So what does FAI actually do?

One of its most important tasks is to educate people about the need to collectively protect Italy’s environment and artistic heritage.
In order to achieve this goal, FAI began working with schools over 15 years ago.
But FAI’s educational activities are not just aimed at schoolchildren. Adults are also involved in this awareness-raising process, through the organisation of cultural meetings and art courses held every year on the history of Italian art.

Another of FAI’s key activities is to protect and restore our country’s artistic and natural treasures, and reopen them once more for public viewing. FAI heritage properties require daily care and attention to ensure they are preserved over time.

FAI actively defends the Italian landscape and cultural heritage in the interests of our entire society. It addresses the needs of threatened or at risk areas on behalf of local communities, notifying the relevant authorities, and taking direct action where possible.

More and more acquisitions have been made over the years, and FAI can now boast a grand total of 45 properties, 21 of which are regularly open to the public. Thanks to FAI, these splendid treasures now belong once again to Italy and to all of us!

Website: www.fondoambiente.it

In Piemonte between castles, fortresses, gardens, palazzos and villas it is possible to discover a large number of itineraries and a region steeped in history and culture.
The exhibition “Castelli aperti” reaches its 14th edition and from April until October makes it possible to visit a hundred jewels of architecture of different epochs and styles, including places usually not accessible to the public.

In the province of Alessandria the municipality of Volpedo makes its debut with an itinerary dedicated to Pellizza da Volpedo.

In the Asti region, new castles such as Belveglio and become part of the trail and many Municipalities have included itineraries to explore historic centres while the city of Asti has become enriched with the presence of the Museo Diocesano and two new artistic historical tours.

In the province of Cuneo the castello di Sanfrè, the Castiglia in Saluzzo, the Torre Civica and Giardino botanico di Villa Bricherasio have signed up for the first time. On Sunday 18 April and 24 October, special tour of all the residences.

Link: www.castelliaperti.it

Puglia is rich in charming and ancient towns where Romans, Greeks, crusaders and other passed civilisations, left their imprint and much historical evidence on the people, towns and landscape. Coming here, you will feel as if you were taking a walk back in time through the pages of history.

Coming to Puglia, means the opportunity to discover a place unspoiled by tourists, full of long sandy beaches, rugged landscapes, vineyards, old olive groves, castles and local trulli (the unique coned houses, found no where else on earth). What else will you find in Puglia? Well, the answer is a slower pace of life to the one you’re probably used to. This means people have time to stop and chat, to share their hospitality, great Mediterranean food, folklore, passion for music and lively local dances from Puglia. All in all, a place that you can fall in love with.

The town of Mesagne (where our school is located) is an elegant, charming and beautiful town typical of southern Italy. Art, culture, tradition and history make it particularly fascinating and full of interest, surrounded by rich, vibrant and fertile land overflowing with luscious vintage wines, sweet fruit and sun drenched Mediterranean flavours.

Countless age-old olive trees girdle, protect and nourish Mesagne, much as the crusading knights and kings of noble fable once stood guard over the city. Situated mid way between the Ionian and the Adriatic coasts, Mesagne grew to be a fortress as a result of its strategic position in the ‘Penisola Salentina’, the strip of Puglia region abundant in astonishingly beautiful and pristine beaches, unspoilt nature, captivating folklore and a multitude of outdoor activities begging to be discovered.

Mesagne is 68 km from Alberobello, 29 from Ostuni, 96 from Otranto, 120 from Santa Maria di Leuca, 67 from Gallipoli. These are just some of the most beutiful and easily accessible destinations of interest.
In addition, you can visit the WWF preserve by the sea, in Torre Guaceto , for a delightful full immersion with nature and is only 15 minutes from Mesagne. Moreover, to get to the nearest beaches it takes just 15 minutes to get to Adriatic and 40 minutes to Ionian coast.

Whilst visiting some of the places described above, will undoubtedly impress you with their cultural, architectural, historical and artistic offering, your emotions will be truly assaulted thanks to the intense flavours and smells of our Mediterranean food, as seen on TV when Jamie Oliver visited the area in the summer of 2005. The local cookery is based around organic, simple, genuine and wholesome food. The so called ‘cuisine of poverty’ where there are no rules but are absolutely overflowing in inspiration: fresh fish, wild vegetables, olive oil, breads, taralli, frise, fresh pasta, fresh cheeses, wine, liqueurs…. everything must be experieced by visiting the local wine cooperatives (cantina), oil mills (frantoio), old farms (masseria), in order to taste the very best of the local produce.

You shouldn’t miss the traditional ‘Salento’ and experience the local music and dance belonging to a past time full of popular songs and sounds that recount tales of passionate love, life and struggle. It is due to our marvellous microclimate which ensures sunny weather for much of the year, that there are such an abundance of out-door festivals. This is when the main village and town squares show off their real character, providing a popular and unique way for communication and gathering of communities, to reflect local art, tradition and culture. Pizzica Salentina, the local dance, is the typical dance of the region and its people. Easy to learn and fun for all age groups to participate in, you will find that language and cultural differences are quickly forgotten in the hypnotic beat of the music.

In summary, choosing a stay at the l’Acanto school, means much more than just learning the Italian language in Puglia, it’s also a great holiday. It’s also a special place where you will meet friends and build memories for a lifetime.

Our Italian language courses mean you will be warmly welcomed as a special guest and made to feel immediately at ease. Moreover, you get to spend a holiday in a truly remarkable region.

Posted by L’Acanto, Italian language school in Mesagne - Puglia.

Web site: www.sorrentolingue.com

Easter in Sorrento is a special emotion enveloping all the senses. Colors, scents, smells and flavors of this wonderful land characterize your journey in early spring marking the beginning of the tourist season. The guests will feel welcome tasting several cues for thought and pleasure.
Everything seems to be set in order to allow you to better appreciate the wealth of environmental, historical and gastronomic delights that the Sorrento peninsula can offer. We could start by describing the rituals of Holy Week, which are really suggestive in the Sorrento Peninsula.

The processions of confraternities are particularly exciting. According to the legend of these rituals, when they go back to the headquarters of fraternities, hoods are often wet with tears of those who wore them during the journey. The voices of the Miserere begin their drills two months before the processions. The brothers are eager to get prepared for the moment when they accompany the hooded people with liturgical songs. They bring the lights and other symbols of the Passion of Jesus: the basin and the pitcher with the towel when Pilate washed cowardly his hands, the bag with the price of the infamous betrayal of Peter, the knife with the ear of Malchus, the cock that with its song reminded Peter his threefold denial, the column with the cords with which Christ was tied.

Not only that: the whips, the crown of thorns, the robe and cane with which Christ was mocked and acclaimed King of the Jews, the inscription of his conviction, the nails and tongs for the crucifixion, the spear that ripped through his ribs and, finally, the great cross from which the shroud hangs.

In all these circumstances, maniacally cared for, there has been a poetic meaning for the Sorrento processions since 1586, when the Brotherhood of St. Catellus, born in the city in the last years of the XIV century, asked to join the Roman “Morte ed Orazione”. An example of this, the brothers in black and with the lamps in their hands began to go out in processions not on Thursday (for the medieval visit to the “Tomb” in the church), but on Good Friday, bringing to the various monasteries of the city the statue of the Dead Christ with the singing of Miserere.

But spending Easter in Sorrento also means to enjoy the well known traditional dishes like “pastiera”, “casatiello” and “lasagna”.

Also we must not ignore the possibility to spend wonderful days walking in the center of Sorrento through decorations and smart shops, tasting local products and shopping. For lovers of nature, we suggest the path of Punta Campanella and the mythical “Path of the Gods”. But surely we can not miss the excursions to the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia, Pompei, Naples and the Vesuvius, all of them directly connected by public services.

Posted by Sorrento Lingue, Italian language school in Sorrento.

Tuscany boasts an exceptional tradition of parades and genuinely spectacular celebrations. What follows is a brief list of the main Carnival celebrations in this region.

The best known Carnival is without a doubt the one in Viareggio (Lucca) which, from 1873, has ignited the Versilia area with an explosion of fun, music and colours. The magnificent allegorical floats parade along the city avenues and every weekend people dance in the evening in different quarters of the city. This year the Viareggio Carnival will take place on 31 January, 7, 14, 16 and 21 February.

The Pietrasanta (Lucca) Carnival is a more intimate affair: the masked and allegorical parade takes place in the picturesque streets of the old town.

The oldest Carnival in the Pisa province (dating back to about a century ago) takes place in Santa Croce sull’Arno. There will be four parades, organised by four historical groups: “Gli spensierati” (The Happy-go-lucky), “Il Nuovo Astro” (The New Pulsar) , “La Nuova Luna” (The New Moon), “La Lupa” (The She-wolf).

The allegorical parade in Vecchiano is dedicated primarily to children, while in Piombino the Carnival King is the traditional puppet, Cicciolo, who is portrayed as a drunk which is burnt in the main square on the evening of Shrove Tuesday.

Don’t miss the Maremma Carnival which takes place in Orbetello until 16 February 2010 with the Carnevaletto da Tre Soldi (Little Three Coin Carnival).

If you’re thinking of spending a few days in Tuscany, we recommend you take advantage of at least one of these events to spend a merry Carnival!

Web site: www.sorrentolingue.com

Sorrento, the town where our Institute is located, gives a lot of importance to religious holidays year round. As the holidays begin you feel the spirit in the air as you walk through the streets because the holiday of Christmas is celebrated in a very intense and evocative way in a fascinating synthesis between the sacred and the profane.

During the Christmas period Sorrento completely changes appearance: streets and shops are decorated with lights and intricate decorations that create an almost magical atmosphere. Along with wreaths, garlands and trees there are also the colorful traditional nativity scenes, many of which are made even with the shepherds of the old crib Neapolitan school.

We also want to mention the observances found in many churches and villages of the peninsula: the nativity scenes that attract the faithful and visitors from all over Italy. The sacredness of Christmas it is strongly felt throughout the peninsula and the calendar of rituals and celebrations of the month of December are full of events that follow the ancient traditions, like the march of pipers and the singing of the rosary together with pastoral melodies that is done every year at Castellammare di Stabia at Immaculate Conception on December 8, or the procession of children and the charming bonfire achieved on December 12 in Sorrento to celebrate Saint Lucia.

The mystical and evocative religious climate does not crowd out the numerous non-religious events held in the month of December. Between Sorrento and other towns of the coast there is a continuous series of concerts, festivals, theater performances, exhibitions in which the sacred and secular intertwine in a very charming folklore. The calendar of events is updated from year to year, but between December 8 and January 6 each evening the peninsula offers a special event. Therefore, you can choose between the concert of Bagpipers and the Christmas band; between the festival of “struffoli”
and “zeppole”; between the puppet theater and traditional Neapolitan one.

Spending Christmas in Sorrento is also an excellent opportunity to visit one of the richest areas of natural beauty, historical and architecture resources in Campania while taking advantage of the usually mild climate. The location of Sorrento offers many excursions to the evocative and enchanted Amalfi Coast; to Salerno, where the lights exalt in a suggestive way the views of this friendly city; to the world’s most famous archaeological excavations such as Pompeii and Herculaneum or to the historic center of Naples, the ancient capital of Southern Italy and World Heritage by UNESCO.

In short, despite being considered a tourist resort mainly in summer for its coastline and sea, Sorrento, with its peninsula, may actually become a pleasant surprise even in winter, certainly able to offer a truly unforgettable Christmas.

Greetings to all!

Posted by Sorrento Lingue, Italian language school in Sorrento.

This initiative is based on two phenomena which are increasingly becoming ever-more evident in public opinion in the whole world: peak oil and global warming.
Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of world petroleum extraction is reached. Once the peak is reached, the rate of production enters terminal decline which, in practical terms, means the end of cheap petrol.
The theory of global warming is the progressive increase of the average temperature of the planet. This phenomenon is attributed to the emission by man of enormous quantities of so-called greenhouse gases into the environment.

On the basis of these premises, Rob Hopkins understood that cities and towns all over the world need to become more resilient, putting in place a series of practical initiatives based on good sense, and the involvement and collaboration of citizens. Becoming more resilient means increasing the capacity of our cities to survive large changes, even dramatic ones, maintaining a high level of well-being for their citizens and increasing the quality of life and relations within the community.

Transition projects aim to create communities which are oil independent and to build strong resilience through adaptations of energy production and restructuring of key community resources (production of food, goods and basic services).

Starting with the first experience in England, there are now hundreds of cities and communities around the world which, led by a push from their own citizens, have decided to adopt the transition model.

If you are interested in knowing more about the Transition initiatives in Italy and the world, you can visit the following websites:

Transition Italia
Io e la transizione
Transition Culture

To accompany these purely gastronomic delights, the organisers have prepared some touristic events, cultural-scientific initiatives and entertainment spectacles to make this Fair a real “Global” event that attracts not only the aficionados of the palate, but anyone who wants to pass a weekend in close contact with the genuine cuisine of Cuneo.

There are many good reasons to visit Cuneo over the weekend of 15 - 18 October:

- the exhibitors are carefully selected by a pool of experts and this guarantees the quality of the products on show and on sale;
- you will be taking part in an event that in 2009 has been acknowledged as a “National” fair;
- it is a good chance to visit the town of Cuneo and its enchanting valleys.

Among the initiatives worthy of note:

- The taste workshops
These are real lessons where participants, seated at desks in a classroom of taste, can sharpen their taste buds, getting to know, compare, taste and handle the products presented.
- The teaching farm
Get to know the world of farmyard animals, vegetable gardens and orchards first-hand.
- Antique flavours
A journey through food and culture to discover the rich gastronomic patrimony of chestnuts, beans, the peppers of Cuneo and the leeks of Cervere, the prime meat of the Piedmont livestock and the thousands of flavours of the mountains.

For more information:
www.marrone.net

There are fourteen films in competition in the Official Selection section, of which three are Italian: Alza la Testa by Alessandro Angelini, with Sergio Castellitto, L’Uomo che Verrà by Giorgio Diritti with Claudio Casadio and Viola di Mare with Valeria Solarino. But there will also be space for Jason Reitman - who returns to Rome after the success of Juno with a new film Up In The Air, staring George Clooney and Vera Farmiga - and Danis Tanovícwith his film Triage with Colin Farrelland Paz Vega. Also, Helen Mirren, great protagonist of the film The Last Station by Michael Hoffman.

The new edition of Focus (Occhio sul mondo) is dedicated to the theme of the global environment, in particular, climate change. The program previews twelve events exploring these themes, including a multi-media exhibit, Cape Farewell: Art & Climate Change, the presence of Miranda Richardson who will discuss the film Turtle: The Incredible Journey with the director Nick Stringer.

The Festival is not only film, but also events highlighting the legacies from the worlds of art and culture in general.
After eighty years of his birth and twenty years since his death, the Festival will remember Sergio Leone, among one of the artists most identified with film in Italy and worldwide, through a exhibition-event, Sergio Leone, a fresh vision, which will be inaugurated by Maestro Ennio Morricone.

Then there will be, in a worldwide premiere, the film-dossier dedicated to the life of artist Antonio Ligabue and an important exhibition, at the Archeological Museum Auditorium Parco della Muisca with approximately eighty pieces of work curated from noted museums and private collections titled, “Luci del Cinema su Antonio Ligabue”.

Official web site

A hundred works of art have been chosen among the most famous and the never seen Italian public and private collections. These works will rebuild the creative itinerary of a particular period of a celebrated 19th century group of Italian artists (the Macchaiaioli), such as Giovanni Fattori, Silvestro Lega, Telemaco Signorini and Cristiano Banti and others who, in the last quarter of the 19th century, took part in the process of the intellectual and artistic reform of the time and caused a proper aesthetic revolution.

These artists took up different paths that were consciously united by a common denominator: the direct revival of naturalistic subjects.
By opening a new creative season, these masters started a modification process of the cultural principles and reference points that had inspired the well known reform of the Macchiaioli. The Tuscan painters carried on a research that was no longer heightened by the violent light contrasts of the first period and they seemed to be unitedly opened to the innovations produced in the European field by the Réalisme and also partly by the contemporary Impressionism. In this way they formed a true school of thought completely original and recognizable, based on the drawing structure and on the portraying from life of the subject, that was usually connected with a social background, relating to the contemporaneity and to life in the countryside.

Starting date: 16/07/2009
End date: 18/01/2010
Place: Terme Tamerici
City: Montecatini Terme
Province: Pistoia
Region: Tuscany

Web Site: www.macchiaioli-montecatini.com