Letters to Juliette

Letters to Juliette, with Franco Nero, Vanessa Redgrave and Amanda Seyfried and made in Verona, New York and Siena, which is just up the road from where we live and where more than twenty internationally famous films have been made including Brother Sun-Sister Moon, My House in Umbria, Tea With Mussolini, Romeo and Juliet, Under the Tuscan Sun, The English Patient, Quantum of Solace and Gladiator.

AUGUST 2010

Montone is celebrating the medieval procession of the Madonna della Spina until the 22nd, with flag wavers, archers, costumes, drummers and traditional food.



Citta di Castello is hosting world famous Russian musicians at the Festival of the Nations



Summer truffle hunts are starting in the Upper Tiber Valley which include samples and six course lunches or dinners based on black truffle.



San Leo Bastia village is having their annual four day mushroom festival, with dishes made by local cooks based on world famous porcini mushrooms, traditional from this area of chestnut woods.



Anghiari is hosting an art festival with exhibitors from different countries who are using the old cantinas in the historic centre as showrooms.

FESTIVAL DELLE NAZIONI

FESTIVAL DELLE NAZIONI
Città di Castello
info: info@festivalnazioni.com

E' una delle iniziative conosciuta non solo a livello nazionale, ma che a pieno titolo è inserita fra le manifestazioni musicali più importanti in Europa. Ogni anno il Festival ospita una nazione che presenta il meglio della produzione musicale con i più noti esecutori; nel 2010 la nazione ospite sarà la Russia. Il Festival rientra in una politica di valorizzazione dei beni culturali, storici, ed artistici in quanto quasi tutti i concerti vengono effettuati nelle più belle chiese e nei più bei palazzi della città. Parallelamente al Festival si svolgono dei Corsi di perfezionamento musicale (dal 22 agosto al 5 settembre) tenuti da docenti di chiara fama che comprendono: Violino,Violoncello, Pianoforte, Flauto, Fagotto, Sassofono e Tecnica vocale.

Programma di agosto

26- Città di Castello-chiesa di San Domenico ore 21.15 i Solisti di Mosca- direttore e solista Yuri Bashmet


27- Città di Castello-Terme di Fontecchio ore 21.15- Giaele Widmer, violino- Annalisa Pondero, pianoforte
28-San Sepolcro- Auditorium di Santa Chiara ore 18..30 Danilo Rossi, viola- Stefano Bazziccheri, pianoforte- Corrado Giuffredi, clarinetto- Linda di Carlo, pianoforte
28- Città di Castello- chiesa di San Domenico ore 21.15 Arcadi Volodos, pianoforte
29- Città di Castello Chiesa di San Francesco ore 21.15 Anastasia Chebotareva, violino- Natalia Gous, pianoforte
30- Morra- oratorio di San Crescentino ore 18.30 Uberbrettl Ensemble- Sabina Von Walther, soprano
30- Città di Castello- Teatro degli Illuminati ore 21.15- "Musica Italianaskaya" la musica italiana nel 18° sec a San Pietroburgo
complesso cameristico "musica metropolitana- Olga Pasichnyk, soprano"
31- Citerna cortile palazzo comunale ore 18.30- Federico Mondelci, sassofono- Filippo Farinelli, pianoforte
31- Città di Castello chiesa di San Domenico ore 21.15 Stefano Bollani, piano solo dal 26 al 29.

http://www.eventiesagre.it/Eventi_Vari/21031802_Citta+di+Castello+e+Alta+Valle+del+Tevere.html

33° SAGRA DEL PESCE 2010 - CALZOLARISSIMO

Inizio: giovedì 17 giugno 2010 alle ore 20.00
Fine: domenica 20 giugno 2010 alle ore 23.30
Luogo: Calzolaro : campo sportivo - CVA .



Descrizione*** La Pro Loco e la Società Sportiva Calzolaro ***

PRESENTANO :

- CALZOLARISSMO 2010 - 33° Sagra del Pesce ; 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 Giugno -


PROGRAMMA FESTA :

giovedì 17 : ore 21:00 - GARA DI BRISCOLA .
ore 21:30 - Serata danzante con l' Orchestra " LUNA D' ORIENTE "

venerdì 18 : ore 21:00 - GARA DI BRISCOLA .
ore 22:00 - Serata danzante con l' Orchestra " RITA BRAIDA E
GLI ELISIR " .

sabato 19 : ore 21:00 - Serata danzante con l' Orchestra Spettacolo
" MATTEO TASSI " .
ore 23:00 - Spazio giovani interno CVA con il gruppo " SIMPLE
STRANGERS " .

domenica 20 : ore 17:00 - Briscolone tra Pro - Loco .
ore 21:00 - Serata danzante con " IVANO PESCARI " .
ore 23:00 - SPETTACOLO PIROTECNICO .


DURANTE TUTTA LA FESTA FUNZIONERA' STAND SAGRA DEL PESCE .

Italian property prices hold despite drop in sales

Slow and steady. That’s the snapshot of the Italian property market in 2009, according to the Agenzia del Territorio, Italy’s equivalent of the Land Registry.

The Agenzia has just published its annual report on the Italian market, which analyses data from 2009. Some 1.347m transactions took place in the country last year - a markedly lower number than at during the property boom.

Concerns over equity and a gap in buyers and sellers’ price expectations both conspired to depress sale volumes, which were down 11.3% over the previous year. In 2008, the annual drop had been of 13.7% over 2007.



However, the tide appeared to change at some point during the second half of 2009. While the first quarter of the year recorded a staggering 18.6% reduction in sales over the same period in 2008, by the last quarter, they were only down 4% over the previous year. The trend affected every property segment, but offices and residential performed better than commercial and industrial properties.

Likewise, some geographical areas held better than others. In the last quarter of 2009, Northern Italy saw a greater drop in residential sales than the South (-6.4% against -0.7%) and the Centre, which bucked the trend and saw a 1.4% increase. In particular, the market in Central Italy’s capital cities went up by 4.6%.

It is also interesting to note that mortgage-funded purchases performed better than average, reversing a previous trend. Last year, mortgage buys decreased by 10.8% against an 11.3% average for residential homes, whereas in 2008, the mortgage market drop had been a massive 27%, against a 15% average. The report researchers believe that the dramatic reduction in interest rates helped support mortgage-funded purchases last year.

What is of greatest interest to Italian property owners, however, is that housing values proved remarkably resilient. Despite the significant contraction in sales, prices only went down by 0.7% in the second half of 2009 over the same period in the previous year. And putting the numbers in a longer term perspective, values today are 28.7% higher than in 2004. Southern Italy was the steadiest location, recording stable prices in capital cities (-0.1%) and a small increase (0.4%) in smaller municipalities.


Words by Carla Passino
http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy-featured/property/italian-property-prices-hold-despite-drop-sales

Foodie fun in Umbria

Location: Umbria | Topic: Food & Drink, Travel
Words by Germaine Stafford

Ten tasty ideas on how to get the best from Italy’s ‘Green Heart’.

1. Seek sophisticated sanctuary

If relaxing in the discreet luxury of a converted 12th Century monastery and taking part in truffle hunts, cooking lessons and visits to local food markets is your idea of fun, then Lilliana and John Tunstill’s beautiful guest house, La Preghiera, is definitely the answer to your prayers.


2. Whet your appetite
Christine Smallwood’s excellent book An Appetite for Umbria is an absolute must for any gourmet planning to visit the region. A winning combination of prose, food info and local recipes, this book will treat you to a true taste of Umbria.

3. Be a Bongustaio
After soaking up the beauty of Assisi’s Basilica di San Francesco, make your way to the Gambacorta family’s specialty food shop, Bottega del Bongustaio, and stock up on farro and lentils, pecorino and other local specialties. Or visit their website and have them sent to your door! Via San Gabriele, 17 (www.ilbongustaio.com)

4. Dish for Compliments
Lavishly decorated, colourful Deruta pottery has to be one of the most spectacular ways to show off your cooking and give your home an Italian touch. The Grazia family has an excellent collection and deliver all over the world.

5. Make a cake of yourself
Right in Perugia’s historic centre sits the beautiful Caffé Sandri with its fabulous vaulted ceiling – just the place to throw back a thimbleful of excellent espresso and allow yourself to be tempted by an irresistible array of homemade pastries. Corso Vannucci, 32

6. Get thee to Gubbio
Once you’ve wandered round this medieval marvel of a town, seek respite at La Fornace di Mastro Giorgio. When in season, enjoy a menu studded with Umbria’s exceptional truffles and a good bottle of red chosen from the ample wine list. Via Mastro Giorgio, 2 in Gubbio.

7. Go for gold
Umbria produces some exquisite olive oils and what better way to find them than to follow a Strada del’Olio? Stop off at local producers’, sample their offerings and treat yourself to some of Italy’s best loved ‘liquid gold’. (www.stradaoliodopumbria.it)

8. Lunch by a Lake
Head for Lago Trasimeno and enjoy a spot of windsurfing or go for a good swim. As you dry off, lie back and enjoy a picnic of prized prosciutto from Norcia, some pecorino with truffles and a cleverly-stashed bottle of Montefalco Sagrentino. (www.lagotrasimeno.net)

9. Have an Art Attack
Treat yourself to a fabulous painting holiday in Umbria with H&G Italy, and while you’re slaving over a hot canvas, Eddy and Sheila de Vries will be busy planning evening meals, wine tastings and trips to nearby food markets. No starving artists here methinks...

http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy-featured/umbria/foodie-fun-umbria

Valerio Scanu wins the Sanremo Festival 2010 with "Per Tutte le Volte Che"

Per tutte le volte che is a song with a notable vocal difficulty but also with a single instantaneity..

Each time i sing it, i think at the words thus whispered, by moment timidly sang, and on other time with a feeling of rage which comes to express a discomfort and then explodes in the refrain with this melody which falls, raises you and cut your breath. It's like looking at a small world with its details and its characteristics of every day, the troubles, fights, bad moments in the verses... And then the refrain which , on the other hand, brings you above the mounts and the clouds in a happy coasting flight...»
http://www.valerioscanu.com/

Trevi, Umbria - A week without TV

The Italians - watch on average 28 hours of TV per person per week as compared to 28 hours of weekly viewing by the average Italian. In Italian homes there is nearly always a television in the kitchen as well as in other rooms and it is usually left on during mealtimes.

When a school in Trevi [Umbria] asked two classes to participate in a project in which not only the children but also their parents would spend one week without watching the television at all, then, the families foresaw a difficult seven days. However, 41 children between the ages of 8 and 11 and their families agreed to try, denying themselves the use of video and computer games as well, reports La Repubblica.

The project, called “Oltre lo Schermo” [“Beyond the Screen”] was the idea of Umbrian journalist and mother Giovanna Grieco, who only allows her own son to watch TV for a short time each day. He spends the rest of his free time reading stories and playing games with his family. Ms Grieco suggested games and activities that the children could do in the afternoons at school or at home instead of watching TV.

The emphasis was on interacting with the people around them.
In all, 28 children got through the “week without TV” and they kept diaries of their difficulties and discoveries of other ways to spend their time, such as helping their mothers with the cooking, reading in the school library or enjoying playing games with their parents.

“We enjoyed turning the TV off every time Dad switched it on”, reported eight-year-old twins.
It seems that the older children found the sacrifice harder than the younger ones. The school is happy with the outcome and may extend the project to include other classes in the future.