the site will remain open to visitors while restoration work is completed.

Photo | Flickr

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Alberto Alessi is about to launch a new collection of houseware products inspired by the past. During the 1920s, 30s and 40s - Mr Alessi said - the design was not so important and manufacturers used to pay more attention to the functionality and costs of their products than to their exterior and what they look like. So this is why I decided to create this new collection called “Memories from the future” featuring teapots, shakers and trays.

Continue reading: Italian design: "Memories from the future" by Alessi

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Although the summer is slowly fading away, the celebrations for Federico Fellini ‘s masterpiece La Dolce vita ( the movie turns 50 this year ) will continue with a series of fascinating events until November 2010; much awaited is the photographic exhibition La Dolce Vita. 1950 - 1960. Stars and celebrities in the Italian Fifties which will take place at the mercati di Troiano. This time visitors will have the unique opportunity to admire a series of snapshots taken by paparazzi of such glamorous celebrities as Audrey Hepburn, Alain Delon, Maria Callas, Shirley Winters, Charton Heston, Ava Gardner and Kim Novak (just to mention a few). In the 1960s Rome was one of the international jet set s’ favourite haunts; the city where stars would come out in droves! Take a look at our gallery and be dazzled!

Continue reading: Exhibitions in Italy: La Dolce Vita. 1950 - 1960. Stars and celebrities in the Italian fifties at Mercati di Traiano, Rome

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Just a few days ago Tripadvisor published the list of Europe’s best loved monuments/places. And guess what? Saint Peter’s basilica came out on top! According to lots of travellers there’s something magic about it- something that mesmerizes the eye and never fails to cast a spell upon the heart. A great favourite with tourists is also Ostia antica, the harbour city of ancient Rome which is noted for the excellent preservation of its ancient buildings, magnificent frescoes and impressive mosaics.

Photo | Flickr

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The city of Florence and the Italian state are furiously fighting over the ownership of Michelangelo’s masterpiece David. The famous statue has been Florence’s mascot since 1504 when it was put on display at the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio as a symbol of the city ‘s defiance of its foes. The row between Florence and the government erupted when two Roman lawyers commissioned by Silvio Berlusconi produced what they call conclusive evidence that the renaissance masterpiece belongs not to Florence, but to the Italian state.

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Situated in the Olgiata district (one of Rome’s most exclusive and fashionable areas), this luxury Italian villa surrounded by a huge park can be yours for only 3 million euros. As you can see from our pics the 575 square metre villa is set atop a small hill from which one can enjoy a panoramic view of the countryside around the district. The place features garage, swimming pool and solarium. For more information please click here.

Continue reading: Luxury Italian Villa up for sale in the Olgiata district, Rome

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Michelangelo was an accomplished anatomist who is known to have dissected many corpses, so the discovery of Ian Suk and Rafael Tamargo, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore that the Italian artist hid the image of the brain in the depiction of God’s neck and chin in the famous frescoes at the Sistine Chapel did not come as a surprise at all. Always according to these American neuroscientists, Michelangelo concealed other anatomical sketches in the crimson robe worn by God; in fact in one of its vertical folds one can see the image of the spinal cord. This, however, is not the first time that medical experts have discerned hidden anatomical drawings in Michelangelo’s work.

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Every year on 5th August the inhabitants of Rome gather before the church of Santa Maria Maggiore to celebrate a miraculous event which took place in Rome during the reign of Pope Liberius. The legend has it that the Virgin Mary appeared to Pope Liberius and the patrician Giovanni Patrizio on August 4, 352 (or 358), instructing them to build a church on the summit of the Esquiline Hill. That very night, a miraculous snowfall covered the place where the church was to be built; an event the Romans never forget to celebrate! Watch the video!

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From December 18 to March 27 the cities of Trento and Rovereto will host a major exhibition dedicated to Amedeo Modigliani’s sculptures. The Italian artist from Livorno started his love affair with sculpture when he arrived at Montmarte at the turn of the 20th century. In Paris Modigliani met Constantin Brancusi who introduced him to African art and from that moment on Modigliani devoted himself to sculpture, creating a series of amazing works which are a heterogeneous mixture of differing influences, from Medieval art to avant-garde movements.

The exhibition will take place at the Mart from December2010 to March 2011.

Modigliani - Sculture

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