Exploring Italy

Stages are set across the city centre of Perugia for Umbria Jazz 2009 - undoubtedly Italy's main Jazz event of the year.
Italian artists such as Paolo Conte and Enrico Rava join international starts such as Steely Dan and Simply Red alongside dozens of others to offer 10 days of non-stop music in Perugia.

The current population of Tuscany is not descended from the Etruscans, the people that lived in the region during the Bronze Age, a new Italian study has shown.

Italian novelist, poet and playwright Tiziano Scarpa won the prestigious Strega literary prize Thursday night with his third novel, Stabat Mater.

Italy is facing a tough week with a rocky start to the G8 summit. Today various leaders are spread between Rome and L'Aquila and Abruzzo either carrying out official meetings or visiting the areas destroyed by April's deadly earthquake.

This historically heady city hasn’t succumbed to being either glossily heritaged or blighted by high-rise hotels, despite the frequent budget flights disgorging tourists from the UK. Instead, Cagliari is a cosmopolitan working city surrounding an evocative medieval centre where taverns and restaurants casually spill out onto the many cobbled piazzas.
Cagliari’s two thousand years of history has also left its mark, with archaeological remains, superb churches and several fine museums. Nearby, the city’s long Poetto beach is good for a city-side splash, while the salt marshes are preferred by such feathered friends as pink flamingos, cranes and cormorants.

Urban sprawl, a seedy bus and train station area, and the odd skyscraper don’t hint at Brescia’s fascinating old town, which serves as a reminder of its substantial history.
Brescia already had centuries of (now-obscure) history behind it when the Romans conquered the Gallic town in 225 BC. The Carolingians took over in the 9th century, and were followed by a millennium’s worth of outside rulers including the Venetians. As revolutionary fervour swept Europe in 1848–49, Brescia was dubbed ‘The Lioness’ for its 10-day attempted uprising against Austria in a prelude to its participation in the movement towards Italian unification a decade later.

‘Se Parigi avesse il mare, sarebbe una piccola Bari’ (if Paris had the sea, it would be a little Bari). This popular saying tells you more about the local sense of humour than it does about the city, but Bari has a surprising amount of charm, particularly Bari Vecchia, its increasingly chic medieval old town. Construction of the new city’s graceful grid was started in 1813. When independence was gained in 1861 it had 34,000 inhabitants, but since then it has spread apace north and south along the coast.
Bari is Puglia’s capital and one of the south’s most prosperous cities – check out the designer shops along Via Sparano da Bari. Here you will eat and shop well alongside a demanding local clientele.

Two-thirds of Alto Adige speak German as their first language although in Bolzano, the capital of the province, you'll find the opposite. The region is characterised by the peaks, valleys and ski-runs of Cortina d'Ampezzo, Merano, Val Badia, Val Gardena, Val Pusteria & the Sesto Dolomites.

Travel Alert: An earthquake hit Abruzzo on 6 April 2009, devastating the towns of L'aquila, Onna and Castelnuovo. Travellers should be aware that the region has suffered widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure and should expect delays as the area recovers.
Best known for its dramatic mountain scenery, Abruzzo’s landscape is surprisingly diverse. There are ancient forests in the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, a vast plain extends east of Avezzano and the coastline is flat and sandy.

Italy


Travel advisory: In the lead up to the G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy has suspended the Schengen Agreement until July 15. All travellers need to carry a valid passport (EU nationals must have a current passport or other valid identification) and should expect delays at airports and border crossings.
The world’s love affair with Italy continues. The bel paese (beautiful country) might no longer be a blushing bride but this most beguiling of countries still has the power to thrill, to throw up surprises and excite emotion.