Precious Historic Monuments In Delhi

Precious Historic Monuments In Delhi

Italy Art Guide July 2009

(ANSA) - Rome, July 17 - The following is a city-by-city guide to some of Italy's art exhibitions:

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 - Palazzo Pitti, Limonaia: From Petra to Sharwak, 20 years of Florence University digs at famed ancient city and castle in Jordan; until October 11. - 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.

- 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.

GRADARA - Rocca: Stolen Kisses; show staged in castle where Dante's famous doomed lovers kissed; 18th-century paintings of Paolo and Francesca, Romeo and Juliet, Lancelot and Guinevere and first version of Francesco Hayez's 'The Kiss'; plus videos of Italian movie kisses; until November 2.

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.

MARSALA - Convento del Carmine: Monochrome; 70 works from post-war Italy to the 1970s by artists including Alberto Burri, Lucio Fontana and Mimmo Rotella; until October 18.

MATERA - Palazzo Lanfranchi: Splendours of the Hidden Baroque; 100 works by Baroque painters in southern Italy including Luca Giordano; until November 1.

MILAN - Palazzo Reale: 250 paintings from influential 19th-century Scapigliatura movement; until November 22.

- same venue: Robert Wilson's 'Voom Portraits', celebrities like Mikhail Baryshnikov, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey, Salma Hayek, Isabelle Huppert, Jeanne Moreau, Brad Pitt and Princess Caroline of Monaco; but also ordinary people and animals; until October 4.

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

- same venue: 36 years of cartoons by political satirist Giorgio Forattini; until September 27.

MONTECATINI TERME - Polo Espositivo Terme Tamerici: 19th century masters including Giovanni Fattori, Silvestro Lega, Telemaco Signorini and Cristiano Banti; until January 19.

NAPLES - Museo Archeologico Nazionale: The Ancient Theatre and Masks; until August 31.

- MADRE: Francesco Clemente; 110 works by the New York-based Italian contemporary artist; until October 12.

NUORO - Museo Man: Fabrio De Andre', multimedia and interactive show on Genoese singer-songwriter; until October 4.

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

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 - Scuderie del Quirinale: Shots of War; WWII photos by photoreporter Lee Miller and US soldier Tony Vaccaro; until August 30.

Various sites including Forum, Piazza Barberini: 'La Ruta de la Paz', monumental bronze and marble works by Costa Rican sculptor Jorge Jimenez Deredia; exhibition outlined at Palazzo delle Esposizioni; until November 30.

- 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.

- 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 September 13.

- Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale Giuseppe Tucci: Murals of India, 50 photographs by Benoy K. Belh; until October 10.

TIVOLI - Villa d'Este: Landscapes of Latium, Real and Ideal; 17th and 18th century Dutch and Italian landscape artists including never-seen Pietro da Cortona; more than 30 works until September 12.

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

TRIESTE - Palazzo Revoltella: Leonar Fini, 250 works by Surrealist artist (1907-1996) who Max Ernst dubbed ''the Italian fury in Paris''; until October 4.

VENICE - Biennale: 53th 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.

VINCI - Museo Ideale: 'Joconde. From the Mona Lisa to the nude Gioconda'; until September 30.

10 Tips to Riding the TrenItalia: How to Buy Train Ticket in Italy

Motorino Man's email inbox is filling up with questions about how to ride the train in Italy and how to buy train tickets when in Italy.

Motorino Man's Top 10 Tips to ride Italy's rails from the big three like Rome, Florence, and Venice to tips for buying tickets in small stations in towns outside Italy's big three that may not be manned at all times by ticket sellers.

Click to see the video how to buy a train ticket in Italy for important tips and tricks to navigating the train ticket vending machine so you may buy a train ticket without hassle when traveling Italy. Motorino Man suggests buying tickets in Italy as itineraries change and trains do get cancelled.

Motorino Man's Top 10 Tips to Ride Italy's Rails
10. Save money by buying bread and prosciutto before arriving at station for food on train. If you don't bring food the dining car is a very nice place to have a snack on the train.

9. Arrive 30 minutes before departure for stress-free travel.

8. Trains are used by Italian commuters at rush hour so try to plan your train travel off rush-hour and do plan accordingly. Ticket prices will be less expensive off rush hour too.

7. In Italy's big three Rome, Florence, Venice and all Italy's big-city stations like Naples, Milan, Bari, Genoa etc. if standing on line or at vending machine to buy ticket beware of pick pockets and other thieves and do always keep an eye on your baggage by keeping it eyesight next to you.
6. Gather belongings before destination so exiting train is smooth and efficient - especially important when exiting train before end of line because train only stops long enough for exiting and entering passengers. Every time you stand up on train in Italy glance back to see what you left behind.

5. Carry change to buy ticket at vending machine in small stations where there is no attendant.

4. Carry-on bags: Keep your bag under your seat or between your legs. If you are going to place it in the overhead compartment, try to place it ahead of your seat location, so you can see whoever reaches into the compartment.

3. If catching the train outside major cities like Italy's big three Rome, Florence, and Venice be sure to check that the train you get on is the train you want. Many trains travel same track.

2. ALWAYS validate Italy train ticket by stamping it in CONVALIDA yellow box in the station or along the train track platform.

1. Keep an eye on things at all times in Italian train stations and on Italy's trains. YOU carry your luggage onto the bus, train, truck, or taxi with you. Don’t allow a porter or stranger to take your bag for you. You might not ever see it again.

And finally, when you buy a ticket for the Italian train, be sure you actually receive a ticket.

Buon Viaggio!

Now that you know how to ride the Italy train check out these great Italy train travel vacations. Or click to see a full listing of cruises around Italy including cruises from Rome and cruises from Venice.

For more about riding Italy's rails visit WebVisionItaly's How to Ride the train in Italy video.

Italian Cooking Show III: Recipes from Valle D’Aosta & Friuli Venezia Giulia

The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast July edition of the Italian Cooking Show kicks off tonight at Mia Cucina in Coral Gables, Miami, Florida.

CHEF MARIO CAMIA from FONTANA RESTAURANT, Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables and CHEF LUCA TARETTO from TIRAMESU RESTAURANT, Miami Beach will feature recipes native to the regions of Valle D’Aosta and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Once again, the upcoming Italian Cooking Show series promises to wow its guests with delicious recipes and soothe their palates with succulent wines. A lively reception will immediately follow, allowing guests to sample various wines, refreshments, and hors d’oeuvres from each of the participating sponsors.

The reception is open to all those Italian food lovers who enjoy celebrating authentic Italian ingredients, food and beverages that reflect the true spirit of an Italian Food Festival!

To see pictures and videos from past events and download the recipes, visit the official website
http://www.itcookingshow.com/.

To see video of the Italian Cooking Show recipes and to watch the chefs prepare the Italian Cooking Show dishes visit WebVisionItaly.com:

Italian Cooking Show, Umbria Cuisine: Stinco d'Agnello

Italian Cooking Show, Trentino Cuisine: Arugola with Speck and Grana Padano

Italian Cooking Show, Trentino Cuisine: Canederli Tirolesi

Italian Cooking Show, Lazio Cuisine: Gnocchi Semolina

Italian Cooking Show, Lazio Cuisine: Saltimobocca alla Romana

Special thanks to Italian Cooking Show Gold Sponsors: Alma Food Imports, Citterio, Consorzio Tutela Grana Padano, Subzero & Wolf and Italian Cooking Show Supporting Sponsors: Whole Foods Market Coral Gables, Academia Barilla, Ghiott Firenze, 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., Monteripoli, Tomson Hospitality Boutique, Trend USA, Granite Transformations- Miami, WebVisionItaly.com, 24SunnyWine Srl., Bucovaz, Cantina Paltrinieri, International Wine Imports.

For more about Italian cooking and video of how to prepare authentic Italian dishes visit WebVisionItaly.com Italian Cooking show channel.

Spooky Churches

It’s hardly a secret that Rome has some great churches.

In fact, Ernest Bevan thought they had too many, and not enough hospitals, when he visited Rome in the fifties. Well maybe they have a few more hospitals now, but they certainly aren’t as photogenic as the churches.

I have my favourites which I like to pop into to fire off a few photographs.

Santa Maria Maddalena in the eponymous piazza is one of them. The only rococco church in Rome apparently, though it looks pretty baroque to me. Another is Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte, (Saint Mary of Prayer and Death) in Via Giulia, which is on one of my Photosleuth Tours’ routes. A pretty spooky church, and with a name like that it couldn't be otherwise.




The present baroque church was built in 1737 replacing an earlier XVl century one. It was run by a fraternity that collected the dead bodies of unknown people found in the countryside to give them a Christian burial. An essential requisite if you wanted to go to heaven!

Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte, Via Giulia.

Above and below: Saint Mary Magdelene, near the Pantheon.

Skulls and other symbols, such as hour glasses, a favourite way of reminding all God fearing folk that time marches inexorably forward and that we're all mortal, adorn the façade and the interior, and on either side of the main door two macabre engravings remind passers by of their mortality. The one on the right depicts death sitting comfortably on a bench with an hourglass in hand patiently waiting for a sick man to die.

Death waits patiently for some poor soul to breathe his last. Almost like gathering fallen apples! The inscription says “Alms for the poor dead that are found in the country.”

Rarely open except for Saturday evening and Sunday masses, so I was surprised to find it open one day in the week and nipped inside and took these photos. Inside it’s very dark so I used an ISO rating of 1600, and still had to shoot at 1/15 of a second.



Although there’s a lot of gold in the ornamentation the atmosphere is pretty sombre so I converted some of the images to black and white. I just love the way the balustrades curve around forming serried layers going right up to the dome.

The organ in Santa Maria de Morte

It seems like The Phantom of the Opera could appear at any moment.

The blood red cross of the Camillian Fathers, an order that cares for the sick, in the west window is projected onto the wall of one of the side altars by the afternoon sun in the church of Saint Mary Magdalene.

'Abbacchio romano' gets EU seal Rome's roast suckling lamb protected from imitations

Roast suckling lamb called 'abbacchio romano', has joined the host of Italian food products protected against imitation by European Union quality seals. The mouth-watering lamb dish believed to date back to the Ancient Romans, an Easter favorite in Rome and around Lazio, has earned a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) label.




The Roman lamb to cook 'abbacchio romano' comes from a sheep breed beleived to originally came from Sardinia. The Roman lamb has ''an age-old association with Rome's rural roots'' and only lambs from approved farms can be used in the dish. The word abbacchio, believed to come from the dialect term 'bacchio' for the stick once used to stun animals before the slaughter, is only used in Rome and the Lazio region.



Alberto Ciarla, a wizard of traditional Roman cooking whose Trastevere restaurant is a must for visiting gourmands, was delighted at the news. ''At last we have recognition for this monument to Roman cooking,'' he said, adding that only the abbacchio-type lamb ''has such delicious meat that you can use it in all kinds of dishes''. The classic Easter serving of abbacchio is roasted with rosemary and other herbs and accompanied by potatoes.



The abbacchio's achievement came less than a week after news that balsamic vinegar from Modena is set to win a PGI label. Italy now have 179 products which boast one of the European Union's three top food laurels: a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) seal, a PGI label or a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) certificate.


Italian culinary glories like Parmigiano, buffalo mozzarella, mortadella, lardo di Colonnata, Ascoli olives, pesto sauce and Pachino plum tomatos have been protected for some time but lesser-known munchies like Mt Etna prickly pears and Paestum artichokes have also swelled the ranks along with saffron from San Gimignano and L'Aquila. A range of salamis, rices, honeys and nuts are also on the protected list. Some notable recent Italian entries have been: a golden tench from Piedmont, the Tinca Gobba Dorata, which got a PDO; salty anchovies from the Ligurian Sea which got a PGI; the Casatella cheese from Treviso which got a PDO; a spring onion from Nocera Inferiore which got a PDO; a chestnut from Roccadaspide, also in Campania, which got a PGI; bread from Matera in Basilicata which got a PGI; an onion from Tropea in Calabria which got a PGI; and a salame from Sant'Angelo in Sicily which also got a PGI.



For more travel in Rome video and travel in Lazio video visit WebVisionItaly's Rome video channel and Lazio video channel for travel ideas in and around Rome.



For more about Italian Cooking visit WebVisionItaly's Italian Cooking channel with videos of how to cook Italian recipes.

Argentine Parrillada 4th of July BBQ

During the immigration from Italy in the 1890s and early 1900s Italians from southern Italy immigrated to United States and Argentina. Sometimes immigrants just got on the ship without regard to the destination New York Ellis Island or Buenos Aires La Boca. The southern Italian immigrant to the Americas was just happy to be leaving a crushing system of government and property ownership. For this reason, many brilliant people left Italy for Buenos Aires and the United States contributing immensely to the cultures of both of these nations.

On July 4th, Motorino Man and Side Car celebrate Independence Day in the United States with a classic Parrillada, a cookout, in the style of Side Car's hometown Buenos Aires.

July 4th parillada begins with a classic Buenos Aires appetizer provoletta, which is provolone cheese grilled in a cast iron pan with some oregano and tomato. Just a few mouth-watering bites of the provoletta is plenty for Motorino Man. Accompanying our starter is a nice Pinot Noir from Argentine vintner Luigi Bosca. The Italian immigrants to Buenos Aires found a climate and land not very different from what they left in Italy, and therefore carried on many of the food and culinary traditions found on the Italic peninsula.



Following the provoletta we are indulging in giant mouth watering New York strip steaks. This will go great with the Bosca wine also.

Buenos Aires is of course famous for its steaks and meat. A New Strip in Buenos Aires is called a bife de chorizo. We'll enjoy the steak with an arugola salad and grilled pepper.

Despite Argentina's past as huge beef exporter, today Uruguay is the regions biggest exporter of beef despite its tiny size. In fact, next year Argentina will import wheat for the first time since records began (Economist magazine, July 4, 2009).

This July 4th and every 4th of July Motorino Man and Side Car thank our countries, United States and Argentina respectively, for welcoming our families and providing an environment at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century that allowed our families and millions of other families to follow their dreams to live in freedom to pursue happiness and prosper.

To see ship manifests and find your family member who arrived at Ellis Island visit Ellis Island records website.

After a good 100 years in both countries, Motorino Man and Side Car now call all three countries home - United States, Argentina, and Italy. All three countries have political and financial problems that will need to be addressed in this century.

Happy birthday United States of America. May she find a way to continue the great vision the founders set out for her - to be a beacon of liberty, truth, and justice, a land that allows all people to pursue happiness without government interference, as the blessings of liberty are an extension of the blessings of God. Happy Independence Day to you and your family.

For more about Italian cooking and recipes visit the WebVisionItaly Italian Cooking Channel.

Best Boat Trips and Excursions from Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is undeniably in my mind the true beauty and Jewel of the Adriatic sea. The architecture of the Old Town, its rich art and culture, the delicious fresh seafood and overall quality of life found in the city is surely second to none in the region and if you travel there you will already know that the people are always very friendly and hospitable to backpackers. However, as beautiful as it is, there is in my experience much more to a trip to Dubrovnik than just what can be found inland and if you ever get bored of the Old Town, Copacabana beach and the Lapad region of the city, you may be interested in booking one of the numerous boat trip excursions available to the many small islands that are found of Croatia's South Dalmation Coast.


One day whilst traveling in Dubrovnik I took a boat trip to the nearby Elafiti islands. These excursions are widely touted on the main strip of Lapad's bars with many competing companies vieing for the business of young travelers, and if you shop around you are sure to find a good price (I ended up paying a little under £20 for the entire trip and a delicious grilled fish lunch and free wine was included on the boat in that price).

The Elafiti islands themselves are unique and gorgeous to behold in their own right. Our boat trip took us to three of these islands in a single excursion: Kolocep, Sipan and Lopud. I found that each of the islands has its own unique charm - with Lopud in particular a fantastic place to visit. It has a really cool sandy beach (Sunj beach) where you can paddle out to around 80m without the depth going over chest high. This beach is also ideal for snorkeling with lots of fish and crabs to be found near the rocks on the left side of the beach. In the summer season you will find that kayaks can be rented to take a quick trip out into the bay at a few pounds per hour. Lopud also has an old monastery which is well worth a visit.
As well as the frequent cruises and backpackers that visit the city, Dubrovnik is also proving to become increasingly popular with newly married couples because of the unrivalled beauty of its architecture, its stunning sandy beaches and numerous fantastic restaurants which together make the city a perfect romantic holiday destination for young couples. If you have friends who are newly web planning a trip to the city, make sure you give them a great send off with a great selection of beach wedding favors to let them really make the most of their beach wedding or honeymoon trip.

Succulent Four Seasons Lodge - Koele Lanai Resort

Koele Lanai Resort

Succulent Four Seasons Lodge - Koele Lanai Resort

Koele Lanai Resort