Though this sunset over a Tuscan vineyard is breathtaking, there are many other regions in Italy known for their wines. (photo by echiner1 via flickr)

If you asked, many locals and visitors alike would tell you that autumn is the best time to visit Italy—temperatures are becoming more pleasant after the heat of summer, the number of tourists is lessening, and the harvest of grapes and olives means fantastic wine and olive oil.  And with the wine harvest comes wine festivals.  Lots of them.

During late September and early October, grapes around the country are plucked from their vines and crushed with methods old and new to bottle up what will become some of the world’s best wines.  While you may not drink the benefits of la vendemmia, or grape harvest, for a few months, or in some cases a few years, Italians still use this time of year to celebrate the possibilities. 

La vendemmia is not only a good time to taste wines, it’s also a perfect opportunity to learn about wines and the winemaking process.  Whether red or white, sparkling or still, the time and effort put into harvesting, preparing, and fermenting wine is truly a process.  And at some vineyards throughout the country, you can try to get in on some of the action.  But if manual labor isn’t really your thing, then sit back, relax, and enjoy a glass (or two) of the best wine that Italy has to offer during these fantastic wine festivals.

La Festa dell’Uva in the town of Impruneta in Chianti takes place on the last Sunday of September.  Said to be the oldest harvest festival in Italy, Festa dell’Uva gives people the chance to take part in the harvest of this beautiful Tuscan town—the reward is being able to sip on some fine Chianti Classico.  And then there’s the Pigio—a grape-pressing competition in Poggibonsi, where the seven districts of the towns have a stomp-off to see who can crush the most grapes.

But it’s not just Chianti and Tuscany that are famous for Italian wine. The Veneto region, home to Venice and Verona, also produces some fantastic vino, as does Piedmont, home to the city of Asti—famous for its Asti Spumante.  It’s there that the annual Douja d’Or, or Golden Glass, wine festival takes place (September 10-19), featuring over 500 wine producers offering tastings and lectures. 

Here are some of the other wine festivals to check out this fall while you’re sipping your way through Italia:

Bardolino Grape Festival (Veneto)
Festa del Lambrusco (Emilia Romagna)
Festa del Vino Spoltore (Abruzzo)
Festa dell’uva e del Vino (Lombardy)
Sagra dell’uva e del Vino (Liguria)
Il Vicolo del Vino (Alto Adige)

A few years ago, accessing the Internet in Italy was quite a slow-speed, dial-up adventure.  The options were few and far between—even if you were renting an apartment in a major city.  Internet cafés where you buy an hour or two of web time were really the only option.  One issue holding Italy’s public access Internet back has been a law stating that those people who want to sign online must present valid ID before doing so.  It’s been a feat for Internet providers to navigate the law, but more and more, systems are being put in place for public wireless access points that fit the legal criteria, so joining your business meeting, checking e-mails, and even updating blogs is doable—and sometimes even free!

If you’re one of those people who likes to be constantly connected, then the first place you should check for WiFi is with your hotel.  Most locations will have their services listed on their website, but if they don’t have a website, then chances are you won’t be surfing the web during your stay.  Though you may not always be able to log on from your room, common areas like the lobby and courtyards may be wireless ready. 

Next, if your itinerary is right, you may hit a city or two that has gone wireless in parks, piazzas, and other public places.  It seems only fitting that Italy’s capital, Rome, is one of the leaders in this venture.  Now, nearly wherever you go, especially throughout the park at Villa Borghese, you can log on with your laptop or other wireless device while still taking in the scenery and interacting with locals.  Check out Roma Wireless for exact hotspots within the Eternal City.  Milan offers free WiFi in Parco Sempione—simply head to one of three locations around the park (the Aquarium, the Triennale museum, or Torre Branca) to register.  Venice offers its residents free WiFi throughout the downtown, on the Lido, and in Mestre on the mainland, but with some creativity you may be able to register as a tourist.  You can also get online at the public library in Genova (Biblioteca Civica Berio located at Via del Seminario 16).

Smaller cities have also gotten on board—and maybe even more so!  Bologna, an hour outside of Florence, is 100% wireless ready throughout town—perhaps because it is home to the world’s oldest university.  Verona’s major sites, including Piazza Bra, Piazza Erbe, the library, Parco San Giacomo, and Piazza Pozza, offer free Wifi after registration.  Head to the URP Office (at Via Adigetto 10), Biblioteca Civica (at Via Cappello 43), Pari Opportunità (at Piazzetta Scala 2), and the city’s website for more information and registration.  The small town of Piacenza in Emilia Romagna has six zones of wireless access: Piazza Cavalli, Stazione Ferroviaria, Piazza Cittadella, Biblioteca Passerini OLandi, Piazzetta Liceo Respighi, and Biblioteca Dante. 

Of course, this is all in addition to the countless hotels, Internet cafés, bars, restaurants, and train and airport lobbies that also offer wireless—sometimes free, sometimes with a fee.  For more research before you go to Italy, check out Guglielmo and Free-Hotspot.

Have any luck accessing the Internet in places other than the ones listed above?  Let us know!

San Vito lo Capo's pristine beach (photo by Troels Fiig via flickr)

When you think of Italian cuisine—in particular side dishes—the last thing that probably comes to mind is cous cous.  Yet somehow it’s important enough in the charming Sicilian beach town of San Vito lo Capo that it is celebrated in an international festival every year during the third week of September.  Chefs from Italy, France, Algeria, the Ivory Coast, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Senegal, and Tunisia gather in the town of less than 5,000 residents to showcase the gastronomic delight, which is then offered up in a public tasting.

Located just outside of Trapani, a seaside town known for its abundance of salt deposits, coastal windmills, and ideal location to watch Mediterranean sunsets, and Erice, a mountaintop town that is home to several castles, there are plenty of other reasons to visit San Vito lo Capo—the least of which is its fantastic white sand beach.  While taking a break from the emerald green water, beachgoers can grab a bite to eat at one of the many nearby restaurants. 

Nestled in a valley between impressive mountains, including the pointed peak of Mount Cofano, San Vito lo Capo is one of Sicily’s—and Italy’s—secret destinations, despite the fact that nearby Scopello was one of the filming locations for Ocean’s Twelve.  Just to the south of San Vito is the Zingaro Nature Reserve, and throughout town is a series of watchtowers dating back to the 1500s as well as numerous caves with wall etchings that are over 40,000 years old—many of which are unreachable without the aide of a professional guide. 

Rich in Arabic, Spanish, and North African influences, San Vito lo Capo thrives off of agriculture—olives, olive oil, lemons, oranges, vegetables, grapes, and oats are all grown locally—and fishing has been a main economic source for years.  Local fishermen have made a living off of the abundance of tuna, and exploring the inactive Tonnara del Secco gives a glimpse into the industry. 

So, the next time you’re in Sicily—particularly around Erice and Trapani—be sure to head to San Vito lo Capo for some relaxing beach time and, why not, cous cous.

This fall, the city of Torino will be swept off its feet with the annual contemporary dance series TorinoDanza Festival 2010.  This year’s installment, from September 7 to November 13, will take place in some of Torino’s grandest venues: Teatro Regio, Fonderie Limone, Cavallerizza Reale, Teatro Stabile, and Teatro Carignano.

Broken down into three sections, the festival’s goal is to bring Torino into the limelight in the contemporary dance world while exposing new audiences to this graceful yet cutting-edge art form.

The first section, entitled “Miti,” or myths, opens the festival with a tribute to George Balanchine and Jirí Kylián, where the Royal Ballet of Flanders will demonstrate the beautiful relationship between physical movements and music presented by these two amazing choreographers.  The dance company from Belgium will present three pieces: Balanchine’s Theme and Variations and Kylián’s Forgotten Land and 27’52”. The next show in the “Miti” category will be “you PARA│DISO,” choreographed by Italy native Emio Greco, which follows the cycle of Dante’s Divine Comedy.

The 80s will be the focus of the next section as the Rosas dance company presents some of the most memorable contemporary dance pieces from that decade, including Rosas danst Rosas, choreographed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, and May B by Maguy Marin, allowing the dancers to get back in touch with their contemporary roots and teach audiences some of the history of dance.  The final section will be “Platel e les ballets C de la B,” where choreographer Alain Platel and his dancers will explore the juxtaposition of pain and hope, suffering and revenge.

There will be several bonus performances mixed in with these three themed segments, including the Italian premiere of Lisi Estaras’s Primero Erscht and a tribute to German choreographer Pina Bausch.

Whether you’re a dance aficionado or have never experienced the art before, the TorinoDanza Festival is a great place to see contemporary dance at its finest—and it’s a great excuse to take a trip to Torino!

The Living Chess Game in Marostica (photo via official website)

In the past, we’ve told you about several of Italy’s odd festivals and celebrations, and it seems we’ve come across one more.  Every other year, in even-numbered years, the small, medieval town of Marostica, about an hour northwest of Venice in the Veneto region, turns into a scene that seems straight out of Alice in Wonderland as the Partita a Scacchi con Personaggi Viventi (Living Chess Game) gets underway. 

During the second weekend of September (this year, September 10-12), over 500 locals within the city’s walls dress up to participate in a live chess game—and those not playing a role in period costume pack themselves into the 4,000 seats surrounding the 66’ x 66’ marble chess board in Piazza Castello (often called Piazza degli Scacchi, or Plaza of Chess).  Two teams (one dressed in black, the other in white) parade across the piazza—kings, queens, bishops, rooks, pawns, and even knights on horseback.  As they take their places in their respective squares, a procession of actors playing both royalty and peasants fills in the area in front of Lower Castle, which dominates the piazza, and two princes make their way to a table.  It’s these men who will determine the outcome of the game.  So who are they?

As the story goes, they represent two local suitors of the 1400s who fell in love with the same woman, Linora, and challenged each other to a duel—the winner of which would win her hand.  Not wanting either nobleman to be harmed, Linora’s father suggested that the two face off in a different kind of match—one that challenged brain over brawn.  He coordinated a chess game of armed, living people to be played out in front of the entire town.  Move by calculated move, the living chess pieces were guided about the board until, finally, one team’s king was taken down and Linora’s betrothed determined.

Both before and after the men directed the gamepieces, locals celebrated with dancing, music, and feasting.  All of that is still incorporated into the two-hour long modern-day reenactment—much of which is in the ancient Venezia dialect. 

If you can’t make it to Marostica this even-numbered September, check it out next year—it’s in the odd-numbered years that the real chess competition happens.  The International Chess Festival brings the world’s best chess players to town—specializing in the more traditional, smaller version of the game.  But you can still get a feel for what the Living Chess Game is like by taking a walk through Lower Castle, where there is a permanent exhibit of the traditional costumes worn by pawns and princesses alike.  Once you’ve had your fill of chess, try out the best cherries in Italy, which are grown locally.

Juliet's house and balcony--look closely at the house walls and you'll see some of the letters left behind for Shakespeare's heroine. (photo via wikimedia)

Romeo and Juliet—those two “star-cross’d lovers” from Verona first made famous by the bard himself, William Shakespeare, in his classic play of the same name.  But was he actually the creative mind behind the epic romance?  Apparently not.

The young couple was created and modified by several Italian writers.  Masuccio Salernitano was the first to develop the story, which he claimed was based on real events that took place in his lifetime.  Set in Siena, his 1476 story of Mariotto and Gianozza includes some of the modern storylines, including the secret marriage, the potion, and the fatal miscommunication.  It, however, sees the hero of the story beheaded while his beloved dies of grief.  But every good story needs to start somewhere, right?

The next author, Luigi da Porto, moved the story to Verona and renamed the protagonists Romeus and Giulietta.  Da Porto shaped the story into much of what we know now.  He set up the rivaling families (though named Montecchi and Capuleti) and added the secondary characters on which Shakespeare based Paris, Tybalt, and Mercutio.  Da Porto also claims that the story is historically accurate, portraying the actual tale of young, ill-fated Veronesi lovers who lived at the beginning of the 14^th Century.

Matteo Bandello from Piedmont was responsible for the most famous version of the story, building upon da Porto’s by introducing the nurse and Benvolio and by heightening the feud between the two families.  Bandello’s version was translated into French, in which the names Capulet and Montague were given, and also into English by Arthur Brooke.  It was Brooke’s version that Shakespeare was said to have followed while writing his play. 

Whether or not the story is true, its heroine is still celebrated in her hometown of Verona.  It’s there that you can visit her house, gaze up at her balcony as Romeo once did, or sit in the courtyard beneath it, contemplating love and life.  And, as it’s been highlighted in recent movies and books, you may also write her a letter seeking advice.  And you may even get a response!  That’s all thanks to Il Club di Giulietta and her volunteer secretaries, who make it a point to keep Juliet’s legacy and spirit alive. 

One way the Juliet Club does that is by celebrating her birthday every September 16^th (the date from da Ponte’s version) with parades, dances, and street fairs filled with artists, musicians, and magic, recreating Verona in the 1300-1400s.  To cap off the festivities, the famous balcony scene from Shakespeare’s (or is it Salernitano’s, da Porto’s, or Bandello’s?) infamous work is recreated.

How will you celebrate Juliet’s birthday this year?

Naples used to get a bad rap: garbage, the Camorra, political corruption, congestion.  But those are a thing of the past.  While Napoli is still a convenient base to get to places like Pompeii, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast, there are many treasures to be explored within its city limits and within its historic center—the biggest one in Europe.

Almost 3,000 years old, Naples gets its name from the Greek word Neápolis, meaning “new city,” which it was while it was a Greek colony.  Because it has been through so many regimes, you will find countless traces of ancient architecture—Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, not to mention Greek and Roman.

Napoli at sunset (photo via wikimedia)

Many of Napoli’s monumental highlights can be found around Piazza del Plebiscito. The domed church San Francesco di Paola and the Royal Palace lay on its perimeter while Teatro di San Carlo, the oldest and largest opera house in Italy, and the Galleria Umberto shopping center are right around the corner.  Across town, Spaccanapoli, also known as Via San Biagio, is home to shops, some of the city’s 448 historical churches, including Santa Chiara and Gesù Nuovo, and is the heart of Napoli’s historic center.  The imposing Castel Nuovo, sometimes called Maschio Angioino, houses the Civic Museum while in the Bay of Naples, Castel dell’Ovo, or Egg Castle, sits on an island for all to see.  Though it is said to be the place where Napoli was first established, the island is now home to great nightlife with bars, restaurants, and exhibitions and concert venues.  Then there’s the University of Naples, considered to be the oldest state university in the world, which boasts one of the best botanical gardens in the country.  And it’s easy to see these sights around the city because of Napoli’s great public transportation system, which moves the nearly one million residents around on metros, buses, trams, trolleys, and funiculare, inclined railways that offer spectacular views of the sights mentioned above.

Let’s get serious, though.  The main reason people come to Naples is because of the food.  Sure, people want to taste the area’s sweet zeppole, sfogliatelle, and gelato; the local wine and limoncello throughout the Campania region; pasta dishes like eggplant parmesan; and the fried street food like arancini and crochette.  But the main Neapolitan culinary event has to be…pizza.

That’s right—the food we’ve all come to know and love throughout the world originated in this Italian coastal town as a dish of the poor.  That is, until royalty got a slice.  In fact, the Italian pizza margherita (tomato sauce with slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and a few basil leaves) was named after Queen Margherita upon her visit to Napoli.  There are rules when it comes to pizza in Naples—ingredients can only include specific types of flour, natural water, peeled tomatoes or fresh cherry tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, and marine salt.  Traditionally, pies are cooked in a wood-burning oven, and you’ll be able to find many places still serving up dishes the same way.  While your eyes may be bigger than your stomach, don’t get too greedy when portioning out your slice—pizza around Italy is usually priced by the pound!

So go ahead, lounge in a piazza, eat a slice of pizza, enjoy the Mediterranean climate year round, and make sure to listen out for Napoletano-Calabrese, the dialect spoken in the region.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Napoli?

We’ve told you about some unique music festivals before, but none of those have simultaneously taken over two of northern Italy’s biggest cities.  MITO SettembreMusica, however, does just that. 

From September 3 to 24, the world’s best orchestras, conductors, musicians, soloists, contemporary artists, and plenty of other creative minds (totaling 3,400 performers) will split their time between Torino and Milan in the fourth installment of this rock/jazz/classical/pop/symphonic/chamber music extravaganza.  And with a new high-speed train connecting the two host cities, attending concerts in both locations—on the same day, even—has never been more feasible.  And that’s exactly what the festival’s creators want you to do!

Performers in the past have included Lou Reed, Natalia Gutman, Richard Galliano, Herbie Hancock, and Paolo Conte, and this year is no different, with names such as Fabio Vacchi, Toni Servillo, Cecilia Bartoli, Billy Cobham, John Cale, Phill Niblock, and Nicole Mitchell filling out the program.  On top of the regular series of concerts, there will be three special presentations throughout the festival, drawing inspiration from three distinct regions of the world: Turkey, Germany, and France.  “Focus Turchia” (4-5, 7-11, 14 20-21 in Milan and 5, 8-10, 12, 15-16, 19, 22 in Torino) will feature whirling Turkish Dervishes and marching Jannisaries, plus plenty of traditional and contemporary music.  The “two faces of musical Germany today,” Helmut Lachenmann and Wolfgang Rihm will also be spotlighted by outstanding music ensembles, including the Arditti Quartet the Rai National Symphony Orchestra, and the City of Madrid Symphony Orchestra (16-18, 20, 22 in Milan and 15-18, 20-21 in Torino).  The third will feature daily one-hour concerts by pianists from the International Piano Academy of Imola playing their favorite pieces by Chopin and Schumann to honor the 200^th anniversaries of the composers’ births.  Interestingly, the programs will not be established ahead of time, so it’s possible that some songs will be repeated! 

The festival’s over 200 performances will be hosted in varying venues—from La Scala in Milan and Lingotto in Torino for the opening concerts to city piazzas and subway stations, which mostly offer free admission. 

So, if you’ll be in either city this September, look and listen for some top-notch music.

The stars will come out to Venice at the end of the month for the 67^th Annual Venice Film Festival, the oldest and most prestigious film festival in the world.  The festival is from September 1 to 10, but celebrities like George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Natalia Portman, and more will start arriving in the days leading up to the big event, which is a part of the Venice Biennale, a major contemporary art festival held twice every year. 

The film festival, which represents 35 countries in 2010, is broken down into four categories: Venezia 67, for world premiere feature films (24 this year); Out of Competition, films by directors like Martin Scorsese and Casey Affleck who have already had films in the festival (27 this year); Orizzonti, films that present new trends in international cinema (21 this year); and Controcampo Italiano, films presenting new trends within Italian cinema (12 this year).  In addition, there will also be a retrospective on Italian comedy and two independent sections of the festival.  Screenings of the films take place on the Venetian Lido in the historic Palazzo del Cinema.

The films and filmmakers compete for the coveted Golden Lion, as well as Silver Lions, and actors and actresses are up for the Copa Volpi award.  The awards given out at the Venice Film Festival are often indicative of other international film awards over the course of the next year, including the Oscars.

The festival will open with Black Swan, by American filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman in the New York City ballet world.  The festival will close with the world premiere of The Tempest, an American film by Julie Taymor starring Helen Mirren.  Four Italian films are up for the coveted Golden Lion: Carlo Mazzacurati’s La Passione, Mario Martone’s Noi Credevamo, Ascanio Celestini’s La Pecora Nera, and Saverio Costanzo’s film based on the novel The Solitude of Prime Numbers. 

So, if you’re in Venice at the beginning of September and are over 18, try snagging a ticket to see one of the films!  Just hop on vaporetto number 1 from Piazza San Marco and keep an eye out for celebs!

Been to the Venice Film Festival before?  Tell us about your experience!

See three of the fingers holding that telescope in person at Museo Galileo. (photo via wikimedia)

Astronomy.  Physics.  The telescope.  The moons of Jupiter.  Sunspots.  The thermometer.  And a little something called the Leaning Tower.  Those are just some of the credits of Pisa’s Galileo Galilei, often called the Father of Modern Science.

It’s only fitting then that after a two-year hiatus and renovation, Florence’s Instituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza (Institute and Museum of the History of Science) has been renamed Museo Galileo (The Galileo Museum).  Housed in the 12^th Century Palazzo Castellani, the revamped museum has over 1,000 exhibits of major scientific instruments—many of them Galileo’s, but the majority from other Florentine and Tuscan scientists.  Blending the old with the new, the museum also has portable video guides, using cutting-edge, touch-screen technology to enhance the visitor experience by allowing patrons to link to more information, biographies, and 3D animation while exploring the exhibits and planning out an itinerary for the museum.  Museo Galileo is the first museum to use such technology.    

In addition to Galileo’s specialized library (also available on the museum’s comprehensive website), visitors will also see instruments designed and constructed by the scientist—this museum is the only place where you’ll see these priceless objects.  The most impressive pieces are two original telescopes and the objective lens through which Galileo first spotted Jupiter’s moons.  You’ll also find pieces from the collections of the Medici and the House of Lorraine dynasties.

But the biggest attraction of Museo Galileo is the newly discovered severed fingers of the great scientist.  The museum was already in possession of his right middle finger, but recently it acquired the right thumb and index finger, plus a tooth, at an auction.  Strangely, the previous owner wasn’t aware of whose fingers were in the sealed jar he was given after it was passed down through his family.  When the item went up for auction, it was compared with a description of the jar by the last person who saw Galileo’s remains.   The thin, shrunken fingers are now on display in a pressurized case beneath a bust of their owner, very close to the telescopes they once used to completely change science.