Jason Priestly has just arrived in Rome with wife and children in tow! The American actor who became famous thanks to his role in the Beverly Hills 90210 series back in the 1990s is spending a short holiday in Italy’s capital! Despite the heat wave which has hit the Eternal City, the Priestly Family is bravely touring the city and enjoying every single minute of it (as you can see from the pics!)

Jason Priestley’s roman summer

Source | CelebrityBabyscoop

{PLUGIN_TWITTER_SHARE} 0 comments

Tourists’ love affair with Italy has a long history behind it and more often not tourists get to know the country very well! A few days ago I had the pleasure to talk to Pizzodisevo (this is just a nickname), a tourist who years ago decided to leave behind his own country and live in the Marche region. His knowledge of the place is quite amazing and the pictures he took of the road that from Sarnano leads to Fiastra are really good, capturing the essence of the whole area (Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini); a magic place where there are no cars and everything is quiet and beautiful. So if you want to relax and enjoy nature, you may be interested to know that in Fiastra there’s a lovely agriturismo entirely made of stone and called Degli Alti Pascoli (situated at 800 metres above level see) where you can stay for only 40 euros pr night. Many outdoor activities are available; from hiking and riding to fishing and mountain biking.

Photo | pizzodisevo.

{PLUGIN_TWITTER_SHARE} 1 comment

Just a few weeks ago Borsalino announced a partnership with Sergio Tacchini. It goes without saying that this agreement marks a new development in the field of fashionable hats! For years Borsalin0 has designed headgear for the mighty including popes and heads of state while Sergio Tacchini was and still is a great favourite with sports stars (among his clients are John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Lea Pericoli, Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras and Novak Djocovic. Now to celebrate the up coming tennis season they have launched a new hat collection which includes two exclusive models respectively called Roma and Wimbledon!

Source | Borsalino.com

{PLUGIN_TWITTER_SHARE} 0 comments

If you have a passion for street art you will be glad to know that the Ferrara Buskers Festival is not the only event dedicated to this form of art here in Italy; in fact every year the small town of Pennabili in the Marche region organises an International festival which never fails to draw thousands of talented artists from all over the world; from Japan and America to Mexico and Iran. This year more than 300 artists will perform at the festival Internazionale dell’Arte di Strada which, as I have just said, will take place in Pennabili (the town is located near the beautiful Natural Park of Sasso Simone) from 17 to 20 June! Don’t miss it!

{PLUGIN_TWITTER_SHARE} 0 comments

The town of Carpegna, in Pesaro and Urbino, in the region of the Marche, celebrates its “Sega la Vecchia” Italian sagra in the form of the town sports festival every year. The four parishes of the town get together for a traditional meet, challenging each other in games, followed by a huge country banquet. The whole festival takes place on March 27 and involves sack races, hoop races, tug-of-war for both men and women, wood sawing, sled racing, and other old fashioned games.

At the end of the of this Italian festival, the team who wins parades through the town with the “vecchia”, meaning old lady - a folkloric statue figure who returns every year for the games - before burning the figurine in the piazza outside the town’s “palazzo”. Afterwards, the mess hall and benches are made available for the post-victory dinner. For more information, see the Carpegna site.

{PLUGIN_TWITTER_SHARE} 0 comments

The famous Chocolate Festival which takes place in San Benedetto, near Ascoli Piceno, has now reached its fourth year. As you can well imagine, we are not talking about one of those ordinary chocolate festivals which have recently sprung up like mushrooms all around the world, but about a chocolate festival which aims to shed a new light on this nourishing product by putting a special focus on its different aspects and characteristics. The Festival - which can also bee seen as a moment of social aggregation and a new and fascinating way to explore the beautiful Marche region - will take place from 27 - 28 March 2010; the program includes shows, tastings, workshops, exhibition markets and topical debates; for further information please lick here.

{PLUGIN_TWITTER_SHARE} 0 comments

Dustin Hoffman speaks Italian in this video where he tries his hand at reciting a poem by famous Italian poet, Giacomo Leopardi. The poem in question is described as Leopardi’s greatest work. Called “L’infinito”, it is about eternity and from the native Marche poet, works well as a tribute to the region.

The video above is a commercial to promote tourism in Italy’s beautiful Marche region, but it has been met with criticism from Italy’s intellectual elite due to Hoffman’s difficulties with the language. I actually think it works quite well, but perhaps not for an Italian public.

Imagine this in America and you’d have more than one Italo-American all of a sudden discovering their Italian roots and rushing back to the Marche. The region is Italy’s unsung beauty, and this commercial won’t do it any favours in keeping it a secret for the rest of us. I still give kudos to Hoffman for the effort, and think that of all American actors doing a publicity stunt, he is one of the few who would genuinely understand and appreciate the literary work at hand. See the poem in Italian after the jump, along with an English translation of “L’infinito”.

Continue reading: Dustin Hoffman "butchers" the Italian language: L'Infinito English translation

{PLUGIN_TWITTER_SHARE} 0 comments

The Italian tradition of “La Befana” or the witch who appears at Epiphany is one close to Italian hearts. It marks the end of the Christmas season and New Year festivities, and despite the commercial figure of Santa Claus bearing no resemblance to any particular Italian practice, La Befana is truly a native celebration. The end of the 12 days of Christmas on January 6th is distinguished by displays of village get togethers and the taking down of decorations.

If you’re looking for the essence of La Befana while spending your Epiphany in Italy, you should try going to a town near Urbino. In the region of the Marche, legend has it that the town of Urbania hosts one of the houses of La Befana, and the locals take the thing seriously. The medieval town hosts events in honour of the witch said to bring coal or sugary treats to children.

If you’re closer to northern Italy, try the province of Treviso for bonfires whose sparks are said to tell the future of the year just begun. Milan celebrates the tradition of the Three Wise Men, and a parade include the figures of the three kings, passes from the square in front of the Duomo, to the Sant’Eustorgio Basilica in the Navigli area of the city.

Photo | Flickr

{PLUGIN_TWITTER_SHARE} 0 comments

With this new festival dedicated to healthy, GMO free food and organized by the Institute of Natural Medicine, the city of Urbino steps into the spotlight once again. From 3 to 4 October, people will have the opportunity to take part in several important meetings in which experts will debate not only on the importance of healthy food but will also provide more than 60 ways to get a deeper insight into the subject, talking at length about nature therapy, shiatzu massages and a healthy and natural alimentation. According to the organizers, the festival aims to shed a stronger light on the dangers of genetically modified crops and thus to show the way that the Italian agriculture must follow to solve the current crisis.

{PLUGIN_TWITTER_SHARE} 0 comments

The old hamlet of Caldarola in the Marche region is hosting an amazing exhibition called Le stanze del Cardinale or The Cardinal’s room and dedicated to Cardinal Pallotta’s love for art. But the big news is that four other major paintings from the 17th century have just been added to the works already on display at the palazzo Pallotta. Here’s the complete list: a beautiful fresco by Guercino depicting Damon and Pythias (originally painted for the famous Palazzo Rospigliosi in Rome), a really amazing painting by Caravaggio which shows Saint Francis in meditation (usually on display in the city of Cremona) and last but not least two works by Simone Cantarini, also known as The Pesarese, and on loan from the Pinacoteca of Bologna. The exhibition has been organised by Vittorio Sgarbi

{PLUGIN_TWITTER_SHARE} 0 comments