9799 Newspaper articles about Le Marche

[url=http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/overseas/article4478276.ece]Christine Toomey: my hilltop home in Le Marche - Times Online[/url]

From The Sunday TimesAugust 10, 2008

Christine Toomey: my hilltop home in Le Marche
Finding an unexploded shell in the bedroom was only the first of many surprises for Christine Toomey when she set about renovating a hilltop townhouse in central Italy
Image :1 of 2

At first, the good-humoured poliziotto showed only mild interest in the second world war shell I found perched on a shelf in one of the upstairs rooms of my newly acquired home in Le Marche. Striking a pose in his knee-high black boots, tight trousers and shiny white belt, he held it up for me to photograph before tucking it nonchalantly under one arm and taking it away for disposal. Given the many things that could go wrong when buying property in Italy, this seemed nothing more than a minor hiccup.

Within the hour, he was back, looking flustered and cradling the shell, a great deal more cautiously this time, in both hands. “Scusi signora, but we can’t allow this to be taken out of your house,” he said. “It’s too dangerous.” Then he hotfooted it back upstairs and placed the shell gingerly - prone this time, and in a box - back on the shelf. I discovered afterwards that he had been told he should not have touched it in the first place.

A few minutes later, the wail of a police siren could be heard approaching at speed, then two more policemen in even more dashing uniforms – one with the epaulettes and braided cap of an ispettore capo, or chief inspector – hurried up the narrow lane to my house. “This matter requires the attention of experts, signora,” said he of the braided cap as he ushered me politely out of my house. Minutes later, it was sealed with crime-scene tapes wound around the door handles. There was talk of evacuating residents close by. In the end, a carabiniere was posted to keep a nightly vigil outside my house until the experts arrived.

It was to be a long wait – during which I had plenty of time to ponder whether it had been such a good idea to mention the shell to my neighbour, who had helpfully offered to call the local police station for advice.

I had not initially planned to buy a house in town at all. Like many Britons who buy in Italy, my dream had been of a renovation project in the country. For years, when taking my daughter to visit her Italian grandparents in a busy town in Umbria, I had trekked along dirt tracks to look at what were little more than piles of stones in the countryside. Then, after a visit in which I had to negotiate the car back along miles of precarious mud path, the patient friend who was accompanying me suggested that I might want to restore a townhouse instead.

Since I would be overseeing the works from London, during snatched weekends and holidays taken in between reporting from far-flung places for this newspaper, I realised she was right. It was the gentler pace of Italian life I wanted to savour when I could. And what better way to do this than in the heart of a small community?

Slowly, I started to venture further afield. It was then I discovered Le Marche, one of the most beautiful regions of central Italy, and in particular the string of medieval hill towns that circle the stunning Monti Sibillini National Park, perched on the spine of the Apennines. This was an area of fierce fighting and partisan strongholds during the second world war – hence the old ordnance I found in the house, which I bought in the summer of 2004.

I returned to London and, over the weeks that followed, received regular telephone updates from the chief inspector. It was nearly a month before an army bomb-disposal squad arrived from Rome to resolve the problem. On the day of their operation, an ambulance was placed on standby in the main square, together with officers from the three branches of the Italian police forces.

The army team confirmed that the shell was still live. They identified it as an old German “rocket” with a firing range of more than half a mile and a double-trigger mechanism – making it doubly unstable, I was told later, as it deteriorated with age. It contained half a kilo of TNT. Placing it in a metal case lined with sand, they drove it to an isolated field, buried it and detonated it by remote control. The explosion left a crater more than 20ft wide.

Just whose idea it was to keep a shell as a household memento remains a mystery. I asked to see the police and army reports. Copies of their faxes marked “urgentissimo”, together with a local newspaper article about una signora inglese and the “quick-thinking police” who had averted disaster, revealed few clues.

The last permanent occupant of the property, I was told, was a priest who had lived there at the turn of the last century. During the course of the restoration, I was to find both touching and intriguing time capsules from this period: crates full of letters written to him by his father, sister and a brother, who had emigrated to America; journals handwritten in immaculate script; books from a different age, including one promoting priestly celibacy, called The Limits of Sexual Morals; and wooden cabinets full of religious statues and ecclesiastical paraphernalia.

The house was full of other surprises, too. When I bought it, for about £80,000 at the then more favourable euro exchange rate, it required a complete overhaul. Spacious – about 250 square metres, set over three floors – it had no electricity or plumbing to speak of, needed a new roof and just about everything else. In the course of knocking through walls and opening up rooms to let in light, however, I found old beams, arches and stonework, some of it dating from the Middle Ages, hidden by false panelling. Underneath the plasterwork of one of the domed bedroom ceilings were fine coloured stencils.

There were less welcome surprises, including the disappearance of the former ballet dancer turned architect on whose advice I relied in the early days – he left me grappling with contractors who doubled their prices overnight. Then there was the weather. The fact that one of the neighbouring towns is a ski resort should have alerted me to the heavy snowfalls in winter, but I had viewed in spring and bought in summer.

Over the years, I have come to love the dramatic change in seasons in the Monti Sibillini. Throughout most of the year, I enjoy the rare privilege (for a townhouse) of a large sunny garden with a towering palm, mature walnut, laurel and fruit trees, and church bells echoing across the rooftops. On summer mornings, I can swim in the Adriatic, a 45-minute drive away, before exploring the area, with its year-round calendar of festivals: wine, truffles, theatre, music. At Christmas and New Year, I have an open fire, while snow blankets the mountains, of which my house has spectacular views.

Most of all, though, it is the warmth of the local people – more low-key than their flamboyant neighbours in Umbria and Tuscany – that sold me on Le Marche. One lesson I learnt from my experience with “the bomb”, however, is to be more circumspect when asking them for help. Especially when it comes to mentioning other discoveries made in the house during its restoration.

In addition to my other finds, I came across, tucked away in the attic, two large, rolled-up oval oil paintings, so dirty they were almost black. I brought them back to London to be cleaned and delicate portrayals of saints, angels and the Virgin Mary emerged from the grime. I am told they date from the late 17th to early 18th century, and am intrigued. What if they turn out to have been stolen? I might find crime-scene tape wound around the handles of my house again.

LA DOLCE VILLA

Life could be beautiful in these three homes in Le Marche

Macerata £3.1m In the heart of Le Marche, nine-bedroom Villa Leoni stands in an 8,000-square-metre park surrounded by ancient walls. The property includes a guesthouse and caretaker’s cottage, a private church and a pool.

It is a 30-minute drive from the town. Casaitalia International; 00 39 0743 220122 , [url=http://www.casait.it]Luxury Italian Properties ::: CASAITALIA :::[/url]

Corridonia £658,000 Casa Colonica is a five-bedroom villa with vaulted ceilings that dates back to the 17th century. It has 11 acres of land, with a plantation of 60 olive trees and 200 vines, and offers a wide panorama of the Macerata countryside. Visual Property; 01277 261140 , [url=http://www.visual-property.com]Visual Property | Home[/url]

Comunanza £277,000 A recently renovated townhouse on the edge of the Sibillini mountains and the national park, with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a garden. Formerly a bakery, its outbuildings have been converted for office use. Jackson-Stops & Staff; 020 7828 7387 , [url=http://www.jackson-stops.co.uk]Jackson-Stops & Staff[/url]

Blimey - posh UK agent Jackson Stops taking the property plunge in lil' old Comunanza

According to [url=http://www.italianventure.co.uk/property_Comunanza,-Le-Marche_487127.html]Comunanza, Le Marche - Italian Property For Sale[/url] it's sold so suspect JSS are not really selling their extensive list of Marche Properties but are just listing them in some commission share deal.

[B]By [URL="http://blogs.wnyc.org/eveningmusic/author/wnyc-music/"]WNYC Music[/URL][/B]

[B]September 23, 2008[/B]

[B]Guest Blog by WNYC’s Aaron Cohen[/B]
Le Marche is one of Italy’s best-kept secrets. I had the great pleasure of spending a week there in early August with author & journalist Fred Plotkin. Fred’s three great areas of expertise are Italy, food, and opera, and many people know him through his books, articles and media appearances in these fields. Among his books are “Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera” and “Italy for the Gourmet Traveler.” As you can imagine, I could not ask for a better travel companion. Through Fred I learned that this region (the Italian equivalent of a US state) called Le Marche, with Tuscany to the west and a long Adriatic coastline to the east, has more historic opera houses (76) than any other region of Italy. We set out to explore some of them.
[B]Our[/B] [B]visit[/B] [B]began[/B] in the [B]charming[/B] [B]hill[/B] [B]town[/B] of [B]Macerata[/B]. I knew of Italy’s reputation as a global food capital, but nothing could prepare me for the food in [B]Macerata[/B]. I had heavenly gnocchi at Osteria dei Pigliapochi, the most voluptuous watermelon I’ve ever eaten at da Silvano, and a local lasagne called Vincisgrassi at Trattoria da Ezio that I will remember for the rest of my life. Aside from the food, the most famous summer attraction in [B]Macerata[/B] is the Sferisterio Opera Festival. We saw two classic operas here, Tosca and Carmen. The performances take place in the open-air [B]Arena Sferisterio[/B], which was originally built as a place for sporting events nearly 200 years ago but became home to the festival in 1921. The three things the struck me were the half-moon shape of the arena, the enormous width of the stage (almost 200 feet), and the beauty of the 56 columns that make up the back wall:
[IMG]http://blogs.wnyc.org/eveningmusic/files/2008/09/01.JPG[/IMG]
Arena Sferisterio by day
[IMG]http://blogs.wnyc.org/eveningmusic/files/2008/09/02.JPG[/IMG]
and by night
From [B]Macerata[/B] we traveled to Pesaro, a beach [B]town[/B] on the Adriatic and birthplace of the composer [B]Gioacchini Rossini[/B], a figure who dominates the entire place. There is Rossini street, Rossini theater, the Rossini Museum in the house where he was born, and every summer you can attend the Rossini Festival. Fred said that what Bayreuth is to Wagner, Pesaro is to Rossini, plus it has much better food and nice beaches. The Festival presents performances in two main venues: the Teatro Rossini and the Adriatic Arena (a sports complex). Surprisingly, the sound was quite good in the Adriatic Arena. Seeing Rossini here would be the equivalent of seeing a Monteverdi opera at Madison Square Garden.

[IMG]http://blogs.wnyc.org/eveningmusic/files/2008/09/b02.JPG[/IMG]
And from the inside

The Festival takes great delight in presenting many of Rossini’s lesser-known works. Most people are surprised to learn that Rossini wrote about 40 operas. We heard three, none of which I knew: [I]Ermione[/I], [I]L’Equivoco Stravagante[/I], and [I]Maometto II[/I]. [I]Ermione[/I] (Hermione), written in 1819, is a tragedy in two acts based on the Greek story of the daughter of Helen (before she became Helen of Troy) and Menelaus. [I]L’Equivoco Stravagante[/I] (The Outlandish Misunderstanding), written when Rossini was just 18, is a comedy in the same style that would later make him famous with [I]The Barber of Seville[/I]. [I]Maometto II[/I] (Mahomet the Second), written in 1820, is another tragedy set in Greece, this time about the conquering of Negroponte by the Sultan Mahomet and his Turkish army in the fifteenth century.
The standout performer at the Rossini Festival was mezzo-soprano [B]Daniela Barcellona[/B]. She sang the role of “Calbo” in [I]Maometto II[/I] and brought the house down with her aria “Non temer d’un basso affetto.” Here she is with a bust of Rossini in the Festival offices:

Fred asked Daniela why Rossini loved mezzos so much and why he used them to play male roles in several of his operas:

And here is Daniela Barcellona joined by Marina Rebeka and Francesco Meli singing the Trio from Act 2 of [I]Maometto II[/I] live at the Rossini Festival in August 2008:

After Le Marche, I was off to the Veneto, Liguria, and Tuscany. The details of those places will have to wait for my next entry, but I leave you with three of my favorite memories from Le Marche: [IMG]http://blogs.wnyc.org/eveningmusic/files/2008/09/d01.JPG[/IMG]
Gnocchi

[I]In addition to serving as WNYC’s Associate Director of Programming Operations, Aaron Cohen is an accomplished oboist. His most recent solo CD, “Oboisms,” features works for oboe and piano by 20th Century North American composers.[/I]

| Posted in [URL="http://blogs.wnyc.org/eveningmusic/category/guest-blogs/"]Guest Blogs[/URL]

EU Investment in Le Marche

[url=http://7thspace.com/headlines/296114/commissioner_hbner_visits_marche_italy_from_historic_sites_to_research_centres_cohesion_policy_invests_in_success.html]Commissioner Hübner visits Marche (Italy): From historic sites to research centres, Cohesion Policy invests in success - 7thSpace Interactive[/url]

Commissioner Hübner visits Marche (Italy): From historic sites to research centres, Cohesion Policy invests in success

Danuta Hübner, the European Commissioner for regional policy, visits the Marche region in eastern Italy today to see the results of Cohesion Policy investment on the ground. EU co-funding for projects is a catalyst for innovation, competitiveness and jobs. During her visit, Commissioner Hübner will hold talks with Gian Mario Spacca, President of the Region, members of regional authorities and economic and social partners, reiterating the need to channel new EU investments for 2007-2013 towards research and development.
Speaking ahead of her visit, Commissioner Hübner said: “Europe's Cohesion Policy provides a rock of stability for Member States and regions at a time of global financial crisis. The EU has invested strongly throughout the Marche region - modernising harbours, renovating historic buildings and helping to build state-of-the-art research centres, to name but a few areas. Cohesion Policy has a clear impact on the economy and benefits citizens in their day-to-day life. We want to build on what we've achieved so far, with investments that focus on areas that will deliver more growth and jobs: in innovation, the knowledge economy, information society, renewable energies and energy efficiency."

The new programme for 2007-2013

The overall objective of the Marche programme is to boost the competitiveness of the regional economy. In total, the region will benefit from €426.5 million in support from the European Union: this includes €113 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), €111.5 million from the European Social Fund (ESF) and €202 million from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). The region's priorities are focused on research, innovation, sustainable development and the efficient use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in local businesses. As well as targeting the creation of 1500 new jobs (with a 20% increase in research and development jobs), Marche is aiming to decrease both greenhouse gas emissions (by 5% before 2013) and local air pollution levels (MEMO/08/338).

Commissioner to receive honorary degree for commitment to integration

Commissioner Hübner will start her visit in the town of Camerino in the province of Macerata. This important centre for culture and art was one of the areas most severely affected by the earthquakes which struck Italy in 1997. The Commissioner will see the renovation work carried out in the churches of St Filippo and St Domenico, with support from the ERDF. In the Palazzo Ducale, the seat of the University of Camerino, she will be granted the title of Laurea Honoris Causa in political sciences for commitment to European integration by the Rector, Fulvio Esposito.

In the city of Ancona, she will meet the President of the Region, Gian Mario Spacca, and will visit the harbour area. This has been refitted, providing a boost for the local fishing fleet, which remains an important activity in the local economy. The port is also a major departure point for trans-Adriatic ferries and a dedicated area for boat repairs has also been developed. (EU contribution: €2.07 million)

Support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is a priority for the region. Commissioner Hübner will visit “Meccano”, a research centre in the town of Jesi, which helps to promote the development of regional firms specialised in electro-mechanics. Its laboratory is housed in a new purpose-built site, co-financed by the European Union (EU contribution of €3.02 million). In the same town, she will also see the 'multimodal platform' - crucial for the development of the regional transport system and the economic development of the region as a whole. Together with the Ancona harbour and the airport at Falconara, it forms a logistic hub for traffic between the region and the centre of Italy on one hand, and the Balkans and Adriatic sea on the other (EU contribution: €850.500)

Note for editors

In 2000-2006, the Marche region received €130.7 million in support from the ERDF. During this period, an estimated 1400 new jobs were created.

Italy is the third largest beneficiary of the EU’s Cohesion Policy behind Poland and Spain. Over the 2007-2013 Cohesion Policy programme, the country will receive a total of €28.8 billion of support.

More information on regional policy in Italy:

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/atlas2007/italia/

SPIEGEL ONLINE
SPIEGEL ONLINE
12/12/2008 03:06 PM
PRESENTS ON A BROOMSTICK
Taking Flight with Italy's Holiday Witch

By Michael Giglio in Urbania, Italy

In Babbo Natale, Italy has its own Father Christmas. But it's La Befana, the ugly, broom-flying and present-wielding witch who keeps children on their toes in many parts of the country. Like St. Nick, Befana knows who's been naughty and nice.

A strange post-Christmas pilgrimage takes place each year in the hills of northeastern Italy's Le Marche, when thousands of kids flock to a small medieval town called Urbania to sit on the lap of an ugly old witch. On the eve of Jan. 6, La Befana flies down chimneys or through keyholes throughout Italy to have her say over who's been naughty or nice. But that's about all she has in common with Old Saint Nick.

The Epiphany, a national holiday, celebrates the arrival of the three wise men in Bethlehem. The night before, families leave a glass of wine and some fruit by the fireplace to welcome Befana as she comes to fill stockings hung with care -- candy and small toys for those who deserve it and coal, of course, for those who don't.

"She's a very ugly old woman with a long nose, dressed in a long skirt with a lot of patches and a scarf around her head," says Samuele Sabatini, who organizes the country's biggest Befana celebration for the Urbania chapter of Pro Loco, an Italian group that helps to preserve local culture in small towns. "And she flies on a broomstick."

Like many Christian traditions, Befana has pagan roots, as a good witch who played the role of Mother Nature and was celebrated in December for providing life throughout the year.

The most common telling of the Befana story has the three wise men stopping to ask an old woman for directions on their way to Bethlehem. They invite her to join the party, but she refuses because she has too much sweeping to do. After realizing her mistake, she tries and fails to catch up with the wise men with a bag of treats. On the eve of their arrival she throws herself beneath a tree in despair. One of the branches turns into a magic broom, which she is to ride for eternity in her never-ending search for the baby Jesus.

The Mother of all Children

Sabatini prefers a more optimistic telling of the story.

A princess waits for her prince to return from the Crusades, but he doesn't, and she's left childless. She retreats into the forest, where her pain transforms her into a witch. Jesus takes pity and offers her the chance to be the mother of all children -- by disciplining them with the promise of treats and threat of coal, which is always met with tears, according to people around Urbania.

"This is very beautiful, because it's a love story. It has a bad ending that gives life to a greater love," Sabatini says. "Italian people are very romantic."

Befana has traditionally been poor, giving out things like figs, oranges and onions. The burlap sack she carries symbolizes her ties to local agriculture. She was primarily celebrated in Le Marche, Umbria and Lazio, the regions closely associated with the Papal States where the Epiphany held the most importance.

A National Icon Finally Gets a Home

She has since developed into a national icon, and socks once filled with vegetables are now big stockings that can even be found pre-packaged in toy stores. But in a clever piece of small-town opportunism, Urbania has become something like her official home. Sabatini started the festival 10 years ago, registered a logo, created a Web site and gave La Befana a home.

"Babbo Natale (the Italian Santa) has a house at the North Pole, but nobody ever said where the Befana lived," he says. "So we decided that she lived here in Urbania. And the Befana has liked the location."

Sabatini estimates that between 30,000 and 50,000 people, depending on the weather, descend on the quiet town every year from January 2-6 for the festivities. Over 100 Befanas swing from the towers of the main square, juggle and dance in the street or just walk around and greet the guests. All this, of course, begs the quesstion: How does tiny Urbania succeed in finding so many ugly women?

Veronica Sbrocca, one of the prettiest girls in the city, will spend the five days with soot on her face, scarves around her hair and neck and a bulky, dirty dress that reaches down to her ankles. She already knows who's getting the charcoal -- "the children who are always telling bad jokes down the street." Even men are known to dress up.

But the real Befana, the one who will host thousands of kids on her lap come January, was already dressed in a shawl and patchwork dress, and carrying a broom, on the last day of November. She hears requests for everything from new sisters to world peace, along with promises to be good if she'll spare the charcoal this year. That's a bargain she can't make.

"It's right that they have the punishment," she says, lighting a cigarette. "They have to understand that they must be obedient."

Spoken like the true witch of Christmas.

URL:

* [url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,596060,00.html]Presents on a Broomstick: Taking Flight with Italy's Holiday Witch - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International[/url]

[url]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/healthyeating/3690656/Why-its-worth-paying-for-good-olive-oil.html[/url]

Why it's worth paying for good olive oil
The adopt-a-tree scheme with a healthy pay-off.

By Rose Prince
Last Updated: 5:17PM GMT 10 Dec 2008
Previous
1 of 2 Images
Next
It's worth paying for good olive oil: harvesting olives in Tuscany, where traditional methods are still used
Rich pickings: harvesting olives in Tuscany, where traditional methods are still used Photo: Gerolimetto Cesare/SIME
Extra virgin oil has anti-ageing properties - Olive oil could hold key to new breast cancer drugs
Extra virgin oil has anti-ageing properties Photo: GETTY

For a fruit so closely identified with sunshine, it always feels wrong that the first, freshly pressed olive oil arrives in midwinter. Take a sip and first impressions are: "Gentle as a sunny hayfield." Then the burn begins, becoming a roaring pepper attack that eventually hits the tonsils.

How I look forward to the oil's narcotic assets. The stimulation can make you gasp and thinking about its obvious high nutrient value intoxicates further.

But its goodness serves only to remind us that olive oil has a dirty secret. At a recent restaurant trade show, I spotted a wholesaler peddling olive pomace oil (OPO). Chefs love to use OPO for deep-frying batch after batch of crisp fritters, because it has a high smoking point and leaves no flavour of oil in the food. But OPO is not the same healthy stuff as that which is cold-pressed from just-picked olives.

Extracted from the stones, or pomace, OPO goes through a process that involves heat and solvents. In 2001, the Food Standards Agency ordered the withdrawal of certain brands on sale in the UK, after samples taken were found to contain cancer-causing carcinogens.

As a consequence you will never see OPO on a shop shelf, but restaurants and pubs are free to use it because they are exempt from labelling laws. And not just at the lower end of the market. I have seen tins of OPO on shelves in upmarket restaurants and found that chefs are ignorant of its origins. It is yet another example (after this column recently revealed the use of synthetic additives in Michelin-starred kitchens) of how the catering trade continues to dupe trusting diners.

Cold-pressed extra virgin oil is the oil to buy (see Shopping Basket, right). You could just choose a trusted label, but there is another option that guarantees honest oil. In 2005, Cathy Rogers and Jason Gibb bought a farm in Le Marche, central Italy, with a grove planted with old olive trees. They wanted to produce a great oil to export, but knew that the British were already well tossed in millions of gallons of oil imported from Tuscany, Liguria, Sicily and other regions.

"We wanted to sell oil in a new way, to people who were interested in organic and natural food with a guarantee of traceability," says Cathy Rogers. "I'd heard that farmers in the Abruzzo invited outsiders to 'adopt' their rare-breed animals, to encourage other farmers to rear a particular species and we thought a similar system would work, with customers fostering individual trees and receiving their own oil."

The couple's oil is called nudo, meaning naked. "This is a great olive-oil-producing region, still farmed traditionally, and we make the oil on the day of the harvest, which keeps the acidity low and so improves the flavour."

The family have 1,200 trees grown organically in their own groves and a further 2,500 trees on other small organic farms. You can choose a tree from an individual grove and two litres of its own characteristic oil will be sent to you in spring, along with a further three cans of infused oil. Customers can adopt for one year at a time. "Last year, 2,000 trees were adopted," says Rogers, who adds that "parents" are welcome to visit their tree. And why not? Olive trees have always had iconic status. In Greece, for example, a tree is often planted when a new baby arrives.

Extra virgin olive oil is one of the most expensive oils on the market but, given its health properties, it should earn its keep. One study, backed by experts in the NHS, shows that the oleic acid in olive oil staves off hunger pangs, although its high calorie count means that you can't fight obesity by drinking pints of it. Another sound report says that the vitamin E in olive oil helps to slow down physical decline.

In other words, extra virgin olive oil has anti-ageing properties. For this alone, I'll gladly pay for the real thing.

'Italy's Marche region earmarks EUR 13 million for broadband'

Nov 26, 2008 (DMEUROPE via COMTEX) --

Italy's Marche Region has announced it will invest EUR 13 million by 2011 to extend ADSL coverage in the provinces of Pesaro and Urbino. The project will bring broadband to 34 municipalities and involve deployment of over 215 km of fibre-optic cable. Pesaro and Urbino currently suffer from broadband coverage below the regional average (87% compared to 89% for the region).

Distributed for DMeurope.com via M2 Communications Ltd ([url=http://www.m2.com]M2 Home Page[/url])

Copyright (C) 2008 DMeurope.com. All rights reserved

Seasons greetings to everyone, there are several news items listed on our web site, for anyone who is interested.

[url=http://www.examiner.com/x-836-Italy-Culture--Travel-Examiner~y2008m12d25-Inside-Urbinos-frigid-walls]Italy Culture & Travel Examiner: Inside Urbino's frigid walls[/url]

Inside Urbino's frigid walls

December 25, 3:38 PM
by Lucia Mauro, Italy Culture & Travel Examiner
« Previous

Duke Federico.
(Average read time: 4 minutes)

In Corners of Urbino, late Italian author Paolo Volponi described a bizarre skybound attack. At the crack of dawn in this substantive early-Renaissance city, a strange avian battle ensues in the skies above the Palazzo Ducale (Ducal Palace). Crows and pigeons fling themselves from the ramparts of this sprawling castle and fight each other in mid-air. These are vicious ritualized encounters that often send the loser crashing through the arcades or sliding down the roof's gutters.

Urbino's Palazzo Ducale.

History quite literally hovers over this city, which conjures up images of knights and bishops from a living chessboard. Perhaps these winged warriors, eager to begin each day engaged in a brutal airborne sparring match, are the spirits of the Guelphs and Ghibellines - the famed medieval factions at war in the Italian city-states during Dante Alighieri's time.

Urbino's Church of San Domenico.

When my husband Joe and I arrived in Urbino at the start of an exceptionally frigid Italian winter, we felt the weight of the 15th century on our consciences - a weight soon made physically heavier when huge clumps of snow dropped from the sky as if out of a suspended trap door that releases powdery crystals on stage during a Christmas pageant.

We had barely escaped the lashing rains of Rimini and fought heavy winds during our brisk but sunny car ride around the winding green hills and orange-brown cottages of the Marche region -- mirroring the mathematically precise landscape paintings of Piero della Francesca -- before entering the clustered castles and churches of Urbino. But since we were staying at Hotel and Residence Dei Duchi (with a convenient indoor garage), on the outskirts of the walled city, Joe and I decided to thaw out before venturing into the historic center - a stroller's paradise.

Our room had a terrace that overlooked those spectacular burnt-Siena hills and spinach-green poplar trees. I was so moved by the scenery, now bathed in sunlight, I flung open the balcony doors only to be met with a blast of cold air that almost turned me into an ice cube. Temperatures now hovered around 20 degrees fahrenheit - extreme for Central Italy. Worse, Joe and I did not bring our winter coats. So every time we ventured out, we wrapped ourselves in layers of sweaters and jackets. Finally, at a winter sportswear store near the Palazzo Ducale, we bought warm, water-resistant fleece jackets.

Urbino is a pedestrian-friendly city. Visitors park in a massive lot before entering the centro storico through an archway, up steep steps or by elevator.

At night, we were grateful to be wrapped in our new coats as the temperatures plummeted to almost zero. No one could be found on Urbino's deserted cobblestone streets. All we longed for was a hearty meal by a warm fire. We found it at Ristorante Urbino Vecchia, decorated with walnut-wood furnishings and delicate glass-and-gold light fixtures in the shape of star bursts.

The Victor Buono-esque owner recommended all dishes with the regional specialty: truffles - from risotto to taglioni. Then he boasted of the fine wood finishes of all his tables and plopped down a gorgeous tome chronicling the lavish Baroque theaters that dot the Le Marche landscape around Urbino. He tossed in tidbits of the city's legendary Medieval and Renaissance history and the powerful Montefeltro name while serving us grilled lamb and sausage and generously filling our glasses with Sangiovese wine.

We were now fortified for our chilly trek back to the parking lot.

The next morning, exceptionally sunny skies fooled us. Sub-zero temperatures made us feel like we were descending deeper into Dante's Inferno. The temperatures after all supposedly get colder, not hotter, in the lowest regions of hell. That didn't stop us from heading directly to the Palazzo Ducale, built for Duke Federico da Montefeltro, ruler of Urbino between 1444 and 1482. As Joe and I warmed our frozen hands over glasses of latte macchiato at a bar, we noticed Paolo Volponi's bellicose birds circling above the Palazzo Ducale. I feared they might start boxing in the air. Instead they just flew around and shrieked loudly.

We stopped briefly in the 15th century Church of San Domenico, with its worn travertine façade and azure-frieze portal copy of the Madonna and Child by Lucca della Robbia. (The original hangs in the Palazzo Ducale.) The façade frames an Egyptian obelisk with intricate calligraphy.

A few steps away stands the mesmerizing rough-hewn Palazzo Ducale, the humanistic heart and soul of Urbino. Its turrets kindle images of damsels in distress (scarves billowing from their cone-shaped headdresses as they wait for their mesh-covered knights). The palace is really a miniature city that houses a library and the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, which contains one of the most substantial collections of Renaissance art in the world. It exemplifies some of the most grandiose and geometrically brilliant early-Renaissance architecture. A tribute to Duke Federico -- a man of arts and a humanist, as well as a soldier -- Palazzo Ducale is a monument to the high artistic and intellectual ideals of the Renaissance.

In the courtyard, we joined an Italian tour group led by a warmhearted scholarly young man, who enthused about every fresco, furnishing and the adventurous life of Duke Federico - best known as the hook-nosed man in profile, dressed in red, in the portrait by Piero della Francesca that hangs in Florence's Uffizi Gallery. In fact, Federico was always painted in left profile after a battle wound deeply scarred the right side of his face and cost him his right eye.

This was one of the most spectacular castles we've ever visited. It consists of multiple levels, with each floor a vibrant slice of Renaissance splendor. Raphael lived in Urbino, and entire rooms are devoted to his paintings -- most notably the tranquil La Muta, or The Silent Woman. Visitors have the rare chance to view Piero della Francesca's mysteriously angled The Flagellation of Christ, with its three seemingly incongruous Oriental counselors in the foreground.

A spiral staircase leads to the Duke's apartments, chapels, throne room, music salon, more galleries and the shimmering Room of Angels. Nearly all the windows face panoramic views of the boldly sloping Urbino landscape and Albornoz Fortress. There's also a whole other world underground - one of the most extraordinary examples of hydraulic engineering in the 15th century. The castle's subterranean basins were used for food storage and connected to an intricate plumbing and sewage system. This tour provided a grand glimpse into a grand, harsh life.

It also symbolized the brutal yet sublime evolution of this city. With the birth of the Papal State in the eighth century, Urbino found itself caught up in the events of ecclesiastical feudalism, which gradually led to municipal forms of government. From this political climate, the Ghibelline character of the city developed and gained credit thanks to the efforts of Antonio da Montefeltro who, in 1155, is said to have put down a revolt against Frederick Barbarossa, thus earning himself the titles of Count and Imperial Vicar of Urbino.

From that moment on, the history of the city was indissolubly tied to that of the Montefeltro family, who were of Germanic origin and descendants of the Counts of Carpegna. Dante mentions Guido the Elder, a fiery Ghibelline from the Montefeltro clan, in Canto XXVII of his Inferno in The Divine Comedy. Guido is among the fraudulent advisors who were transformed into a flickering flame.

Duke Federico, who ushered in Urbino's golden age of art and letters, remains the most illustrious descendant of the Montefeltro line - and his presence is felt at every architecturally magnificent turn. He commissioned construction of the Cathedral in 1476, but it took several centuries to complete and experienced various collapses. Today its white Neoclassical façade stands out in sharp contrast against Urbino's fairytale turrets and wrought-iron gates.

Once we left the palace, our teeth began to chatter but the sky remained a stunning cloudless turquoise blue. We made a stop at the birth home of artist Raphael Sanzio, but, ironically, none of his original work hangs here. Yet it's important to note that Raphael's father, Giovanni Santi, was a successful and respected artist who provided his son with his earliest training.

Since it was the Christmas season, we visited Federico Brandani' s life-size and life-like Nativity Scene set deep inside a grotto within the elegant Renaissance church, Oratorio di San Giuseppe. More pivotal works of art and architecture can be found farther out at the Church of San Bernardino, where Duke Federico and his royal kin have been laid to rest in heraldic style.

After our stay in Urbino, Joe and I planned to continue our drive South along the Adriatic Coast. So we geared up by taking a three-hour lunch at a rustic trattoria. The truth is we tried our hardest to avoid venturing out into the cold. So we dined by the roaring fire on crostini with duck, black olive and hazelnut tapenade; soup with ceci and pasta; spaghetti and truffles; and rabbit slathered in wild mushrooms, sage and fennel. We felt as if our entire world was contained inside this cozy cantina.

Then reality hit us hard. We stepped outside and right into a blizzard. Fierce black clouds and a heavy mist had blotted out the turquoise sky. Giant snowflakes swirled around us as the wind pushed us toward a pointy crag, where we hopped on a creaky elevator that deposited us in the slushy parking lot.

As we pulled out onto Urbino's slippery winding main road, a few crows stood stoically atop Palazzo Ducale's elegant slender turrets. Those hearty birds looked poised for battle. But this time, like us, they would have to face their worse nemesis: the elements.

END

Not newspaper but an interesting article anyway. We were in the area when they were filming one of these shows and I sure this will bring in a few more buyers

A Home In Italy, A Dream Also For The Reality Shows!
Posted by admin
February 9, 2009

All televisions from all over the world have been broadcasting reality shows of all types, shapes and contents, showing how anonymous singers would start a successful career, or how celebrities would survive in a tropical island or simply living in a luxurious flat with all sort of comforts doing just nothing until people vote you out.

But lately seems that some TV channels, especially from Northern Europe, have started to be attracted by the Italian life style and want to see how some people from their country would cope with it.

Everything started in Netherlands, where the producers of KRO, one of the main TV channel of the country, choose central Italy, in the stunning region of Le Marche, more precisely in the town of Piticchio, a peculiar small village with a population of 720 people, as a set of a new reality show.

Four Dutch couples left their home, family, job and friends behind to take part of the “De Italiansee Droom”, so it is called the reality show, which means “The Italian Dream”. The TV channel bought a house to be restored in the centre of Piticchio and the participants had to restore it and convert it in a nice and cozy Bed & Breakfast. The property consists of a three storey house of 120 square meters each floor plus a basement, and an annex, a former jeans factory, for a total property surface of 1000 square meters.

Just to give you an idea of the amount of restoration work to do, the property before restoration had one single bathroom for the whole house and after restoration the B&B had to have 6 bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom.

Obviously, that was the “easiest” part of the game as they also had to learn all the Italian life style aspects: they had to learn the Italian language, how to cook Italian dishes and, last but not least, how to restore a typical Italian home. To do so the producers choose three locals, an Italian teacher, a chef and an architect, to teach them how to accomplish the tasks and to judge the results.

After the first five weeks the couple with the lowest score would leave the reality show, after other five weeks the other couple with the lowest score would leave the game. Eventually the winner between the two remaining couples would literally win the whole B&B.

The reality show had such a great success that the format was taken also by a Belgian channel which duplicated the reality in another town in Le Marche, the village of Montelparo, and also a Danish channel has commissioned The Italian Dream and four Danish couples have already reached Italy, although the program will be on air this coming spring. There are rumors that also a British channel is interested in the format.

The stunning scenario of central Italy and the charm of the Italian life style that the reality show offered to its audience have also given a further boost to the already high interest for Italian homes for sale from Belgian and Dutch investors with a strong increase in property demand in the whole Italy, particularly in the region of Le Marche where the reality shows took place.

Author Bio: Simone Rossi works for the Italian property portal [url=http://www.gate-away.com]Property in Italy: Italian homes for sale - Gate-Away.com[/url]. Gate-away.com is the leading property portal specialized in the promotion of Italian homes for sale to foreign investors.

[B][SIZE="3"][url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/27/style/rsmall.php]Flashes of high style in Italy's small towns - International Herald Tribune[/url]
[/SIZE][/B]

By J.J. Martin
Friday, February 27, 2009

PESARO, Italy: In this small town on Italy's Adriatic coast, the owner of the Ratti boutique is thumbing through the freshly minted Balmains and Balenciagas with a hand that has felt its fair share of crepe de chine.

"Bring this to Giovanna's mother!" Silvana Ratti happily exclaims, plucking a thigh-grazing Marchesa chiffon number off the racks. An obliging saleswoman, one of the 78 immaculately groomed who live to serve on Ratti's gilded floors, trots off with the costly confection in search of someone's mother.

Although it boasts prime beachfront real estate, Pesaro has never been one of Italy's great travel destinations. It does not offer the booming nightlife of Rimini. It does not have the posh hotels and crystal waters of Portofino. The town, with its 80,000 inhabitants, is a classic example of the Italian province. But a compelling reason to swing by - aside from the exceptional homemade piadina lathered with squaquerone cheese - is Ratti, one of the best shopping destinations in Italy.

And Ratti is not the only fabulous retail kingdom to flourish in the middle of nowhere. In fact, there is a trove of shopping jewels to be unearthed throughout Italy's little-known provinces.

Over the hills lined with cypress trees and up a cobblestone street in Arezzo is Sugar, a boutique so hip that even the actress Trudie Styler regularly visits from her nearby Tuscan villa. In Brescia, an extremely wealthy but tiny town in northern Italy, fashion-forward Penelope and Rail Young are as well stocked as the Dover Street Market in London and the Corso Como in Milan.

In Pesaro, Ratti was founded as a small boutique in 1946, opened by Silvana's parents, Pietro and Licia (who still makes daily appearances in her impeccable Chanel suits). Now the shop covers almost an entire block.

"I've been coming to Ratti for as long as I can remember," says Diego Della Valle, chairman of Tod's Group, who as a child would accompany his mother on shopping excursions from their home in Cassette d'Ete, more than an hour away.

Today, Chanel, Gucci, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana and Hermès are contained in exquisitely maintained shops within Ratti's walls, while fresh picks from Lanvin and Moncler, selected by Silvana's daughter Matilde, appeal to a younger generation.

"Silvana makes Italy move," said the Rome-based jewelry designer Lucia Odescalchi, who came to the store in February for the exclusive debut of Roger Vivier's Cut Up Bag.

"We all have houses outside of Pesaro, but we always come back here to shop," agreed another guest, dangling an oyster-colored Kelly bag on her arm. "In fact, there is a better selection of product here than at the Hermès store in Milan."

Why these major stores in such minor surroundings? Part of it has to do with the country's practically state-issued birthright to looking good.

"In Italy, there is a very strong focus on aesthetics," says Mario Dell'Oglio, who runs Dell'Oglio, a luxury boutique in Palermo that has been in his family since 1890. "There's a huge importance on the external, on presenting yourself well, the 'bella figura,"' he said. Putting on a "good face" is as important for the old aristocracy circling palazzos in Rome and Palermo as it is for the regular folks mingling on a provincial piazza.

Of course high-end luxury products require cash, which is not in short supply in many of these tiny towns. "Le Marche is very rich," says Ratti of Italy's central region, where Pesaro is. "It's filled with great families, big companies and a lot of money."

And stores like Ratti and Sugar are experts at cultivating relationships with those very deep pockets. Paola Tittarelli, the distinguished supporter of Pesaro's Rossini Opera Festival, has homes in Rome, Cortina and Ancona, but has been a loyal Ratti client for more than 50 years.

At the Vivier event, Tittarelli had matched her Easter egg-size emeralds with a Ratti-purchased Chanel jacket that looked dipped in silver sequins. Her husband, Rolando, was head to toe in custom-made pieces created in Ratti's tailoring atelier.

"Our buy is very personal," explains Ratti, "and people say that our selection is different from the monobrands."

Luxury lords like Diego Della Valle are impressed. "It's an extremely professional endeavor," says Della Valle. "The quality, attention, choice of product and care for clients is all rather extraordinary."

"They choose very well," agreed Inès de la Fressange, the former model now brand ambassador for Roger Vivier. "It's like a warranty, the Ratti warranty."

Aside from the razor sharp selections, these stores' unique environments serve as a visual paradise and emotional retreat. In Arezzo, Sugar's 12 windows are a rotating canvas of creativity inspired by design trends and modern art exhibitions. "For me it's a business card," says Beppe Angiolini, the owner. "I want people to be struck by the impact."

And once inside, customers are meant to be hypnotized by the pampering service. "In a shop like Ratti, I'm amazed," says Mario d'Urso, a distinguished Roman aristocrat. "Everyone is happy to see you. You're taken care of. I'm all for regional provinces!"

"You spend, and they spoil," agrees Luisa Orciani, wife of the belt entrepreneur Claudio Orciani, who enjoys the entourage that follows her around while shopping. A Ratti regular, Orciani had already completed her pre-collection sweep in mid January. "I bought many nice pieces from Missioni and Christian Dior. I adore Dior."

In today's retail climate, that kind of quick sale of full-priced merchandise is manna from heaven. As they tell it, these provincial stores are faring the economic downturn better than some of the mono-brand stores in big cities. "Our clients all buy early," says Ratti, "so we don't need to do the big sales like the mono-brands."

Like Ratti, Sugar has never publicized a single sale, not even this winter when department stores in New York had signs for 60 percent off before Christmas. Special discounts are reserved for the best clients - at the end of season only, and very discreetly.

"I'm not a snob," says Angiolini, "but it's ugly for my customers to see something they have bought to be on sale a month later. They would be very disappointed."
Correction:
Notes:
International Herald Tribune Copyright © 2009 The International Herald Tribune | [url=http://www.iht.com]International Herald Tribune - World News, Analysis, and Global Opinions[/url]

[B][U][url=http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Cove-Festival-of-Petritoli&id=2229325]The Cove Festival of Petritoli[/url][/U][/B]
By Mariano Pallottini

It is a festival of rural tradition, which originated from the desire to offer a tribute of grain to Our Lady Mother Mary to thank for the good harvest obtained. The festivities begin on Saturday to develop throughout the day of Sunday: parade of "canestrelli" sound of accordions, singing the starling, and finally parade of floats through the streets of the country. The chariots made with sheaves of grain, shall be arranged by the various districts with themes inspired by the whole history of the grain, from sowing to baking bread. For several years, one of these wagons will be set up by foreigners residing in the territory. British citizens in general, much like those participating in the festive atmosphere and be protagonists. All the streets are decorated with bunches of wheat. During the festivities you can enjoy typical cuisine of the local tradition.

Petritoli is a medieval village perched on a hilltop 358 metres above sea level in the Ascoli Piceno province of Le Marche in central Italy between the Adriatic Sea and the Appenine mountain chain.

The village, its 2 hamlets Moregnano and Valmir, and the surrounding countryside have a population of 2500. It is a largely self-sufficient village with a bank, post-office, grocery stores, mini-markets, butchers, bakers, fresh pasta shop, hardware store, electrical store, florists, gift-shops, hairdressers, beauticians, G.P's, library, school, newsagents, petrol station, 3 bars, 4 restaurants, pizza take-away, cottage hospital, museum, numerous artists and artisans, and a small but beautiful theatre. The delightful historical centre of Petritoli is entered through a quite stunning gateway comprising of two round 15th century towers connected by a series of three 19th century neogothic arches. The village follows the typical pattern of this region with the main square, Piazza Rocca, at the top housing the 40 metre high clock tower (1831) and the oldest properties (the original monastic centre), and the rest of the yellow brick village winding down below against the rock face.

For those wishing to plan their holiday in the territory of Petritoli suggest some solutions to total satisfaction.

Il Biologico di Livia - Bed and Breakfast and certified organic farm in Petritoli

Uliveto Casa Vacanze Marche - is a rental Villa in Campofilone.

[B][U][COLOR="Olive"][url=http://www.riskcollective.com/buy-into-the-italian-dream-1501.htm]Villa San Ginesio Country House for sale via Casa Travella. | The Risk Collective - for women who want to change their life...[/url]
[/COLOR][/U][/B]
David and Pam Bates.

Do you fancy living the good life in the Italian sunshine, among the olive groves in the beautiful Le Marche district? David and Pam Bates are selling the hotel business they built from scratch from an old abandoned farmhouse…

Up for a challenge and looking for a more exciting lifestyle, David and Pam Bates moved to Italy from Chandlers Ford in Hampshire in 2001. The couple renovated an old abandoned farmhouse in the Le Marche, Italy.

“David and I were absolutely fed up with our lives in the UK and as my brother had been living in Le Marche for over nine years it was the obvious place to start looking”, says Pam. They soon found what they were looking for - a typical Italian home set in a hectre of land and surrounded by open countryside. The three-storey abandoned farmhouse was on the market for just £42,000, but was in need of total renovation.

“It was quite a challenge”, continues Pam, “but David and I rather like being in that type of situation and so we set to work not just getting the property habitable for ourselves, but also carrying out a substantial business plan with the designation of country house providing bed and breakfast with a fully licensed restaurant.”
The idyllic Villa San Ginesio.

The idyllic Villa San Ginesio.

Renovation work included a new roof, doors, windows, wiring, plumbing, central heating, sewerage, landscaping, a professional kitchen, tiling, plastering, and the creating of nine bathrooms and a bar plus purchase of furniture for nine rooms and public areas and a new swimming pool. Later projects included extra rooms, decking and porticos etc. In addition they had to buy the linen, and soft furnishings, coffee and beer machines, crockery, outdoor furniture, and the complete stocking of the restaurant and bar.

Time was tight as they had to be open by February 2003 when they had 12 guests booked in! Pam is a gregarious person who had run a model agency and an events company, so she knew the advantages of public relations. Because of the unusual concept of derelict farmhouse to country hotel, the property was featured on A Place in Italy 2004, a Channel 4 production. The property was also featured on BBC’s Put your Money where your Mouth is in 2008. Guests have included a wide range of stars and celebrities including GMTV’s Ben Shepherd.

But why sell up now? “After six years of running the business and the fact we are not getting any younger, we are now looking for a different lifestyle.” Says Pam. “However, whoever buys our lovely home will not be left totally on their own to run the business. David and I are happy to offer support with the marketing for at least six months if they wish it.”

Villa San Ginesio Country House is on the market for 775.000 euros via
[url=http://www.casatravellapremier.com]Property Specialists Italy - Casa Travella Premier[/url]