Coppedé

The "Mediaeval" chandelier hanging under
the arch looking towards Piazza Mincio

When you are in Rome and soaking up some of its two thousand and more years of history it would be easy to arrive at the Baroque period and then heave an exhausted, “basta!.” Let's face it, sightseeing is hard work. However one of Rome’s most eccentric and quirkiest little corners is still not yet 100 years old but well worth a visit, especially if you find yourself along Viale Regina Margherita, not far from the zoo and the Borghese Gallery.

Palazzi degli Ambasciatori and arch.

Building started on the quartiere Coppedé when The First World War was drawing to a close and was finished in about 1927. Rome had been going through a housing boom. It was only forty years since it had become the capital of the new state of Italy and in thirty years (from 1870 to 1900) the population increased from 200,000 to one million.

This particular zone had been nominated “the most salubrious in Rome,” by all the fashionable magazines of the time. A co-operative society, “Edilizia Moderna,” set up by the Cerutti family; influential Genoese financiers who had bought 30,000 square metres in the area commisioned Gino Coppedé to be the architect to design the 18 palazzi and 27 villas destined for a medium middle class market.

Gino Coppedé had previously built a neo-mediaeval castle in Genoa for a Scottish Lloyds underwriter and Dante expert, Evan MacKenzie, that could have come straight out of Disneyland. He was also in demand as an interior designer of luxury yachts and ships. The Ceruttis gave Gino Coppedé carte blanche in drawing up the plans for the development. Perhaps, with such a large area at his disposition, Gino intended to make this project his swansong, the sum of all his experiences and influcences; a kind of catalogue of his life’s work. Or a visual encyclopedia of architecture.

Corner tower of the Palazzi degli Ambasciatori

The best and usual way to enter the quartiere is through a triumphal archway (a tribute to imperial Rome perhaps) adjoining two palazzi, supported by two Michelangeloesque statues, and under which hangs a hefty wrought iron mock-mediaeval lamp. The feeling is rather like having stepped through the looking glass. All of the buildings have been liberally decorated and adorned with grotesque figures, conucopia, lions, dragons, and a zoo full of animals including spiders and dozens of bees, possibly as a reference to the ancient and influencial Roman Barbarini family. There is a definite sense of having entered a secret place, and the noise of the city seems muffled on the other side of that looking glass. Go into Piazza Mincio where the frog fountain is gently gurgling. Dario Argento used the square for some of the scenes in his film “Inferno” and it is also a favourite location for shooting television commercials.

The Porch at N° 2 Piazza Mincio

The first building to be completed (on the left as you enter through the arch) soon aquired the name of the Ambassadors’ Palaces, (Palazzi degli Ambasciatori) after two ambassadors bought up apartments and moved in. The use of reinforced concrete, a relatively new material, meant that significant savings could be made, and these went towards ensuring that the apartments were the last word in modernity. All the apartments had electric interphones and underground garages were linked by lift to all floors. (During the Second World War these garages were used as air raid shelters by the people in the surrounding area.) The bathrooms were equipped with everything that was thought necessary for the modern family’s hygienic needs whilst the kitchens were fitted with gas and coal burning ovens and cookers, copper boilers, marble sinks with every minutest detail finished to the highest quality. With the arrival of the ambassadors the Ceruttis raised their sights in attracting buyers from the highest levels of society, and for high ranking civil servants, diplomatic staff and others high up in government owning an apartment in the quarter became essential if you wanted to impress.

The Fountain of the Frogs

Piazza Mincio forms the nucleus and holds the most interesting buildings belonging to quartiere Coopedé. The “Fontana delle Rane” (Fountain of the Frogs) in the centre of the square is Coppedé’s tribute to the fountains of Rome and in particular Bernini’s “Turtle Fountain” in Piazza Mattei. The building at No 2 Piazza Mincio is characterised by medieaval loggias and balconies, with monstrous faces looking down onto the square; probably the last to be completed by Gino himself, who died in 1927. Its most beautiful feature however is the entrance, an arched porch decorated in monochromatic blue and white mosaic, apparently inspired by the 1913 film, Calibria.

The blue and white mosaic in the porch at N° 2.

The Spider weaving its web above the door.

Opposite stands the Palazzo del Ragno (Spider Palace) named after the mosaic of a giant spider above the door.

Palazzo del Ragno

Palazzo del Ragno

Villa delle Fate and the Palazzo del Ragno

The prize for the most ambitious and striking of all the villas and palazzi however goes without doubt to the so called Villa of the Fairies (Villa delle Fate.) A sort of Renaisance Swiss chalet which is in fact three seperate houses in one single unit. It boasts covered turrets, roofed external stairways, overhanging eaves, loggias with romanesque pillars and arches and is extensively covered in frescoes, depicting scenes of Renaisance Florence, medeaeval ships, Romulus and Remus and the she wolf. The whole is surrounded by an elaborate wrought iron fence bearing sea horse motifs. Once home to a famous opera tenor, Beniamino Gigli, it it has recently been magnificently restored by the present owners. On the inside too the walls are frescoed as is even the canopy over the fireplace in the (at the time extremely modern) kitchen.

Villa delle Fate

Villa delle Fate

Gino Coppedé’s style might be baffling to pin down. Is it Liberty? The later Italian version of Art Nouveau. No. Gino had no interest in following other trends. He was a non intellectual, not caught up in the architectural movements of the time, though he was one of a number of “eclectic style” architects at work in Italy at the end of the 19th century. He would though have been been aware of a number of current styles listed by Italian architectural magazines such as the neo-medieaval and neo-renaisance styles (think of British mock Tudor and Gothic styles of the same period.) Neo-hellenistic and neo-baroque, and these he seems to have mixed all together with influences from his native Florence. All in all he knew what he liked, and ascribed to the idea that an architect must be a dreamer of fantasies. A photo of him shows a dandyfied gent, straight out of a Manet painting, wearing a peaked yachting cap and a George V beard with pointed waxed moustaches. His naive and even provincial preferences which excluded him from jumping on the bandwagon of Liberty or in the exact opposite direction of Modernism has had its reward. He remains the only Italian architect to have his name given to a style, stile Coppedé.

Villa delle Fate

Piazza Mincio

Getting there; Metro line B, get off at station Policlinico and catch trams no 3 or no 19 in direction P.zza Thorvaldsen or P.zza Risorgimento. Get off at Piazza Buenos Aires. By bus from Termini Station. Buses nos 86 and 92, via Via Veneto to Piazza Buenos Aires. Bus no 53 from Piazza San Silvestro to Via Salaria. Passes the Borghese Gallery on Via Pinciano.



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Sublime National Gallery London

Sublime National Gallery London

Venice Gondoliers face 173 years in jail For Naval Blockade

72 gondoliers who blocked Venice's Grand Canal in a series of protests between 2003 and 2005 are facing a total of 173 years in jail.

Prosecutors on Friday accused the gondoliers, who were demonstrating against a restriction in working hours, of mounting a ''naval blockade."

Defence lawyers said this charge was not applicable because the protests took place on an inland waterway.

They also noted that the gondoliers let water buses through.

Gondoliers blocked Venice's most famous canal and left gondolas outside the city mayor's office in protest at rules aimed at solving the problem of the violent waves produced by boats going too fast.

In 2002, then Venice mayor Paolo Costa was tasked with resolving the so-called 'moto ondoso' which swept fragile buildings and monuments. Costa issued an ordinance to keep delivery vessels and gondolas from being on the Grand Canal at the same time.

Gondoliers, famlous for the black outfits with red scarf standing on the end of the elegant boats stick in water argued the move was an unfair limitation of their trade.

Delivery firms, shops and businesses were also unhappy with the new rules and joined with the gondoliers in their protest.

Gondoliers also argued the orders would not work unless there were enough traffic police to make sure boats stuck to the rules.

The rules were later eased as city hall cracked down on the speeding boats.

For more on Venice and Italy visit WebVisionItaly's Venice travel channel.

Andrea Bocelli To Get Star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame

Andrea Bocelli is to get a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The pop-classical tenor will make his mark on the famed sidewalk next March along with Ringo Starr, Bryan Adams, Van Morrison, Russell Crowe, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth and James Cameron, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has announced.

Bocelli's star will be unveiled on March 2 during the seventh edition of the 'Los Angeles-Italia' Film Festival, a week before the Oscars. Bocelli, 50, has sold 65 million albums worldwide and has performed at some of the world's top music venues with the likes of Sarah Brightman, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera and Laura Pausini. He won a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination with Dion in 1999 for the song The Prayer from the film Quest for Camelot, and has two Grammy nominations to his credit. Bocelli's last performance was at last month's Champions League Final in Rome where he sang Honour Him from the film Gladiator.

For more about Italy and the arts visit WebVisionItaly's Italian Arts Channel.

Photo:

WebVisionItaly.com founder Ronald W. Del Sesto presents Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli with a proclamation from city of Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

A‘ Chiena. A Festival and a Water Fight.

The first trickle of water makes its way into town at about
2.30 pm.

When the river Tenza breaks its banks the citizens of the town of Campagna (in the province of Salerno, 70 miles south of Naples) have already shored up their houses with planks and sandbags, because it does so with surprising regularity; every Saturday and Sunday from the middle of July and into August at half past two in the afternoon. And its been doing so for the last twenty years.

On his way for a unscheduled dunking.


And then fished out again

The “Chiena” (meaning “full” as in “full to overflowing”) as it's called, is a revival of an antique method of cleaning the streets; when mule trains, passing through the town in the summer months carrying iron ore, clay and wood from the lofty forested Pincentini mountains would have left their mark on the cobble stones. And in the summer months their passing would have left a noticable puzza in the stifling air too.
Mule dung is no longer a big problem for the town council, so nowadays the Chiena is a good excuse for a party.

Watching the waters go by.

Above the waterfall just outside of the town a miniature canal was built in the mid nineteenth century to redirect some of the river water. Half goes through the town’s drainage system and the other half back into the river. The opening taking the water back to the river is blocked and the pressure of water gushes up through a grating and tumbles down past the post office into the piazza and on through the town.

Check to see the going's good.
The River Tenza running through
the town of Campagna

At midday a test run in which a small amount of water is diverted through the streets beguiles the numerous tourists with its relaxed mood. Locals set up tables and stalls along the route from which free drinks and snacks are offered, and families quietly stroll through the icy water. Enjoying the unusual and pleasant experience of paddling barefoot over cobblestoned streets.
It’s in the afternoon that the fun starts. The whole town is out to watch the spectacle, and the town’s young male population are all dressed in trainers and swimming costumes, the girls cover up slightly more, but not much. They know they aren’t going to stay dry for very long and want to make sure they will look enticing enough to the boys when wet through, without being too revealing.



Even since its original and functional application it has been an occasion to drench each other, and anyone else.

A disco rings the changes but the bucketsful are flying in every direction as in times past; although a plastic bag full of water makes as good a container as any. And as the waters rise so does the tempo, and inevitably the girls are singled out by the lads who carry them kicking, screaming, laughing and resigned to a soaking; either where the water piles up as it turns a sharp street corner, or no messing and straight in the fountain in the piazza.
Tourists and the older inhabitants look on from the margins, and if you decide to paddle your way to another vantage point a sort of truce is observed to keep at least your top half dry. But it’s sometimes difficult to avoid being in the line of fire. And who really minds too much anyway?


Though carrying a camera around can give you some worrying moments and it can be a good idea to have something to cover it with to keep any stray water off.
The last a’ Chiena of the summer takes place at midnight on either Ferragosta, August 15th, or on the following day.

Although a small town of only 15,000 inhabitants Campagna manages to organise a variety of events throughout the summer to accompany the Chiena. In July of last year the Band of the Royal Marines were among the attractions.

Campagna, August 2004. Updated June 2009.

Get there by car. A3 southbound from Naples and take the exit for Campagna. Follow the signposts for Campagna on the SP38.




Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

Italy Arts: Art Show Looks at Rose's Allure

A new show celebrating the allure, beauty and symbolic power of roses in Western art over the last five centuries opens June 27 in the Piedmont town of Caraglio. The art show titled "Rose. Purezza e passione nell'arte dal Quattrocento a oggi" - "Roses. Purity and passion in art from the 1400s to today" runs until October 25. The exhibition, which goes on show in the Filatoio Rosso, explores rose iconography from the 1400s onwards through a range of art.

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Over 100 works of sculpture, painting, pottery, jewellery, tapestry and embroidery chart the flower's enduring appeal. The exhibition is divided into seven sections, each of which considers the rose in a series of contexts, looking at how its symbolism and significance has changed over the centuries.

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The ''mystic rose'' in Medieval art is the starting point of the show, at a time in Christian tradition when red symbolized blood and recalled the crucifixion. The show also looks at the Christian idea that thorns only appeared on roses as a result of original sin, resulting in ''the rose without thorns'' as a metaphor for the Virgin Mary.

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The next section focuses on portraits, considering the rose as a decorative element and a symbol for femininity. The portraits of women incorporating roses frequently teeter between beauty and vanity, while those of men highlight the flower's association with romantic love through gallant, knightly poses.

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Allegory is spotlighted in the third section, which features images referring to spring and the Roman goddess of the seasons, Flora, where the rose is used to symbolize the transience of beauty and life itself.

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The next part of the exhibition showcases an array of still lifes, in which roses play a prominent role.The focus here is on works from the 1800s and early 1900s, when nature became one of the main sources of artistic inspiration producing paintings of vivid, brilliant colour.

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The nature theme continues into the fifth section, which contains a series of paintings of gardens, including rose orchards, family portraits against lush, flowered backdrops and winter gardens. The decorative arts also saw a growth in floral motifs during the early 1800s, as the rose became ever more closely associated with romantic love.

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Entitled 'Symbolism and geometry', the sixth part of the show looks at changing, non-conventional depictions of the rose during the 1920s, with a particular emphasis on Art Nouveau. The patterns and asymmetrical lines of this period are explored in jewellery, bindings, pottery and silverware.

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Ancient, modern and contemporary interpretations of the rose in applied and industrial arts are the focus of the final section, which presents publications, botanic tables and jewellery.

For more on Italy travel to the region of Piedmont visit WebVisionItaly's Piedmont Channel. For mroe about the arts in Italy visit WebVisionItaly's Arts Channel.

Best Clubs in Prague: The Party Destination for European Backpackers

The city of Prague has become an increasingly popular European backpacking destination over the last decade or so. Its reputation as a party city is well deserved, with its nightlife second to none in Eastern/Central Europe and its numerous and ample hostels offer an easy way for backpackers to crash after a heavy session at very reasonable prices. Check out your options online then you can pre-book to ensure you have somewhere to sleep upon arrival – although with clubs like this you may not get much sleep!

Drinking out in Prague’s bars and clubs, while significantly more expensive than in previous years remains extremely good value (compared to the UK anyway) with bars away from the city centre being particularly cheap at around £1 per pint. However, the more popular and touristy location of Wenceslas Square has more upmarket bars and restaurants that while are generally fantastic places to visit can be a little more pricy. Don’t let this put you off however as this is very much party central for any backpacker. This area of town also features the famous centrepiece statue of St. Wenceslas: Duke of Bohemia in all his glory.

Another extremely popular nightspot for European and American backpackers is the famous 5 story club in Prague: The Karlovy Lazne - which is located extremely close to the town’s well known Charles Bridge. The club as you can imagine is very big (indeed, to my knowledge this is the biggest club in the whole of Prague which is an achievement in itself although it also claims to be the biggest in central Europe) – and with 5 floors to choose from you are bound to find some music to suit your taste and hang out with some cool people. This club seems to be pretty popular with both tourists and locals alike and with so much choice, a very relaxed dress code, the sheer volume of people (at weekends in particular) and good value drinks on offer its understandable why. At the end of the night if you are feeling hungry why not check out a delicious hotdog on your way out! As always, if you have any travel questions about my trips in europe please email me.

U.S. - Italy World Cup Soccer Re-Match: US Plays Today Against Italy

U.S. World Cup Soccer Re-Match Today Against Italy

The only bright spot for the United States at an otherwise dismal 2006 World Cup was a 1-1 tie with Italy. The Americans exited following the first round. Italy, known as the Azzurri for their royal blue jerseys, went on to win every other match and take the title for the fourth time.

United States and Italy soccer meet again today at 2:25 p.m. (EST) in Pretoria, South Africa, in their opener at the Confederations Cup, a warm-up for next year's World Cup in South Africa.

"Italy is going to be favored," U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said. "The pressure will be on them, and we want to go out there and show that we can play with them and get a good result."

In fact, Italy has not lsot to the United States in competive soccer in any venue for 75 years.

Coming at the midpoint of the final round of World Cup qualifying, the eight-nation Confederations Cup is a challenge for the United States. After playing the Azzurri, the Americans face South American champion Brazil on Thursday and African champion Egypt on Sunday.

"This is the most important match," said Italy coach Marcello Lippi, who quit after the World Cup, then replaced Roberto Donadoni following last year's European Championship. "We've got to beat the United States because if the first game goes well, then so will the following games. Whereas if it goes badly, it will be tougher for us to recover."

Lippi's starting lineup most likely will contain nine members of the World Cup team. Among them is midfielder Daniele De Rossi, who bloodied the face of U.S. forward Brian McBride with his elbow in the lasting image of that game at Kaiserslautern in 2006. De Rossi drew a four-game ban, ruling him out for most of the World Cup. The intensely physical game ended with only 19 men on the field -- 10 for Italy, nine for the United States.

"That match was a very memorable match to be a part of," U.S. forward Landon Donovan said. "I think all the players and people in the stadium will never forget it. This will be a different game, but Italy is a team we know well. There won't be any surprises."

The U.S. will be missing four injured players who didn't make the trip: defenders Steve Cherundolo and Frankie Hejduk, midfielder Maurice Edu and forward Brian Ching. Bocanegra is nicked up and could be replaced by Jay DeMerit.

For more about Italy including news and Italy travel video visit WebVisionItaly.com.

Nude Mona Lisa on show in Vinci: 5,000 Mona Lisa Works Displayed on Da Vinci muse

Mona Lisa has inspired fine artisits and pop artists to create their own Mona Lisa. Now, along with 5,000 works inspired by the original Mona Lisa, a 16th-century painting of a nude Mona Lisa once attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci went on show for the first time this past Saturday as part of a sweeping new exhibition that opened in Tuscany in Leonardo Da Vinci's home town of Vinci, near Florence in the region of Tuscany. The 5,000 works inspired by the original Mona Lisa including paintings, sculptures, etchings and new media images spanning five centuries, all on display at the Museo Ideale in Leonardo's hometown of Vinci in Tuscany for the show, the largest ever held on the mysterious muse.

Experts have succeeded in establishing that the nude Mona Lisa once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte's uncle, Cardinal Joseph Fesch (1763-1839) - a major collector who also owned Leonardo's painting of St Jerome now in the Vatican Museums. Another nude will also go on show but investigations into its history are continuing.

Curated by Agnese Sabato and Alessandro Vezzosi under the supervision of the world's top Leonardo Da Vinci expert Carlo Pedretti, the exhibition will also reveal the latest spectacular scientific data from experts researching the original Mona Lisa housed in the Louvre in Paris.

The show is divided into two sections.

The first explores the history of the Mona Lisa, including dating problems and the identity of the smiling model, but also displays sculptures and etchings inspired by the painting from the 16th to the 20th centuries.

The second section is dedicated to so-called Leonardismo and highlights how the Mona Lisa became an icon in literature, graphic design and on the internet.

WHO IS MONA LISA?

Unlike most Renaissance portraits, Leonardo's original Mona Lisa (mona is the standard Italian contraction for madonna, or ''my lady,'') bears no date or signature, nor is the name of the sitter given. These omissions, coupled with the sitter's mysterious close-lipped smile, have helped spawn endless theories about the woman's identity. Various contemporary court beauties and noblewomen have been put forward, including Isabella d'Este and Isabella Gualanda, while some have concluded that she was Leonardo's mother. Other academics argue that the sitter was one of his favourite young lovers disguised as a woman. Such theorists note that da Vinci never relinquished the painting, keeping it with him up until his death in Amboise, France in 1519.

There is in fact no evidence that da Vinci was paid for the portrait or that it was ever delivered. The Mona Lisa's strange smile has also led to endless speculation and theories, some of the most curious provided by medical experts-cum-art lovers.

One group of medical researchers has maintained that the sitter's mouth is so firmly shut because she was undergoing mercury treatment for syphilis which turned her teeth black. An American dentist has claimed that the tight-lipped expression was typical of people who have lost their front teeth, while a Danish doctor was convinced she suffered from congenital palsy which affected the left side of her face and this is why her hands are overly large. A French surgeon has also put forth his view that she was semi-paralysed, perhaps as the result of a stroke, and that this explained why one hand looks relaxed and the other tense. An Italian doctor has pointed to an alleged puffy cheek and swollen hand to claim she was suffering from a 'fatty blood' disorder.

From "Mona Lisa to the nude Gioconda" runs at the Museo Ideale in Vinci from June 13 to September 30.

For more about the inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci and video of the Rome exhibit, The Genius of Leonardo Da Vinci, click WebVisionItaly.com Leonardo Da Vinci in Rome.

Mt. Vesuvius Needs Your Help

Naples, June 12 - Vesuvius, the volcano overlooking Naples, needs help in its bid to become one of the world's New Seven Wonders of Nature, backers say.

The peak best known for burying Pompeii in 79 AD has beaten Mt Blanc and the Matterhorn to become top Italian mountain in a current Web vote.

But is still lagging Everest and the Rockies in the mountains category on the www.new7wonders.com/nature site, the town council of Ercolano warned Friday.

''Vesuvius has come out on top as Italian bidder! But the campaign goes on to get it through the semi-finals. Vote for it,'' the Neapolitan town urged. ''Your support could be crucial, Vesuvius needs all our help,'' a message on the website said.

''A possible final spot in the seven could spell a turnaround for our beautiful land, which really needs a wave of 'restoration','' it said.

For more video of Naples, Mt. Vesuvius, and the region of Campania visit the Motorino Man on WebVisionItaly.com.

Italian Cuisine at its Best: Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Cooking Show

Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast invites you to experience Italian cuisine at its best for the June 18 installment of the Italian Cooking Show III from Mia Cucina, Coral Gables, Florida.

For those who cannot make it, WebVisionItaly.com is filming the cooking series and will make the shows available on the WebVisionItaly.com Italian Cooking channel.

June's Italian cooking show features Lazio style cooking against Trentino Alto Adige style cooking battling for the palates of the guests. Lazio is the region of Italy where Rome is located and Trentino is north of Venice in Italy's Alps.

Guests of the Italian Cooking Show are whisked away on a magical journey through Italy as they enjoy an interactive event allowing them to watch top chefs from local Miami Italian restaurants battle against each other in a culinary cook off. Featuring the regions Lazio & Trentino Alto Adige, the Italian Cooking Show promises to wow its guests with delicious recipes, and sooth their palates with succulent wines.

The Italian Cooking show is presented by Alma Food Imports, Citterio, Consorzio Tutela Grana Padano, and Subzero & Wolf, with Supporting Sponsors: Whole Foods Market Coral Gables, Academia Barilla, Man Adv USA, Inc, Mia Cucina, Norba Inc. - Mozzarita, Nestle' Water North America, Orso Italian Specialty Food, PDF Foods, Inc., Massimo Zanetti Beverages USA, Inc., Tomson Hospitality Boutique, Trend USA, Granite Transformations- Miami, WebVisionItaly.com, Ghiott Firenze, and Metropoli. Wines provided by 24SunnyWine Srl, Brugnano, and Piera Martellozzo.

This fantastic interactive experience is open to a maximum audience of 40 guests per class, running from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Guests will have an opportunity to vote for the best dish, and then a brief reception will immediately follow, allowing attendees to sample various wines, drinks, and bites from each of the participating sponsors. The reception is open to the entire community of Italian food lovers, with the idea of celebrating authentic Italian ingredients, foods, and beverages that reflect the true spirit of a real Italian Food Festival!

Event Information:
Date: Thursday, June 18, 2009 - from 6:30 to 8:00 PM
Participating Chefs/Restaurants/Recipes:

BLU Restaurant:
Chef Riccardo Tognozzi with the regional cuisine of Lazio.

Recipes:
GNOCCHI DI SEMOLINO- Home made semolina dumplings
SALTINBOCCA ALLA ROMANA- Roman style veal with prosciutto and sage sauce.
CIAMBELLE RUZZE- Ring shaped biscuits

CARDOZO Restaurant:
Chef Julian Baker with Trentino Adige Cuisine

Recipes:
SPECK CON RUCOLA E GRANA PADANO - Speck ham with arugola and grana padano

CANEDERLI TIROLESI - Bread dumplings with speck in hot broth

STRUDEL DI MELE - Apple struddle

Location:

Mia Cucina,

105 Miracle Mile
Coral Gables, FL. 33134

After the show, enjoy our traditional Italian food and wine tasting until 9:30.

Costs: Cooking Class & Festival:

$45 general admission

$30 IACC Members.

Italian Food & Wine Festival (only): $10 general admission- Free for IACC Members
Registration and payment by June 17, 2009
RSVP to tanti@iacc-miami.com

SAVE THE DATES: JULY 16 |AUGUST 20 |SEPTEMBER 17- Grand Finale

About the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast:

Founded in 1991, the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast is a non-profit U.S. corporation, officially recognized by the Italian government, which is devoted to fostering trade between Italy and the United States. The Chamber is a staunch defender of artisan craftsmanship and small and medium sized businesses - the backbone of the Italian economy.

IACC southeast actively promoteS trade between the United States and Italy in a whole host of sectors, including food & beverage, science & technology, design, and fashion. By organizing delegation visits of U.S. buyers to Italy, along with local trade and networking events designed to introduce Italian products to the U.S. market, Italy-America Chamber of Commerce southeast is the face of "Made in Italy" - a concept synonymous with quality and excellence - in the Southeastern United States.

Pizza Margherita: Naples celebrates 120 Years of Margherita Pizza

Pizza Margherita: Naples Italy celebrates 120 Years of Margherita Pizza

Naples celebrated yesterday, June 11, the great celebration of the birthday and creation of the Pizza Margherita in Naples, modeled after the colors of the Italian flag; green, white, and red.

Queen Margherita of Savoy in 1889 asked the Naples celebrity chef Raffaele Esposito Brandi for a special meal that would satisfy her and the hungry population. Chef Raffaele Esposito Brandi decided to create hot bread with some vegetables that resembled the Italian flag. The chef used three basic organic local food ingredients famous in Campania and around the Amalfi Coast; green basil, white mozzarella, and red tomato.

With the name of the queen the famous chef exported around the world the famous pizza Margherita.

Yesterday the city of Naples celebrated June 11, 2009 the 120th birthday of Brandi Pizzeria's invention of the Pizza Margherita where Raffaele Esposito Brandi cooked for Queen Margherita in 1889 pizza Margherita with a big pizza parade through the streets of Naples.

Click Italy travel for Italy tour and Italy cruise video.

When you are ready for an Italy tour visit Italian Tourism for Italy travel deals including air and hotel including the best deals on Amalfi Coast holidays, or for a Italy cruise click Rome cruise and Venice cruise Italy cruise listings.

FIAT Taking of Chrysler's Good Assets Approved

Italy's Fiat is the new owner of the bulk of Chrysler's assets, closing a deal Wednesday that saves the troubled U.S. automaker from liquidation and places a new company in the hands of Fiat's CEO.

The deal clears the way for a new, leaner Chrysler Group LLC to emerge from bankruptcy protection minus billions in debt, 789 dealerships and labor costs that nearly sank the storied automaker.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne immediately was named CEO of the new company, which said in a statement that it would soon reopen Chrysler factories that were idled during the bankruptcy process, costing the automaker $100 million per day.

The new company will focus on smaller vehicles, areas in which Chrysler was weak. "Work is already under way on developing new environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, high-quality vehicles that we intend to become Chrysler's hallmark going forward," the new company said in a statement.

The Italian automaker won't put any money into the deal but will give Chrysler billions worth of small car and engine technology. "We intend to build on Chrysler's culture of innovation and Fiat's complementary technology and expertise to expand Chrysler's product portfolio both in North America and overseas," Marchionne said in a statement.

A senior administration official said last week that Marchionne will make management changes in short order. Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli is stepping down while Vice Chairman Tom LaSorda already has retired.

On Tuesday, Chrysler won its battle to erase its secured debt after the Supreme Court declined to rule on objections to the sale to Fiat from a trio of Indiana pension and construction funds. The Indiana funds, which hold less than 1 percent of Chrysler's $6.9 billion in secured debt, claimed the sale unfairly favors Chrysler's unsecured stakeholders such as the union ahead of secured debtholders like themselves. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg decided Monday to delay the sale while studying the appeals. But on Tuesday, the court turned down the opponents' last-ditch bid by declining a hearing on the appeals. Also on Tuesday, Judge Arthur Gonzales approved Chrysler's motion to terminate 789 of its dealer franchises, or about 25 percent of its dealer base. Many of those dealers closed their doors for good on Tuesday, though some will continue to sell used cars or other brands. Chrysler has maintained that the closures are a necessary part of its plan to cut costs. Jim Press, Chrysler's vice chairman and president, told a Senate committee that the poor performance of many of the dealers slated to lose franchises costs the company $1.5 billion in lost sales each year, along with $150 million in advertising and marketing costs and $33 million in administrative costs.

The dealers had argued that they cover their own costs and little would be gained by terminating their franchises. Chrysler attorneys said the automaker would extend until Monday its program to help the affected dealers send any unsold vehicles to stores that will remain open. Chrysler's swift passage through about five weeks of bankruptcy proceedings was helped by the involvement of the Obama administration's auto task force, which provided billions in financing and helped negotiate a deal with the company's stakeholders.

Under the agreement brokered in the days leading up to Chrysler's Chapter 11 filing, Fiat will receive its sdtake in Chrysler in exchange for sharing the technology Chrysler needs to create smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The United Auto Workers union will get a 55 percent stake that will be used to fund its retiree health care obligations, while the U.S. and Canadian governments will receive a combined 10 percent stake. Fiat would get 20 percent, with the possibility of up to 35 percent.

Meanwhile, the automaker's secured debtholders would get $2 billion in cash, or about 29 cents on the dollar, for their combined $6.9 billion in debt. Some debtholders, including the Indiana funds, balked at the deal, saying as secured lenders they deserved more. The funds also challenged the constitutionality of the Treasury Department's use of money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, to supply Chrysler's bankruptcy protection financing. They say TARP was earmarked for the financial industry and diverted to the auto industry without Congressional authority.

Consumer groups and individuals with product-related lawsuits also contested a condition of the Chrysler sale that would release the company from product liability claims related to vehicles it sold before the asset sale to Fiat. Compensation for such claims would have to come from the parts of the company not being sold to Fiat. But those assets have limited value and it's unlikely there will be anything to pay out.

For more about Italy and Italy travel visit WebVisionItaly.com.

Rome Arts: Is Michelangelo Cross by Authentic Hand of Michelangelo?

Art experts in Rome are divided over the authenticity of a small carving of Christ bought by the Italian government after it was attributed to Michelangelo.

A Turin art dealer was paid by the Italian government $4.5 million for the limewood carving, which first publicly appeared in 2004, ANSA, the Italian news agency, reported Saturday.

The Audit Court of Lazio opened an investigation into the purchase after the carving recently was pronounced a fake by Naples University art history professor Tomaso Montari and other international art experts.

"There are at least another dozen or so crosses out there made in a similar fashion and this was a style common to the studios of Florence at the end of the 1400s," Montari told The Daily Telegraph in London.

It is well known that all the artists during the Renaissance had studios full of working artists replicating the master artist's designs, much like a fashion house today may be full of young designers. Art experts at the Vatican and in Florence, Siena and Perugia said they examined the cross extensively before attributing the carving to Renaissance master Michelangelo. Those experts, including Vatican Museums Director Antonio Paolucci, tentatively dated the carving to 1495, when Michelangelo was 20, ANSA reported. So the mystery remains, was Michelangelo cross created by the authentic hand of Michelangelo?

For more about the arts in Italy visit WebVisionItaly's Italy Arts Channel.

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U.S. Supreme Court Delays Sale of Chrysler to Fiat

Chrysler's trip to bankruptcy court and quick asset sale to Fiat was delayed by Justice Ginsburg. WebVisionItaly applauds the court for slowing the process for legal contemplation and further review of an appeal by three Indiana state funds and several consumer groups.

Justice Ginsburg, who handles emergency matters arising from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, said in a one-sentence order that the rulings of the bankruptcy judge allowing the sale “are stayed pending further order of the undersigned or of the court." Fiat had originally set a June 15 deadline on the deal.

Until this point, court decisions had fallen Chrysler’s way for much of the bankruptcy reorganization. The carmaker won quick approval of its sale from two lower courts. FIAT’s CEO, Sergio Marchione may find his imperial dreams dashed by losing Opel in Germany and by losing Chrysler in the United States.

This editor supports the court's decision because this editor believes in secured-creditors rights, contract law, and what's left of a free-market system and private companies. The transfer of assets to Fiat may seem nice in theory but there are practical aspects to the business rules and rule of law that the U.S system must adhere to if the music is to keep playing. If not, who will loan capital in the future? We'll see if the Supreme Court respects the rule of law when it makes its ruling. If the court rules in favor of the secured-creditors and against the Obama administration then rule of law will have on this battle, with a war ahead. If the court rules against the secured-creditors by allowing the transfer of good assets to Fiat, thus transfering from secured-creditors assets and capital that creditors have rights to the employees union, then statism will have won this battle and the American people will really be lost in the wilderness, having takenassets from the free marekt system sand stolen them for a foreign company and a union.

If the deal is going through look for an announcement this Friday June 12th, a nice hot lazy summer night when all the reporters are sleeping for the approval of a Fiat Chrysler deal. If the court is ruling against then we'll hear from some government wonk who has never earned a penny or made payroll announce a new government plan Monday on how your tax dollars will go to further fund the white shoes mulling Chrysler Fiat.

Italy Art Guide - June 2009

(ANSA) - Rome, June 5 - The following is a city-by-city guide to some of Italy's art exhibitions:

AREZZO - Museo Statale d'Arte Medievale e Moderna: 130 works by Della Robbia family and contemporaries like Donatello and Ghiberti; plus tours around Arezzo province taking in 25 towns and 168 works; until June 7.

ASCOLI - Galleria d'Arte Contemporanea: 'Sedendo e Mirando', 130 landscapes by cartoonist Tullio Pericoli; until September 13.

BARLETTA - Palazzo della Marra: 90 land and sea paintings by Fattori, De Nittis and other 19th-century southern Italian landscape masters; until August 2.

BOLZANO - Museo Archeologico dell'Alto Adige: Iceman joined by more than 60 mummies from Ancient Egypt, Asia, South America and Oceania; until October 25.

CALDAROLA (MACERATA) - Palazzo dei Cardinali Pallotta: reassembled collection of 17th-century cardinal; 60 works by artists including Caravaggio, Guercino, Guido Reni, Mattia Preti, Carlo Maratta, Annibale Carracci, Ludovico Carracci and Elisabetta Sirani; until November 12.

CAVA DEI TIRRENI (SALERNO) - Galleria Civica d'Arte: Los Desastres de la Guerra, 80 etchings collected by Goya in his later years on horrors of war; until September 6.

COMO - Villa Olmo: Chagall, Kandinsky, Malevich: Masters of the Russian Avant-Garde; until July 26.

FLORENCE - Medici Chapels: show on life and times of Ferdinand I de' Medici, powerful third grand duke of Tuscany, (1549-1609), marking 400th anniversary of his death; until November 1.

- Bargello: Gian Lorenzo Bernini, The Living Marbles; until July 12.

- Palazzo Strozzi: Galileo show marking 400th anniversary of his first observations of the night sky; 250 exhibits including the middle finger from Galileo's right hand; until August 30.

- Palazzo Pitti: Memories of Antiquity in 20th-Century Art; 130 paintings and sculptures from Etruscan, classical and Renaissance times and 20th-century works by Dali', Picasso, Modigliani, de Chirico and others; until July 12.

- Palazzo Medici: 29 outfits from Court of Lorenzo il Magnifico recreated in paper from contemporary paintings by Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave; until June 14.

FORLI' - Musei di San Domenico: Canova, The Classical Ideal, Sculpture and Painting; 200 sculptures and paintings from world's galleries; until June 21.

ILLEGGIO (near Udine) - Casa delle Esposizioni: Art inspired by Biblical Apocrypha including Caravaggio's Rest During the Flight into Egypt, loaned by Rome's Doria Pamphili Gallery, Guercino, Durer, Andrea Pozzo, Byzantine and Russian icons; over 80 works, until October 4.

MAMIANO DI TRAVERSETOLO - Fondazione Mamiani Rocca: 55 Rembrandt etchings from Petit Palais in Paris; until June 25.

MILAN - Triennale Bovisa: 14 works by 'Transavanguardia' sculptor and painter Enzo Cuchi; until June 14.

- Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro: 127 drawings and sketches by Lucio Fontana from the 1930s to his death in 1968; until June 26.

- Palazzo Reale: 20 Monet water lily works from Musee' Marmottan in Paris; until September 27.

- same venue: Italy's biggest show marking 100th anniversary of Futurism; 500 works including Marinetti, Boccioni, Balla, Carra', Severini, Russolo; until June 7.

NAPLES - Museo Archeologico Nazionale: 400 Pompeii frescos return after 10-year restoration.

PADUA - Civici Musei agli Eremitani: 100 Years of Portrait Painting In The Age of Galileo, 1550-1650; 70 works including Titians and Tintorettos; until July 15.

PISA _- Palazzo Blu: Art and Science in Galileo's Time; 140 works until July 19.

PONTASSIEVE - Sala delle Colonne: 49 paintings and sculptures by Antonio Ligabue including celebrated Self Portrait With Dog; until June 7.

PORDENONE - Civici Musei d'Arte and Spazi Espositivi Provinciali: tribute to Harry Bertoia (1915-1978), artist and designer best known for 'Diamond' Knoll chair, who left native Friuli at 15; until September 28.

ROME - Capitoline Museums: Fra Angelico: The Dawn of the Renaissance; 49 works by the early Renaissance master and friar; until July 5.

- Colosseum: 'Divus Vespasanius', celebration of Emperor Vespasian, general who took throne from Nero in 69 AD and transformed Rome, founding Flavian dynasty which built Colosseum; until January 10.

- Vittoriano: Giotto and the Trecento; 150 works from world's museums including 20 by pre-Renaissance master himself; until June 29.

- Palazzo Venezia: The Mind of Leonardo, The Universal Genius at Work; acclaimed exhibit already seen at Uffizi and in Tokyo; until August 30.

- Palazzo delle Esposizioni: Bulgari, Between Eternity and History, 1884-2009; 125 Years of Italian Jewels; the first retrospective in the brand's history, featuring 400 pieces; until September 13.

- Museo Fondazione Roma: Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), lyrical Japanese landscape artist who influenced Van Gogh and Monet; 200 woodblock prints on show for first time in Italy; until June 7.

ROVERETO - MART Gallery: Futurism 100: Avant-Gardes Compared, Italy, Germany And Russia: marking 100th anniversary of Futurism; Marinetti, Kandinsky, Der Sturm, Chagall, Klee, August Macke, Franz Marc; until June 7.

ROVIGO - Palazzo Roverella: Art Deco in Italy 1919-1939; until June 28.

TRENTO - Palazzo delle Albere: Hayez, Prati, Bezzi, Segantini and other 19th-century Trento painters; until November 22.

VENICE - Biennale: 53rd and biggest ever edition of world's oldest arts festival; 90 artists at 77 national pavilions, including Joan Jonas, Lygia Pape, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Xu Tan, Thomas Saraceno, Nikhil Chopra and Anawana Haloba; until November 22.

Museo Correr: 'Abstractions', major retrospective on Futurism on 100th anniversary of launch; until October 4.

VERONA - Juliet's House: Marc Quinn sculptures and installations including famous Flowers cycle and solid gold Siren inspired by Kate Moss; until September 27.

URBINO - Ducal Palace: Raphael and Urbino, 20 mostly youthful works plus influence of Perugino and Signorelli; until July 12.

Splendid Turin - Torino Italy Travel

torino italy travel

Splendid Turin - Torino Italy Travel

torino italy travel