2010 is the year of Caravaggio in Italy, as the 400th anniversary of the famous Italian painter’s death is celebrated. The Caravaggio exhibition in Rome was a huge success and this time the Caravaggio fever is moving to Milan, virtually speaking.

Until February 13th 2011 it will be possible to visit a virtual exhibition in Milan of Caravaggio’s work at the Palazzo della Ragione. 65 works are on display and via an interactive show, it’s possible to see them despite pieces of Caravaggio’s art scattered around the world in 25 different cities.

Obviously it’s not the same as seeing the “real thing” but in a year when Caravaggio’s work is being celebrated not only for the annivesary, but also its relevance to an Italy struggling through a shadowy modern era, it’s still a good way of enjoying the experience.

The Palazzo della Ragione is in Piazza Mercanti 1, and the exhibition is open from 2:30 to 7:30 pm Mondays, 9:30am to 7:30pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Thursday and Saturday is late opening hours from 9:30 in the morning to 10:30 in the evening. Tickets cost nine euros.

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Visiting Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper in Milan can be quite an enterprise. You have to phone, book, hope the person on the other end speaks English, make sure you book early, plan ahead and don’t just rush over on the day you arrive in Milan expecting to get in. On the Last Supper ticket site, the first date currently available for a visit to the famous Da Vinci fresco is November 3rd.

Which is why, if you’ve come all that way, and can’t get in, but still want a feel for what the experience of seeing the legendary artwork might have been, you can visit the replica. There is a copy of Da Vinci’s masterpiece in the San Lorenzo basilica in Milan.

This is one of the tips included in the book “101 things do in Milan once in your life”. The visit is free and there’s no queue, but if you want to make sure it’s authentic, see the gallery below. The book on Milan is part of the series which includes where to fall in love in Rome, and 101 things to do in Rome before you die.

Continue reading: Can't visit the Da Vinci last supper in Milan? Visit the Last Supper copy!

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A Milo Manara exhibition is being held in Brindisi this summer, dedicated to the artist famous for his erotic themes. The event is called CineMara and takes place at Palazzo Granafei until September 23rd.

The exhibition examines Milo Manara’s life and work, looking at influences such as the cinema of Federico Fellini and figures he has depicted including Mastroianni and Valentino Rossi. 75 designs and art pieces are on display.

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This new and rather unusual exhibition called The Mind of Leonardo - the Universal Genius at Work and devoted to one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance sheds a new, stronger light on Leonardo’s superb mind. The exhibition now at the Museo Nazionale in via del Plebiscito in Rome will give you the rare opportunity to see works and projects long thought lost. Through a series of video films, digital technologies and amazing machines (based on the original drawings of Leonardo da Vinci) visitors can get a closer look at his ground-breaking inventions, including war and flying machines. According to our sources, The Mind of Leonardo exhibition was the world’s most visited art exhibition in 2007 with more than 900,000 visitors; these astonishing inventions will be on display in Rome until 30 August, so don’t miss it! The exhibition has already been to Florence, Japan, California and Hungary.

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“ I Pooh” is one of the most glorious and loved pop bands here in Italy. Formed in Bologna in 1966, the famous band has over the years sold millions of records throughout the world. Also known as the Italian Beatles (the nickname was coined by Franco Sabatini in a famous book dedicated to their astonishing career), the band has dominated the Italian music scene for more than 40 years. But the big (and sad) news is that Stefano d’Orazio, the drummer, has now decided to retire and give up the band for good. The announcement was made only a day before the band officially launched their new summer tour and album. So Mr D’Orazio will embark on a farewell tour and then retire from the business! After the jump, you can enjoy a video from Pooh’s most successful years.

Continue reading: Pooh's drummer Stefano D'Orazio leaves band

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For 2009 it will be possible to admire the works of Amedeo Modigliani, exhibited in your very own hotel in Rome. After the initiative from the Guggenheim Museum in New York, which offers the possibility of accommodation in the museum, more than 2,500 rooms of Rome’s best hotels will host a Modigliani exhibition.

The project is the fruit of collaboration between the Modigliani Institut Archives Legales Paris-Rome and the Federalberghi Roma to re-launch cultural tourism in Italy and educate the Italian and international public on the Casa Modigliani association.

The association is a cultural initiative from private funding that aims to create a permanent space for the exhibition of works from the Archivi Modigliani.

The agreement is part of the Anno Modigliani 2009, or Modigliani year 2009, and involves the displaying of Modigliani work in the halls of more than 30 four and five star hotels in Rome. Other works on display include documents, letters and photographs.

Source | TTG

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After almost two years of painstaking restoration work and € 200,000 spent along the way, Donatello’s David, one of the greatest masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance is back on display at the museum of Bargello in Florence.

This time, visitors will also have the opportunity to compare the original with a copy which has been collocated on a nearby column. After all that’s what Lorenzo, the Magnificent used to see whenever he crossed the courtyard of his palazzo.

Photo | Repubblica.it.

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Known as Correggio, Antonio Allegri’s works will be on show until January 25 at the Galleria Nazionale in Pilotta in Parma. The Mostra Correggio opened in September and shows the incredible studies of light and dark from Correggio, whose style was being developed and appreciated after the impact of Leonardo and Raffaello on the art world.

The exhibition includes viewing Correggio’s fresco work, which can be examined up close by climbing to the top of the dome by way of scaffolding set up for the event. This “painter of light” can be a way of discovering a different Italy - its rich history and culture outside of the big centres of Rome, Florence and Venice.

Tickets for the exhibition at Palazzo della Pilotta cost ten euros, while climbing to the dome to view the frescoes costs five euros. Guided visits are available. For more information go to the official Correggio exhibition site.

Photo | Flickr

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Girolamo dai Libri was a talented painter and miniaturist who lived in Verona in the 16th century; deeply admired by Giorgio Vasari Girolamo started to paint at an early age, soon obtaining several important commissions. The Deposition from the Cross for the Church of Santa Maria in Organo was his first major work; a work that brought him great fame, though here in Italy ( but fortunately not abroad) his career as a painter was often overshadowed by his fame as a miniaturist.

Now after many centuries Verona will make amends for it by putting on an exhibition devoted to his works; many of his most famous paintings (including Madonna dei Conigli and Battesino degli Ibis) and miniatures will be on display at the museum of Castelvecchio until 15th April 2009. Check it out!

Per Girolamo Dai Libri - Museo di Castelvecchio - Verona

Continue reading: Girolamo Dai Libri's miniatures and paintings on exhibition in Verona

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In order to celebrate the 100th birthday of Giacomo Manzù, the great Italian sculptor , Clusone’s Arte Tempo museum has organised an art exhibition devoted to this famous artist. The exhibition that will close on 8th February features only the works Manzù created in Clusone from 1942 to 1945 and those undoubtedly were very difficult times for the young artist who was working on a group of bronze statues depicting women and children.

Anyway these are just the first steps towards a better grasp of his art and huge talent. In fact a greater exhibition will take place at GAMEC in Bergamo from 1st October onwards. We’ll keep you posted!

Giacomo Manzù. Gli anni di Clusone or the Clusone years - Mat - Clusone

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Orta San Giulio, a small village near Novara will be the backdrop of Arnaldo Pomodoro’s sculptures throughout the summer; if you want to see and enjoy the works of this important Italian artist all you have to do is take a stroll through its streets where his sculptures will be on display until 9th November. As many of you know Arnaldo Pomodoro is one of the most loved and revered contemporary artists in the world: he has just received two prestigious awards, one from the International Sculpture Centre of San Francisco and the other from an important art museum in Tel Aviv.

The sculptures on show at Orta San Giulio are a representative selection of his best work; visitors will also have the opportunity to see the famous sculptures inspired by George Lucas ‘s Star Wars. The event has been organised by Opera prima, a cultural group that aims to make art accessible to people.

info.operaprima@gmail.com e clp.

Arnaldo Pomodoro - Orta San Giulio - Novara

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“La Belle Epoque”: was a comfortable and happy period in European history that lasted roughly 40 years; years characterised by technological advancement, unshakable faith in the progress of humanity and beautiful and sophisticated women. The arts inevitably began to mirror this rather fashionable society; a real heaven on earth entirely devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and that no one could apparently assail and destroy.

Many Italian artists such as Boldini, Zandomeneghi, De Nittis, Panerai and Banti moving constantly between France and Italy poured the allure of Paris and its glittering society into their works, others like Casorati, Boccioni, Bonzagni, Bocchi and Cavaglieri immortalised those glorious days in a series of masterpieces.

Continue reading: Italian art exhibitions: La Belle Epoque & its Artists on display in Rovigo

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