Italy's Summer Festival Delimma

 Pisa San Ranieri festival  illumination draws  crowds  

 If you are planning a summer stay in one of Italy’s beautiful mid-size towns be sure to  check the dates of the local summer festival before booking your flight and accommodations.   Many historic Italian towns celebrate summer with  festivals that  draw large crowds such as  Pisa’s  Luminara di San Ranieri and Gioco del Ponte which have been celebrated  in mid June for hundreds of years.

the tower of Pisa  by night 

Other towns like  Montefiascone and Vignanello have  invented festivals or sagre  celebrating  local wine  and local food stars at the Cene in Cantina in my hometown, Vetralla. 

Along with providing entertainment,  these festivals produce  a great  amount of  confusion  annihilating the usual lifestyle of historic towns.   

The  younger crowd  looking for  lots of action may enjoy  the added buzz of  a  summer festival, but if  you prefer more traditional, slower paced living and genuine Italian lifestyle, organize your holiday  stay  before or after the festival or book a place distant  from the festival venue in order to enjoy the festivities and also get a good night’s sleep.

Italian towns cannot  compete with the night life of  Ibiza or Mykonos yet  Vetralla’s  Cene in Cantina festival boasted  4 nights of  rock music  blasted by  powerful speakers  and a strange, sweet "perfume" wafted through the air  from 11 p.m. until well after 2 a.m. 

In Viterbo  the pseudo-cultural Caffeina Festival’s  ten evenings of happenings boasted many food stands cooking up fried foods and selling  alcoholic drinks in medieval piazzas where local restaurants regularly  close down.

circus or cultural festival? 

contrasting  with the medieval architecture 

 As tourists walked  through Europe’s best preserved medieval quarter San Pellegrino, they wondered:  What do energy drinks  and mojito have to do with medieval Italy?

The lower prices and commercial (junk) food served  at the 10-day festival  creates a lot of competition with  permanent restaurants offering quality local fare.. and what about the health safeguards?  During a  street-side show  cooking, a chef was coughing directly  onto the  food  being prepared.  

This year the organizers of the Viterbo festival, perhaps sensing their future demise, decided to milk the city’s major volunteer and cultural associations.

Archeotuscia presents in Cortile dell'Abate 

on the far right, Caffeina staff take "donations" 

 Archeotuscia with its 500+ members was given time and space on the festival  calendar to publicize  their association, but in order to enter  the piazza where the presentation was being held  everyone, including members, was  asked to “donate”  3.50 euro to Caffeina’s organizers. 

A mammoth book stall set up in the  main piazza seemed to be a sign of culture: but after scouring the tables loaded with books  and interviewing a volunteer (one of  250 who receive only a free meal and T shirt) I realized there was a complete  absence of books, authors and publications from and about  the Viterbo/Tuscia area.  

book tent at Caffeina

There are a smattering of local authors presenting their latest books during the quiet dinner hours, and hopefully the audience will not mind paying a ticket to attend.

 It was a surprise  to see  an entire stand dedicated to Gabriele D’Annunzio’s  Vittoriale located on Lake Garda in northern Italy. This was done to  thank  a commercial writer  whose books have been presented numerous times at the Festival. 

The city's older residents,  families  and sleep deprived working people become prisoners of these summer festivals for they have little access to their neighborhoods and can be seen schlepping  their groceries from distant parking areas.

Local tourism operators, restaurants,  B&Bs and  artisans who keep the  historic center (especially San Pellegrino ) alive all through the year are not happy with the filth, broken bottles, hooligans and extra garbage produced.

San Pellegrino,  8:30 a.m. 

 Inhabitants and administrators are beginning to realize that concentrating large doses of festival/culture/action may not be worth the problems created.  This year the discussions concerning  these noisy  summer festivals  have been rife  and  the idea of  sustainable tourism is now  being considered.

historic fountain and portapotty

A set of guidelines and  rules of behavior are needed to protect the  rights of citizens living in the areas where the festivals are held.  Safeguarding  fragile medieval and Renaissance buildings, fountains and  piazzas  is another priority.

historic fountains masqueraded as plant holders

massive speakers for a tiny piazza 

 The architectural  monuments that make our towns and cities so special should not be masked by garish  carnival rides and  plastic flowers.  

A summer festival that involves high decibel  music should  have a proper  container: a stadium, a large outdoor space or  theatre  not  a tiny, flower filled piazza which serves as an outdoor living room to its inhabitants.

 Read  more about this on my previous blog  article.  

Your comments and shares are appreciated. What are summer festivals like in your area? 

Change of Date: Promoting Etruria: what today's tourists want to know

Presentation of  Etruria Storie e Segreti  to be held in Rome
March   25th  

Change of Date !! Due  to President Obama's scheduled  visit to Rome  on March  27th  we have changed the date for the  upcoming presentation to be held in Rome at the prestigious Fondazione Besso in Largo Argentina. 
Mark your calendars  for  Tuesday, March  25^th at 5 p.m. and come to hear  three distinguished scholars Francesca Ceci,  Luca Pesante  and Cristina Carosi discuss my latest book, in Italian ETRURIA Storie  e Segreti. 

entrance of  Fondazione Besso 

Since  selling copies of the book at the Fondazione is not allowed, purchase  your copy  beforehand and bring it along to be signed by the author. Or pick up a copy at our exclusive  distributor in Rome- the Anglo American bookshop on Via della Vite, near the Spanish Steps. 

The easiest way to get your copy is to order  the book directly  and have it sent to your Italian address free of charge.   

This week marks the   beginning of the 4^th year  of  life for  50yearsinItaly  published weekly  in the  town of Vetralla, an  hour  north of Rome. We are proud to announce that  the town has been chosen  by ThazItalia  to take part in an important tourism project backed  by Terravision. 

announcing  ThazItalia's arrival in Vetralla 

 Now, more than ever,  information and promotion of the  area has become of vital importance, and   Elegant Etruria, Etruria Editions and  50yearsinItaly  are happy to be of service.

audience  at  Vetralla's Library 

   After   4 books in English and  20 years   living   in central Italy, I finally gave in to the insistence of  Italian friends  and published  my first book in Italian about the area known as Etruria or Tuscia.  Thanks to   the help of a  highly qualified  team of collaborators,  illustrators,  photographers and translators,  the book  is enjoying  a huge  success.

presentation in Vetralla

Now the hard part of publicizing and distributing   to the general public,  especially those working in  tourism and cultural fields, who  need  to know about the area’s  unique  past  in order to protect and  promote  the  territory   on an international level.

with Francesco Aliperti of Edizioni Archeoares

Since   the publication of Etruria Storie e Segreti there has been a  whirlwind of activity  and promotion and Edizioni Archeoares  is helping me with the coordination.   

Vetralla  presentation 

Regardless  of the   pouring rain  the book was   presented  at   Vetralla’s library to a  full house. Thanks to   culture  councilman Michele Vittori and  Fulvio Ferri.

With Francesca Ceci at Viterbo's Prefettura 

The next weekend we were  guests of Archeotuscia  in the  prestigious hall  of  Viterbo’s  Prefettura, again  with a full house  and lots of book sales.  As archeologist   Francesca Ceci   of  Rome’s  Capitoline Museums  introduced  the book,   the  audience  viewed  the  book trailer with music by Kay McCarthy  and a panorama of  the book’s  many  illustrations.    

Viterbo Archeotuscia presentation 

Yesterday,  a sunny Saturday, we were   at  Libroteca   bookshop  in the center of Civita Castellana.  Among the guests were  Franco Giorgi, dean of the city’s ceramic artists  and  noted artisan Mastro Cencio, Vincenzo Dobbloni.

with Mastro Cencio  at Libroteca 

Libroteca, Via Garibaldi, Civita Castellana

   For more information  about  the book,  where to find it , how to order  signed copies, check this page.  Multiple  copies at discounted price are available   for schools, hotels and  groups .  

The number of readers  and followers  has increased  enormously since  February  2011. How long have you been reading  50yearsinItaly ?   You can suggest  it to friends  by using the Facebook and  other share buttons at the bottom of the page. Your suggestions and comments  are important  so please take time  to write a   line or two.

Tuscania's Top Five Sites

San Giusto Abbey, Tuscania  (foto G. Bellucci)

Majestic stone  towers, churches, castles  and  a newly rediscovered abbey are among the top sites  to visit in Tuscania, a  small  city nestled among the rolling hills  and a verdant valley that D.H. Lawrence called the most beautiful in Italy.

Unfortunately we do not know what the  Etruscans called this settlement, but when the Romans  arrived they gave it the name  Tuscana. For a few centuries known as Toscanella,  and now    Tuscania,  it  may be only a pin point on the map between the  seaside town of Tarquinia and the provincial capital,Viterbo, but it has its share of magnificent architecture and  monuments.

Castle of Rocca Respampini (foto A.Cecchini)

 The first  site  not to be missed  is the huge, abandoned castle of Rocca Respampini, which can be seen in the distance, along the scenic Via Vetrallese, half way between Vetralla and Tuscania.

Rivellino, the original settlement of Tuscania, is  a  windy hilltop  crowned  with towers and the monumental  church of San Pietro with its intact Cosmatesque pavements.  Unfortunately photos are not allowed inside these monuments, so you'll have to take my word for it: they are magnificent.

towers near San Pietro ...

...and  main entrance 

 A series of dusty  black and white  photos on view inside the church  remind us of the destruction wrought to this building, and the entire town, during  the February, 1971 earthquake.

 facade and rose window of  S. Maria Maggiore

The complex of S. Maria Maggiore,  at the base of the hill,   merits a close look for its  magnificent façade as well as the  interior  where Etruscan sarcophagi  are lined up  along the nave.  Just a few steps away you will find the remains of a Roman thermal bath on the side of  the road.

S. Maria Maggiore (foto G. Bellucci) 

The town fathers of Tuscania   have intelligently left a stretch of the original Roman  road, the Via Clodia,  visible  in the center of the town, on the way to the former church of San Francesco where  a school for  chefs, the Boscolo Etoile Academy, is  now installed.

San Giusto (foto G. Bellucci) 

The  recently restored Abbey of San Giusto, located a  few kilometers  out of town in the Marta river valley was a completely invisible ruin for over 500  years until purchased and restored by a private owner from Bologna. Now returned to its original splendor it is another of the many special places to visit in Tuscania.

peperino stone fountain  

These are only a sample of the  itineraries and special places to visit in central Italy. Take a look at my website for  indepth articles and for more on the mysterious sites of Northern Lazio  see my latest book. 

Keeping up with Happenings in Italy

Members of the   foreign  community  mix with locals 

In the good old days before the revolution in communications caused by internet and computer based publications, there were English language daily newspapers in  Italy dispensing  news, information,classified and listings of events and  happening.

The days of the Daily American and  Daily News  are  gone forever, replaced by dozens  of  Italian and English  online magazines and  newspapers. 

Professional journalists who have kept up with the  new media are competing with newly arrived bloggers for  readership. 

 The result is a plethora of on-line resources  readily available at the click of a mouse. Never before has there  been so much information available  for newly arrived expats, it is definitely easier to learn one's way around the maze of living in Italy. 

 Wanted in Rome  still prints  a paper edition on sale at various points in the city including the Anglo American bookshop on Via della Vite near the Spanish Steps.

 The Florentine  can be found throughout  Florence  in its paper format or on line. Is there an English language magazine published  in your area? 

TimeOut  magazine  has both online and print magazines  in major cities worldwide: besides Rome there is the original for New York plus Istanbul and London.  

The American magazine   has  great lists of events, happenings, and restaurant listings .  It is published by the dean of Rome's English journalists, Christopher Winner. 

For those living in or visiting the Northern Lazio, Viterbo, Tuscia, Etruria areas here are some other tips for keeping up with the local happenings. Drop us a line in the comments box with your  favorites:

·   In towns and villages throughout Italy the walls are plastered with locandine or wall posters announcing festivals, processions, celebrations and musical events which are abundant in the summer months.

·  Get  on  mailing lists  of associations in your  area. For the Olgiata area contact Paola at  Welcome Neighbor.   

·  Interested in archeology conferences and excursions?  Join  the 370 members of Archeotuscia for a rich calendar of outings in the northern Lazio area. See below for  this week's happenings. 

·   Tuscia Web  is just one of the many on line news sources for  Viterbo and environs. Others are Teresa Pierini's La Tua Etruria. 

·  La Loggetta is a bi-monthly  magazine written by local experts with a subscription of  25 euro. It can be  delivered to you  worldwide. www.laloggetta.it

  For musical afternoons and house concerts in the N. Lazio area   check out Opera Extravaganza . 

     Ask to be on their mailing list for updates on concerts.

Massimiliano Darida and Maria Lunella Reedy
delighted the audience at yesterday's concert

part of the international  audience  

·    Some faithful readers  may  remember  the 70+ issues of   Elegant Etruria Newsletter  that I emailed  to hundreds  of addresses  in the mid-1990s, a labor of love which helped to give information to the  burgeoning  international community of Rome's northern suburbs.    Feedback was rare,  but the huge  mailing list  and connections  made,  became a highly prized  (and envied) piece of information.

·   Mailing lists, email invitations…these have now been  surpassed  by the many blogs published  in English in central Italy.  Sign up(scroll to the bottom of the page and leave your email)  to receive  the  weekly edition of  this blog 50yearsinItaly,  one of many in English. Please share the names of your favorites with a comment  at the bottom of the page. 

And in case you havn't heard yet, here are just a few of the interesting happenings taking place this week in the Viterbo area: 

• Friday, 25th Jan. in Viterbo I will be  presenting an illustrated conference for Archeotuscia  entitled  “Foreign Artists and Archeologists in  Etruria” .  To be held at Sala Coronas, 2nd floor, the Prefecture of Viterbo (Piazza dei Priori, near the City Hall) at  5 p.m.  on Friday 25th January. All  are welcome to attend.

Francesco Aliperti & Georgia of Edizioni Archeoares 

  

delegation of Air Force students 



Mario Bracci Devoti, Fabiano  B.  & Chief Inspector Orlandini 

• Photos of Friday Jan. 25th  conference in Viterbo.





• Saturday, 26th Jan. in Vetralla,  Destinatario Sconosciuto at the Museum  of Vetralla. 
• Your comments are welcome. Commenti in italiano  sono benvenuti!