Maybe you have never heard of the town of Nemi, near Rome, but here in Europe it’s famous for being the strawberry capital of Italy! In June this lovely town, which lays among the beautiful Albani Hills, hosts the Strawberry festival which every year draws thousands of tourists; on this occasion, the local jewellers create the Golden Strawberry, a precious jewel made of silver and gold which is given to the winner of the strawberry competition. But if you don’t like the sweet fleshy red fruit, don’t worry, the area has plenty to offer. For instance, not far from Nemi (you just have to drive down the beautiful strada dei laghi or Road of the lakes for a couple of miles), there’s Castel Gandolfo, the Pope’ s summer residence; a palace designed by Carlo Maderno for Pope Urban VIII in the 17th and known for its enchanted beauty.

Foto Deblu68 | Kleuske | sunshinecity .

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While waiting to walk the Venice red carpet with his wife Italian actress Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel enjoyed a short holiday with his daughter Deva at Sabaudia, a sea-side resort near Rome. Judging from the pics the two had a wonderful time together!

Source | Vanity Fair

Vincent Cassel papà a tempo pieno a Sabaudia

Continue reading: Vincent Cassel's Italian holiday

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After Tivoli celebrated its Sagra delli ghiozzi, it was time to take a closer look at the area and what it offers for a weekend tour from Rome. The town itself features a 15th century fort called the Rocca Pia and the town centre is a lovely spot to wander about in. Moving further afield, you will find the Villa Adriana or Hadrian’s Villa, and Villa d’Este, important examples of Italian architecture from the area.

The Villa Adriana was built by Emperor Hadrian between 118 and 138 AD and is a mix of monumental buildings, gardens, thermal springs, libraries, theatres and temples. The area measures about 300 hectares and Hadrian borrowed ideas for the construction of the buildings and grounds from his various travels around the empire’s provinces.

The Villa d’Este is famous for being a masterpiece of Italian gardens and water features. It has one of Europe’s most impressive baroque gardens with terraces fashioned in something that reflects what the Babylon gardens might have been. It also includes examples of famous Roman engineering with its acqueduct and underground tunnels. You can get to Tivoli via bus routes from Rome which take up to an hour.

Tivoli

Photo | Flickr

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The annual international race down the Tiber river will take place from April 24th to May 2nd. Generally, the race is completed by rafting, but many people like to watch and participate by cycling down the banks of the river, going on horseback or walking. The Tiber race lasts a week, with people completing 20-30 km at a time, from San Sepolcro in Tuscany down to Ostia Antica at the mouth of the river.

The race is both a sporting event and one that promotes tourism along the river from Tuscany down through Lazio. You can camp along the river banks, stay in hotels or in caravans, and in the evenings participants generally eat together. With plenty of international participants, it’s an exciting event with enough camaraderie and a taste of regional Italian cuisine, to last you until next year.

Registration for the race costs 150 euros and there are guidelines as to the difficulty of the white water rafting involved. See the Discesa Internazionale del Tevere site for more details.

Photo | Starlight

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With the arrival of Spring and fine weather we can at last plan day-trips to the countryside and enjoy, after a long winter , the heart-stopping beauty of mother nature. For those of you who live in Rome or nearby I suggest a daytrip to the famous castelli Romani, a beautiful hilly area around the city which has plenty to offer; from long walks in the Parco Naturale Regionale ( but you can also cover the distance on a donkey’s back) and boat excursions on Lake Albano to visits to the ruins of Della Molara castle and the amazing villa of Dominitian, an Imperial residence built by the lake and still standing. Here s the full program

21 March, ninfei del lago Albano
3 Aprile , ninfei del lago Albano
17 April, Frascati
18 April, Tuscolo
2 May, , ninfei del lago Albano
8 May, Lanuvio
9 May, bosco dei cappuccini di Albano
16 May, Tuscolo
5 June, ninfei del lago Albano
6 June, pantani della doganella
18 June, Castel Gandolfo
19 June, Ariccia
20 June, Tuscolo
27 June, villa Mondragone
2 July, Nemi
4 July, Ostia
10 July, ore 10, bosco del piantato
11 July, Albano
16 July,Genzano
6 August, Rocca di Papa
20 August, Lanuvio

Photo: Flickr

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The beautiful Villa d’Este in Tivoli is hosting a photographic exhibition celebrating Italy’s treasures included on the UNESCO world heritage list. It makes a fantastic day trip from Rome to escape the city and see both a wonderful photo exhibition and the Villa d’Este itself.

There are 44 Italian sites on the world heritage list, and all are presented in a kind of grand tour of photographs, called: “Il paesaggio descritto”, or the “the landscape described”. Luca Capuano is the photographer in question, and he travelled Italy for nine months to collect 450 photos for the exhibition.

From the Dolomites to Sicily, you can see them all in the rooms of the Villa d’Este, Tivoli, from March 13 to April 18, from Tuesdays to Sundays. It costs euros 6.50 for admission. For more information, see the Beni culturali site.

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From 24 February to 30 May, a great restrospective dedicated to an important Italian singer and poet Fabrizio De André will take place at the Ara Pacis in Rome. The exhibition, set in one of the most central (and beautiful) area of Rome will give the public the unique opportunity to get a closer look at Fabrizio De André ‘s extraordinary work: multimedia installation will take visitors through the most important stages of his career; making them explore the ever -expanding universe of this talented artist from Genoa. Organised by the Colettivo Studio Azzurro which has collected all his works, the exhibition ” Fabrizio De André. La mostra” starts 24 February in Rome, a week after what would have been De André ’s 70th birthday.

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An unusual Italian food festival celebrating polenta will take place at Castel di Tora, Rieti in the region of Lazio. The ‘sagra‘ will take place on February 21st at the gates to the historic town centre where an enormous copper pot will be heated and an expert polenta stirrer will continually turn the polenta in the pot. The traditional way of making polenta is in a large copper saucepan with a handle, and it’s generally hot, hard work to continually stir it.

The polenta from Castel di Tora is generally served with herring sauce, tuna, codfish and anchovies. Other features of the polenta festival include the opportunity to taste other traditional products from the region, including bruschetta with extra virgin olive oil from Sabina, and the world famous “spaghetti all’amatriciana”.

The town not only provides the polenta party but also a historical renactment and fashion parade of medieval times. In the afternoon, a parade of medieval costumes takes place around the streets of the town, and then medieval jousting and fighting tournaments are conducted by masquerading actors. Castel di Tora is one of 16 towns in Italy that is part of a cultural polenta association (the Associazione Culturale dei “Polentari d’Italia”), which celebrates the cultural significance and history of Italy’s unsung traditional cuisine - polenta.

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Situated in the Ciociaria region, not from Ceprano, the Pastena caves are an impressive karst cave system 2, 200 metres long; the site comprises several sections where visitors can admire amazing stalactites, stalagmites and subterranean streams; the streams can be navigated with small boats and dinghies. For more information please click here.

Opening hours: 10:00 - 17:00 (in winter); 8:00 - 19:00 (in summer)

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It’s nearly Carnevale in Italy where carnival time marks the start of the period of Lent, 40 days before Easter. Obviously the Venice Carnevale is the most famous, although for Italians, the Carnevale of Viareggio is also an important celebration. If you’re in central Italy, the most significant carnival event is in Lazio, at the Carnevale of Tivoli.

The ancient town of Tivoli will host events with jugglers, hot air balloons, and the classic parade of floats with more than 600 featured. It’s a colourful time to enjoy the town and some of its traditions, including a taste of the “Castagnola” vanilla dessert (much like a fried sweet dumpling).

You could use the festival as a chance to see the famous Hadrian’s Villa or Villa d’Este as well (not the one on Lake Como, just to avoid confusion). The Carnevale di Tivoli is held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until February17th.

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