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Italian News and Updates
We aim to bring you stories of what’s new on the Italian scene. These range from serious news stories that will help enrich your experience of Italian culture - to practical tips on new museum openings or major improvements in public transport. Bring them on.
But we also reserve the right to take the Italians less seriously than they take themselves. Forget their obsession with la bella figura, and the art of looking good. Why is it always Italian men who preen themselves in the mirror on beaches? Some of our stories tease the Italians for, well, being so Italian. Treat this as your hotline to the Italian psyche.
CELEBRITY SPOTTING:
FORTE DEI MARMI, TUSCANY
Forte dei Marmi, one of Italy’s most exclusive and best-loved seaside resorts, still preserves its elegant old-world charm. Two Liberty-style villas belonging to an aristocratic family have been converted into a luxury hotel, the Hotel Byron. James Bond star Daniel Craig, Naomi Campbell and footballers De Rossi and Zambrotta have all enjoyed its garden, pool and gourmet restaurant ‘La Magnolia’, as the fashionable society of Forte dei Marmi swarmed past, beyond the gates.
Hotel Byron, Viale Morin 46, 55049 Forte dei Marmi, tel. 0584/787052, www.hotelbyron.net
ROME (LAZIO)
The Parco dei Principi Grand Hotel & Spa, standing amid the greenery and quiet privacy of Villa Borghese, was the place chosen by the Beatles for their historic visit in 1965 – the only visit the Fab Four made to Rome. The suites, with a view over the park and St. Peter’s, have accommodated, among many others, Kenneth Branagh, Charlotte Rampling, and, from the world of sport, Marcello Lippi.
Grand Hotel & Spa Parco dei Principi, Via G. Frescobaldi 5 (Villa Borghese), 00198 Rome, Tel. 06/854421, www.parcodeiprincipi.com
Some of the greatest opera composers and singers have stayed at the historic Hotel Quirinale since it was first built in 1875, next to the Teatro dell’Opera which was built at the same time. In fact the hotel is directly linked to the theatre stalls by a secret corridor (which few people know about), which the great Maria Callas used to walk out of the theatre on that famous occasion in 1958. The hotel’s Rossini restaurant has glass windows overlooking a quiet, secluded interior garden with an abundance of plants and flowers, where diners can sit in fine weather. The hotel remains a favourite with stars of the opera and ballet such as soprano Fiorenza Cedolins and conductor Riccardo Muti.
Hotel Quirinale, Via Nazionale 7. 00184 Rome, Tel. 06/4707, www.hotelquirinale.it
AMALFI, (CAMPANIA)
Last summer there was a genuine procession of international stars at the luxurious Hotel Santa Caterina, overlooking the lush green coast just a short distance from Amalfi: Eva Mendes with her fiancé Tim Roth, Naomi Watts with her husband Isaac Liev Schreiber, Cristina Ricci, Ashley Olsen with her partner Justin Bartha, and well-known Italian actor Sergio Castellitto all succumbed to the charms of the Santa Caterina. And it was here that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt fell in love.
Hotel Santa Caterina, S.S. Amalfitana 9, 84011 Amalfi (Salerno), Tel. 089 87 10 12
www.hotelsantacaterina.it
SARDINIA
Celebrities have an infallible instinct. The Villa Las Tronas, situated in a spectacular position on the sea front, a short distance from the old town centre of Alghero, has recently opened a luxurious Spa. Gianna Nannini, Madonna, and Stella McCarthy have all been discovering the charms of this waterside retreat.
Villa Las Tronas, Lungomare Valencia1, 07041 Alghero (Sassari) Tel. 079-981818, www.johansens.com/lastrona
STAR STRUCK IN SICILY
In Western Sicily, (at Mazara del Vallo, in the province of Trápani), the Kempinski Hotel Giardino di Costanza stands among rows of vines and olive groves, with its outstanding Nakhlah longevity, lifestyle and beauty Spa. Every treatment at the Beauty Spa is personalised. The mixtures used are based on natural products from the area – sea salt from Marsala, olive oil, volcanic clay from Etna and Sicilian citrus fruits. Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke from The Bold and the Beautiful), Giorgio Armani, Antonello Venditti, Franco Battiato , Luisa Corna and Claudio Baglioni have all stayed here.
Kempinski Hotel Giardino di Costanza, Via Salemi km7, 100, 91026 Mazara del Vallo (Trapani), Tel. 0923 675000, www.kempinski-sicily.com
The Sicilian Baroque architecture in the Val di Noto has attracted many celebrity visitors, who love staying at the elegant Poggio del Sole Resort in Marina di Ragusa, created from a lovingly restored 19th century country residence. Guests in the exclusive suites with private terrace have included Susan Sarandon, Edwige Fenech, Giorgio Panariello, Gabriel Garko, and Leonardo Pieraccioni.
Poggio del Sole Resort, S.P. Ragusa/Marina di Ragusa Km 57, 97100 Ragusa, Tel. 0932/666452, www.poggiodelsoleresort.it
Tom Cruise chose to celebrate his birthday at the Grand Hotel San Pietro in Taormina: a peaceful corner in a wonderful location with a fantastic view over the bay. Breakfast with Sicilian granità on the exclusive terrace overlooking the sea has also provided unforgettable memories for Bob Dylan, Elton John, Carmen Consoli, Caetano Veloso and Liza Minnelli.
Grand Hotel San Pietro, Via Pirandello, 50, 98039 Taormina (Messina), Tel. 0942/620711, www.grandhotelsanpietro.net
Holiday like a Pope in the Valle d’Aosta
Even the Pope sometimes needs a break from reality. Italian Popes love holidaying in the mountains: it must be that closeness to God. Yet while Pope John II chose to meditate in the Trentino Dolomites, the current Pope prefers praying in the Valle d’Aosta. In Gressoney, east of Aosta, they speak an ancient German dialect so that might be part of the attraction to the German-speaking Pontiff. But the appeal of Aosta probably lies more in its air of purity. The spirituality of the mountains is apparent to even the least godly.
Naturally the Pope chooses the Parco del Paradiso, a genuine pocket of paradise. South of Aosta and Courmayeur, the lovely Valle di Rhemes separates Italy from the Haute Savoie in France. This part of the Gran Paradiso national park is dotted with waterfalls and carpeted with flowers between April and August. Beyond are hamlets bedecked with geraniums. For the religious, there is a museum dedicated to Pope John II. For the rest, there is rafting, hiking and horse-riding. Trust the Pope to find heaven on earth.
Venice – Going to the Birds?
A bird-seed 'pusher' was recently caught red-handed by police in St Mark's Square where he was 'dealing' the illegal substance to tourists. This was in blatant violation of city laws: it has been illegal to feed pigeons in Venice since April 2008.
Police reported that the 35-year-old Sicilian had `several kilos’ of bird-seed stashed in a backpack. He had been offering it to tourists in exchange for a 'donation', so they could have their pictures taken while feeding the pigeons.
The man was forced to pay a fine while seven tourists received written warnings. ''It's not like I'm dealing drugs, I'm just trying to make a living,'' the man told police. ''People keep feeding the pigeons despite the fact that we have signs posted in four languages explaining that it is illegal. We only fine tourists if they continue to feed them after being warned,'' police said.
Venice has declared war on pigeons which are viewed as a pest and public menace, eroding monuments with their excrement. The Venetians were persuaded to get rid of the birds after a study found that the pigeons cost each resident almost 300 euros a year in cleaning costs alone.
The drive against pigeons is part of an overall campaign to clean up Venice and enforce `decorum and decency’. There has been a crack down on tourists snacking or going bare-chested in historic squares and action taken against news-stands which have become full-blown souvenir shops, more focused on selling Carnival masks and model gondolas than newspapers and magazines.
Italy’s First Dog Wedding –in Liguria
Italy’s first `dog wedding’ was attended by a hundred doggie guests –and the wedding feast was a pile of juicy bones. The bizarre affair celebrated the coming together of art critic Viviana Siviero and flower-producer Davide Michelini. The couple are not just dog-lovers but rescuers of abandoned dogs. The bridesmaids were Cassiopea, a garlanded greyhound whose mother was murdered,and Circe, another stray pup. Other guests (accompanied by their two-footed friends) included garlanded golden retrievers, fox terriers and poodles. Many of the human guests were members of the Greyhound Adopt Center Italy, which saves abandoned Italian racing dogs. In scenes reminiscent of St Francis of Assisi, the dogs slept quietly around the altar during the service. The wedding feast included a `doggy bar’ and `doggy buffet’. The late summer wedding was held at Borgio Verezzi in Liguria’s Savona hills.
Sicily Reinvents itself
A spate of Sicilian museum openings and restoration projects has made the island even more appealing than ever. The G8 for the Environment was held in Siracusa in 2008 and acted as a spur to spruce up the city. In Ortygia, the moody peninsula lined with Baroque palaces, Castello Maniace was opened to the public. Museo Bellomo, Siracusa’s best art gallery, is being restored and should re-open soon. In Palermo, the fabulous mosaics in the Cappella Palatina have been restored, as has Casina alla Cinese, an 18th-century oriental folly (www.casinacinesepalermo.it). The Palazzo Riso Contemporary Art Gallery has also just opened in the capital. In Catania, in the east, several palaces have been restored and opened to the public, including Palazzo Valle centre for contemporary and modern art. In Trapani, in the west, a lovely waterside promenade has just been revamped. In Sciacca, in the south, the opening of Rocco Forte’s Verdura Golf & Spa Resort has boosted golf and spa breaks in an area that lacked luxury hotels. In short, Sicily is no longer resting on its laurels.
Beware of Buying Fakes
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Tourists face fines over fake gear |
Buying that fake Louis Vuitton bag from a Florentine street pedlar could now cost you far more than the genuine designer item. The Italian authorities are cracking down on both the peddlers and buyers of counterfeit goods.
Copyright solicitor Nicholas Phillips warns against bringing back fake designer sunglasses, sports gear, handbags and watches. If you walk through UK customs with a counterfeit Louis Vuitton bag, expect the worst: `Customs officers will tap you on the shoulder and take it away. They will also potentially fine you twice the value of the original bag, not the fake.’ The fine could run to several thousand euros." The European Commission has raised fears about the growing involvement of crime syndicates in the market for fake goods. A spokesperson said recently: "Without doubt, one of the principal methods of dispersing counterfeits is the 'ant-like' traffic of tourists returning home from holiday, bringing back souvenirs."