EVENTS GUI DE

Compiled with the collaboration of LINGUA IT – Institute of Italian Language and Culture – www.linguait.it

whatson in what s on

March

Ouressential guideto the most interesting events throughout Italy as spring

creeps in, including useful contact information to help you plan your visit

Art 1st – 31st March Firenze, Toscana Arnolfo. Alle origini del Rinascimento fiorentino.An exhibition devoted to Arnolfo di Cambio, a sculptor and architect who lived at the time of Giotto. In addition to masterpieces illustrating the sculpture of the late 13th century, such as the statues of Boniface VIII and King Charles of Anjou, a section is devoted to paintings, sculpture and jewellery which reflect the exceptional artistic spirit of Florence at that time. The high point of the exhibition is a virtual reconstruction of the unfulfilled plan for the façade of Santa Maria in Fiore, which demonstrates the relationship between Arnolfo’s sculpture and architecture. Location: Museo di Santa Maria del Fiore. Web: www.arnolfofirenze.it

1st – 31st March Rovereto, Trentino Alto-Adige La danza delle Avanguardie. Dipinti, scene e costumi: da Degas a Picasso, da Matisse a Keith Haring.More than a thousand works including paintings, sculpture, costumes, scenery, designs and photographs depicting the magical relationship between dance and art. Masterpieces from the early 20th century to the latest trends in contemporary art. Location: Mart Web: www.mart.trento.it

1st – 31st March Brescia, Lombardy Viaggio in Italia.A fascinating journey through Italy illustrated by 150 works from all over the world depicting the Italian landscape. Paintings by the most important European artists who, from the Renaissance to the 20th century, have travelled the country’s roads to capture its beauty. Location: Museo di Santa Giulia. Web: www.museosantagiulia.it

1st – 15th March Cesena, Emilia-Romagna Corrado Giaquinto. Il cielo e la terra. An exhibition covering the illustrious career of Corrado Giaquinto, one of the principal exponents of European figurative art during the Rococo period. Paintings, sketches and a valuable body of drawings illustrate the art of this painter who worked in Italy and Spain, where his works acted as an inspiration to the young Goya. Location: Palazzo Romagnoli, Biblioteca Malatestiana. Web: www.malatestiana.it

1st – 31st March Milan, Lombardy Carlo e Federico. La luce dei Borromeo nella Milano spagnola. The works on display illustrate the life and times of two key figuresin the religious and secular historyof Milan after the Counter-Reformation. The exhibition highlights the development of religious and devotional painting from works prior to the Council of Trent through to the most intense and spectacular art of the early 17th-century Lombard Baroque period. Location: Museo Diocesano. Web: www.museodiocesano.it

1st – 19th March Torino and Rivoli, Piemonte T -Torino Triennale Tremusei. La sindrome di Pantagruel.What megalomaniacs the artists of this century are! They operate on the grand scale and their works are gigantic, reflecting the modern age where everything has to be ‘mega’. This exhibition, in several locations, presents lovers of contemporary art with works by 75 young artists, an overview of the art of the present day. Locations: Castello di Rivoli, GAM, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, PalaFuksas, Casa del Conte Verde, Chiesa di Santa Croce. Web: www.torinotriennale.it

Music 5th March Perugia, Umbria Bach. L’arte della Fuga BWV 1080. Bach’s uncompleted legacy, at the height of his work with counterpoint as the soul and driving force of musical thought. A masterly performance by Reinhard Göbel and his Cologne ancient music ensemble, who constantly strive for a faithful interpretation of the works of the great German composer. Location: Sala dei Notari. Web: www.perugiamusicaclassica.com

15th March Rome, Lazio Richard Galliano & New York Trio. Special Guest Gary Burton. A great experimenter with sounds, Galliano creates music full of colour, new sounds and sweetness. His elegant and dazzling technique makes every concert an unforgettable experience. His special guest for the evening is the celebrated vibraphone player Gary Burton. A unique opportunity to hear them play together! Location: Sala Santa Cecilia. Web: www.santacecilia.it

Exhibitions andShows 17th – 19th March Verona, Veneto Salus. X salone della cultura e dell`economia del benessere. Everything which is new on the market in the way of products and therapies for health and wellbeing. From tourism to health spas to beauty farms to organic produce. A meeting place for the trade but also of great interest to the visitor. Location: Fiera di Verona Web: www.veronafiere.it

23rd – 26th March Florence, Tuscany Danza in Fiera.The world of dance meets in Florence with a programme of events, shows, masterclasses,

competitions and meetings. An important opportunity for exhibitors in the sector. There will be plenty of specialist magazines, associations, showbiz figures, schools and dance companies present. Location: Fortezza da Basso. Web: www.danzainfiera.it

Sport 26th – 31st March Cuneo, Piedmont CUNEO 2006.mondiali scialpinismo. Following the Winter Olympics, Piedmont hosts another important sporting event: the third Alpine Skiing World Championships. The slogan of the event is ‘Skiing the nature’, which perfectly describes this gruelling sporting discipline. Location: Monviso and Mondole´. Web: www.albain.com/sport

Traditional Events 5th March Vernio, Tuscany Sagra della polenta di Vernio. This typically Tuscan village upholds the ancient tradition of the ‘Festa della Miseria’,better known today as the Festival of Polenta. The celebration stems from the dramatic events of a 16th-century war, following which the noble lords provided the suffering population with carts full of chestnut flour with which to make polenta, herrings and salt cod, to prevent the survivors starving. Since that time, the tradition has been repeated every year, embellished by an impressive parade in 16th-century costume. Location: Piazza San Quirico. Web: www.inyourlife.it

14 I TALY
insight

i nsi ght

thenorth andsouth divide

Felix Petrelli’scolumn on Italian life shows just how different the North and South are

BROWSINGthe forums of italy I was surprised to see postings from what seems like hordes of Anglo Saxon visitors swapping comments about buying or relocating to the south of Italy, an area that for at least 100 years the indigenous inhabitants have been fleeing in search of a better life. I was born in the south and my

parents, like many of their generation left

their village in Puglia for Tuscany in search of work. It is true that we are all Italians. We are predominantly Catholic, we speak Italian – though in further flung villages throughout the peninsula this is debatable. My brotherin-law cannot understand my father when he is speaking in dialect, though my twoyear-old Tuscan niece understands her maternal

Puglian and paternal Tuscan grandparents

equally well. There is a sense of national pride which exists when Italy is competing in any sport at an international level – but there the similarities end. Whereas the north is largely industrialised, with easy access to northern European markets, the south is largely agricultural and is one of the poorest regions in Europe.

Unemployment in the South stands at 13.6%,

four times that of the North. The Northern League, a major political party, advocates jettisoning the south and creating an independent Northern State. And yet, for all the problems of infrastructure, economy and poor standards of living, the south boasts a beauty and a quality of life that government statistics cannot measure and I suspect that is why, apart from being an attractive

investment opportunity, Northern Europeans

are arriving in droves to the heel of Italy. The weather is great, there is a history that straddles the ancient Greek civilization, the Roman Empire, the Saracens and even the Normans (witness the odd redhead) and the tempo of life beats to a mercifully slower pace than the one we are accustomed to. All good reasons to return to what was once the heart of the Mediterrenean basin.

I NSI GHT and CURRENT AFFAI RS

newsroundup Andrea Antonionitells us what’s made the headlines in the popular press recently in Italy

FLAMING PASSIONS: Turin hosted the Winter Olympic games in February, with most of Piedmont being involved in the international event. The torch left Athens months before and, as ancient tradition demands, was carried by noted athletes all

the way to Turin to light the Olympic flame.

Unfortunately, the flame was extinguished by local protesters who claimed that too much attention was being paid to this frivolous event and not enough to their fight to stop the boring of the tunnel through the Val di Susa to carry the high-speed trains Italian transport minister Lunardi wants to see running from France to Venice.

SNOWJOKE INMILAN: In late January,

48 hours of snow in north-west Italy caused a

heap of trouble for Italians living in Milan and

Genoa. Nobody had ever seen so much snow falling in one go, the traffic became paralysed and Italians fumbled with snow chains in a desperate attempt to reach their place of work. Sig. Bertolaso nearly lost his job when, as the president of the Italian Civil Protection, he justified the delays in removing snow from the

city streets by saying that snow is an unexpected

event and that therefore there is nothing to do

about it but wait for it stop.

SIG. ROSSI AND LA ROSSA:Valentino Rossi, who in recent years has won every major motorcycling class and is now considered the best rider in the world, had a close encounter with the Formula One environment when he was recently invited by Ferrari to

drive their latest race car. Valentino looked

very comfortable driving La Rossa and is now seriously thinking of swapping the handlebars for the steering wheel. After winning everything there is to win on a motorbike, he is now looking for new incentiveto compete and show his driving skills. I would have thought that the mad driving on Italian roads provides enough exercise in itself!

GRANDE FRATELLO:This year’s edition of

the very popular television programme Grande

Fratello(the Italian version of Britain’s Big

Brother) started on a highly suspenseful note when the producers of the programme set up a competition between Augusto De Megni and an

unknown young Sardinian man. Television viewers were asked to phone in and choose which of the two they wanted to enter the house where this year’s competitors are living. The choice was not just between two ‘nice young men’ but between Augusto, who had been kidnapped as

a child by a gang of Sardinian abductors, and a

representative citizen of Sardinia.

HOLDINGUP THE LAW: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is ending his current term of office as he began it in the summer of 2001. While the political parties are gearing up for the elections in April, Berlusconi is carrying out an assault on the judicial system. The Italian parliament passed a bill which down

grades the crime of false accounting, for which

the prime minister was on trial. However, Italy’s president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi refused to sign this bill and now there may not be enough time left for it to be resubmitted before April’s elections.

BINGO ADDICTION: Passers-by heard a baby crying in a parked car in a freezing cold night in Rome. When they got closer to the vehicle they

could hardly believe their eyes when they realised

that an eight-month-old baby had been left there.

They promptly called the Carabinieribut soon after

their arrival, the parents of the poor child showed up too. The 33-year-old Italian father and 20-yearold Romanian mother candidly explained that they had been at the local casino playing Bingo. They were severely fined by the policemen.

FRA’ SCANDALO: Fedele Bisceglia, a

69-year-old Franciscan monk was famous in

Cosenza, in the south of Italy, for his efforts to free the local population from various crimes such as prostitution, drugs, arms dealings and so on, and he had built a home for up to 50 people, giving them work and sustaining the poor. All this came to a halt when he was arrested by the police and taken to prison after a 20-year-old nun who was working in this home, sued him for sexual

harassment and rape. The friar at the centre

of the scandal denies that this ever happened and from his prison cell declares his innocence and states that he’s been framed by the local mafia who are against his good intentions for a better world.

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