The traditional Bellini Opera Festival, that every year since 2009 has paid homage to Vincenzo Bellini in Catania his native town, is back again in the Sicilian city. 

Starting, as per tradition, on the anniversary of his death on 23 September, and concluding on 3 November 2022 with a concert at the Duomo on the day we celebrate the 221st anniversary of his birth.

Events in Catania and abroad

This 14th edition has a programme of operas, concerts, dance and theatre performances, exhibitions, meetings and round tables including the Bellini Opera Festival live performances, Bellini Renaissance cultural and scientific studies, and the Bellini International activities around the world.   

Starting with La Sonnambula

The Festival will start this year with a new production of La Sonnambula, an opera considered among Vincenzo Bellini's absolute masterpieces, staged with a first-rate cast on 23 and 25 September 2022 at the Metropolitan Theatre of Catania (the city's largest theatre). 

An anniversary concert with free admission

Opera returns with Bianca e Fernando on 29 October. On 3 November 2022, the day of the 221st anniversary of Vincenzo Bellini's birth, there will be a double date: the Belliniana Concert at the Badia di Sant'Agata, and the grand finale with the evening Anniversary Concert in the Cathedral, with free admission while places last. All tickets are on sale at the usual presale outlets throughout Italy as well as online.

On the official website you can also find the programme at www.bellini-festival.org and www.festivalbelliniano.org.

The Fruits of the Castle harvesting event will be held on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 October, when some 180 exhibitors of plants, flowers, fruit, fine craftsmanship and agriculture will get together for a unique weekend at Paderna Castle in Pontenure in the province of Piacenza in the Emilia Romagna region.

Now in its 27th edition

This year is the 27th edition, making Fruits of the Castle one of the longest-running events dedicated to floriculture in Italy. On Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 October exhibitors of plants, flowers and forgotten fruits, skilled craftsmanship and agricultural producers will showcase their excellence in the charming courtyards and lush park of Paderna Castle in Pontenure, which is about 15 minutes from Piacenza. 

Meeting experts and operators

The two days will also be a great opportunity for meeting operators, experts and enthusiasts, thanks to the packed programme of events open to the public. There will be special focus on research and on the safeguarding of ancient and forgotten essences, environmental sustainability and local territorial peculiarities.

Ample parking and a cafeteria

Opening hours: Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 October, from 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. Visitors to the event will have access to ample parking facilities as well ad to a refreshment area and cafeteria and there will be a storage area for purchased goods

With Pomaria it's apple picking time again in the Trentino region. The Val di Non valley, which is about an hour from the regional capital Trento, is getting ready to welcome back one of its best-loved events: Pomaria, the festival dedicated to D.O.P. apple picking and Trentino food and wine experiences. 

15-16 October in Casez

The dates to put in your diary are 15-16 October in the little town of Casez. The old centre with its patrician palaces, ancient cellars with vaulted ceilings, and the little square will once again lend their noble profiles to this event that tells the story of the unique terroir of the Val di Non.

Workshops dedicated to sustainability

The 2022 edition will consist of encounters, workshops for adults and children, and attention to environmental issues while thanks to the valley's chefs visitors will discover many apple and local recipes. From strudel (which is not made with puff pastry) to savoury dishes such as the very traditional potato tortel. There will also be tastings of alpine cheeses, honey, spirits and wines from the valley’s many small wine cellars.

Pomaria on the Road from 1 to 16 October 

Following last year's experimental version of Pomaria on the road, this event is back again from 1 to 16 October, starting before Pomaria. Staged throughout the entire territory of the Strada della Mela e dei Sapori delle Valli di Non e di Sole (Road of Apples and the Flavours of the Val di Non and the Valley of the Sun) Pomaria has a packed calendar of events to celebrate autumn and tell the story of apples.   

A new guided wine tour

The new Groppello Wine Tour is in the company of an expert guide. Over the course of a day you can discover the wine cellars of the Val di Non and their mountain wines, taking advantage of a convenient transport service provided by the organizers. There will also be the opportunity to pick apples directly from the tree with the Andiamo a Coìr project. For further information on Pomaria: www.pomaria.org  www.visitvaldinon.it www.stradadellamela.com 

Music is king in Emilia, the Italian region that has always been a centre of excellence for music, with the history of the provinces of Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia marked by a symphony of musical events and famous names.

Like Maestro Giuseppe Verdi, whose name attracts visitors to the places where he was born and worked: from the little town of Roncole di Busseto which was his birthplace, to the great opera houses where his operas premiered and are still performed today. 

Teatro Regio di Parma. Photo Credits Luca Fregoso - Visit Emilia

From Toscanini to Renata Tebaldi

Then there is the opera singer Renata Tebaldi, who had a beautiful soprano voice of an angel that delighted audiences around the world and to whom a museum is dedicated in Villa Pallavicino which is also in Busseto, just 30 kilometres from Parma. Another world-renowned name is that of the great conductor Arturo Toscanini who was born in the Oltretortente district of Parma.

Parma’s Verdi Festival

The Verdi Festival, which will run from 22 September to 16 October 2022, is an occasion to delve into the best of Verdi’s music with prestigious performances in the Teatro Regio di Parma. Verdi Off is a series of events that brings Verdi's music to the squares, parks, and streets of the Emilian region. Starting from Busseto, the town of Giuseppe Verdi but also the little towns of Montechiarugolo, Sala Baganza and Zibello. 

Verdi’s birthplace and museum

In the hamlet of Roncole di Busseto, you can visit the house where the Maestro was born, and where Verdi composed his first symphony at the age of 15. Casa Barezzi also invites visitors to admire memorabilia, letters, portraits and documents that belonged to the maestro. Another stop is the Giuseppe Verdi Theatre where Arturo Toscanini conducted La Traviata. Also worth visiting is the Villa Verdi in Villanova sull'Arda (PC) where he lived with the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi.

Music in venues around the city

Up to 18 November 2022 music will be very much in evidence in a series of venues around the city of Parma thanks to Traiettorie, an international exhibition of modern and contemporary music. It will move between unique locations such as the splendid Teatro Farnese in the Complesso della Pilotta, the Casa della Musica in Piazzale San Francesco, and the Arturo Toscanini Music Production Centre in the ex-Eridania Park which is not far from the historic centre.

For information: www.visitemilia.com

The UNESCO sites’ Verona World Tourism Event has sold out with some 70 buyers attending the 13th edition featuring 80 Italian and international sites on the World Heritage List.

Organized by M&C Marketing Consulting, the event will be held in Verona this year, at the Palazzo della Gran Guardia from Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 September. 

“Italy is the country with the most World Heritage sites”

“As always we have selected buyers thanks to the collaboration of ENIT’s foreign offices - explains Marco Citerbo, director of M&C Marketing Consulting -. This year we had to close registrations ahead of time, expanding the number of operators expected, from 60 to almost 70, and creating a waiting list with about twenty names of tour operators who would like to attend. Italy is the country with the most World Heritage sites and we are committed to organizing an event that lives up to expectations.” 

The 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Paris Convention

In addition to the B2B workshop for operators of the UNESCO tourism supply and demand, there is a  large exhibition space with free entry from 10:00 to 18:00 every day and an interesting calendar of events on the themes of the fair. The focus will be on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the World Heritage Paris Convention pending official celebrations in November.

For more information: https://www.wtevent.it/en/

The Ast Group has taken over the Aqua Montis Resort & Spa in the ski resort of Rivisondoli in the Abruzzo region.

In the heart of the Alta Val di Sangro, less than two hours from Rome and Naples, Rivisondoli's 4-star Aqua Montis Resort & Spa hotel now belongs to the Ast Group, already temporary manager of the property, and owner of the central Adriatic’s leading complex, the Salinello Village in Tortoreto.

Up to 200,000 guests annually

The Aqua Montis Resort & Spa is a 63-room property on an area of over 13,000 square metres, and includes suites with Turkish baths and hydro-massage, as well as a wellness area with heated indoor and outdoor pools, a massage area, a Finnish sauna and a Turkish bath. There is also a restaurant, a lounge bar, and a large playground with children's entertainment. The resort is capable of accommodating no less than 20,000 guests per year and employs some 100 full-time staff.

Promoting social and environmental sustainability

The operation was made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Banca di Credito Cooperativo di Roma, which supported the Ast Group in the acquisition that was managed by Vincenzo Moccia. Active in the tourist hotel industry for over 40 years, the Ast Group is a promoter of social and environmental sustainability. A leading player in the Abruzzo region, it guarantees over 200,000 tourist arrivals annually and with its two properties, with an overall 500 staff members, it is headed by Francesco Milazzi, a Roman manager with extensive international experience.

The Luxury Hospitality Conference returns to the Nh Collection CityLife in Milan on 15 September with the second edition of the Teamwork event dedicated to luxury in hospitality.

The event, created in collaboration with Hotelmypasssion, will explore the themes of a sector that interests 70% of global investors. In fact up to 2019 luxury hotels were the primary driver of mergers and acquisitions with €3.3 billion invested in hotel assets in Italy, and with luxury hotels accounting for 42% and valued at €1.25 billion.

Food for thought on challenging issues

Never before has the concept of luxury needed to be analyzed, highlighting its dynamics, identifying the needs of new generation of travellers, and studying trends and perspectives, as in the last two years. From technology to the guest experience, from the web to service quality, from marketing to management.

A broad spectrum of discussions

On 15 September some 45 leading experts will share visions, new interpretations, case studies, strategies, segmentation, and a psychological approach to the world of luxury in hospitality. International architects will then present their most recent creations and provide food for thought on challenging issues such as the design and use of spaces for luxury hospitality. Further topics to be explored include investments and prospects, luxury trends, catering, luxury in Italy and the new challenges of communicating and selling luxury.

Alpine tourism in step with the times:: the project for the Cervino-Matterhorn and Monte Rosa cableway will connect five valleys, three regions, two countries, and five districts. 

Linking the north and south of the Alps

These are the numbers of the project for a cableway between the Cervino-Matterhorn and Monte Rosa ski areas: an Interval venture joining the south and north of the Alps that will unite populations and traditions from Italy and Switzerland. The €66 million investment will create a single area combining the ski areas of Cervino Ski Paradise and Monterosa Ski in 30 minutes, with a total of 75 slopes.

Not just skiing: new perspectives for mountain tourism

The cableway connection would not only dramatically expand the possibilities for ski enthusiasts, but also open up unprecedented opportunities for mountain tourism. It will favour seasonal adjustments and boost high-altitude outdoor activities such as trekking and mountain biking. There will also be an impact on food and wine tourism with tours featuring the customs and products of the Alpine populations.

A new international audience

The aim is to make this part of the Alps more appealing, particularly to a new global clientele seeking not only winter sports but also unique experiences. Not only will it be possible to ski all year, the installation also will attract visitors who would not otherwise be able to enjoy peaks like Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn.

A focus on sustainability

The project is a necessary evolution to support the future of the mountains and local communities, boosting  tourism year-round in one of the most fascinating areas of the Alps while balancing environmental sustainability. 

Who is behind the project

The project is supported by the Cervino Monterosa Paradise promoting committee, which now has over 600 members, including local operators, entrepreneurs, and private citizens who are united under the motto Connecting Nature, Sharing Beauty.

The Giacomo Balla home is to remain open for all 2022, as Rome celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Italian painter and Futurist master. And this is an occasion no art lover will want to miss.

Opened for the first time in 30 years

Casa Balla, the painter's kaleidoscopic vision of art and colour on Via Oslavia, in Rome’s central Prati residential district has opened to the public for the first time after being closed for 30 years. The opening is a collaboration between MAXXI, the National Museum of 21st-Century Arts, and Rome's special superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape, with the support of the Italian culture ministry and the Bank of Italy.

Casa Balla

A great masterpiece

Born in Turin in 1871, Balla lived and worked here from 1929 until his death in 1958 while his two daughters, Luce and Elica who were also painters, lived here until the 1990s. Bartolomeo Pietromarchi, MAXXI art director and curator of the project explains: “The house with its decorations, furniture and works of art expresses the artist's personality in all its forms and represents one of his greatest masterpieces." 

Wildly colourful interiors

The three-bedroom apartment is located on the fourth floor of a nondescript mid-20th-century building. Walking into the long hallway prepares you for the extravagant and colourful experience ahead as the hall is painted with strange floating yellow and green shapes that seemed to dance. And there are wildly colorful abstract paintings on the upper part of the walls, cleverly hiding water pipes and other protuberances.

An artists’ studio or a private home?

Each room is packed with colour and curios like cloud-shaped plexiglass light coverings hanging from ceilings, and a yellow chair with an asymmetrical back on a tiled lilac ceramic floor. It is hard to decide whether you are in an artist’s studio – which you are. Or a private home - which you are. An extraordinary  experience and not to be missed.

For more information: https://www.maxxi.art/en/events/casa-balla/

Favignana's historic Camparìa tuna fishery on Sicily’s little Egadi island has undergone a major conservative redevelopment.

Now the former warehouses and storage area of the Tonnara di Favignana, the beating heart of the island’s fishing life from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, has been given a new lease of life.

The project will be complete in 2023

Leading this ambitious project is Fabio Tagliavia, a Palermo-based entrepreneur with thirty years' experience in the shipping sector, who aims to breathe new life into this symbol of the island. Work should be completed by the summer of 2023, and the area will be designed to host exhibitions and events featuring local arts and crafts. 

A glamorous lounge on the sea

But already this summer it is possible to experience the history of the old tuna fishery by visiting its museum and the island's first bookshop with volumes dedicated to its past. Central to the life of the Camparìa project is the glamorous lounge bar by the sea, the former docking area, where visitors can enjoy a selection of fish dishes and the island’s best mixology.

“You can feel the history of this place”

"My aim is to create an authentic 360° emotional journey. Here at Camparìa you can feel the history of this place, with its cultural links to industrial archaeology, to art and to the history of the old facility and to the Florio family, without forgetting food and wine, tuna and Marsala,” said Tagliavia.

Creating alternative accommodation

The entrepreneur is also trying to bridge the hospitality gap. “The island does not currently have adequate accommodation to welcome guests for long and comfortable stays in lodgings other than houses and room rentals. With Camparìa and other projects,- concludes Tagliavia, - I will create alternative accommodation for unique and authentic experiences. 

A resort with 20 rooms and a spa

Thanks to a loan of some €4.8 million from the Ministry of Economic Development through Invitalia, the plan is to hire some 100 seasonal workers and open an up-market resort with 20 rooms, a spa and wellness services as well as a bio-emotional park. And in the winter months the owners plan to transform the facility into a training academy for young people from Favignana.