ItalyUpdate

TOP GRAPPA PRODUCER NONINO AWARDS FOR PEACE

Fifty years ago, in 1973, the historic distillery of Benito and Giannola Nonino a Ronchi di Percoto (Fruili) revolutionized the process for making grappa, a local pomace brandy-style liqueur, transforming it from a rough and potent spirit mostly quaffed by workmen and farmers in the colder northern Italian regions, into a refined and gourmet product appreciated worldwide.

Instead of using the vinaccia, the residual pomace left after the juice of the grapes had been extracted for wine processing, they concentrated on distilling only the residuals of the local Picolit vine, creating an exclusive “monovitigno” or single vine-based liqueur.

The process was an instant success and launched grappa worldwide, as a sophisticated after-dinner drink.

Subsequently, the Nonino family, who descended from a long tradition of distillers, instituted an annual award, originally to encourage the cultivation of original grape stocks that were in danger of extinction. This prize has now developed into a major award with worldwide scope, nominating peace promoters, humanitarian organizations and international conservationists.

This year's 51^st edition took place in the Castle of Udine, and was open to the public. Awards went to the academic and pacifist Elo Floramo and the Cooperative INSIEME “Fruiti di Pace” (Fruits of Peace), the French doctor Rony Brauman, former President of Medicins Sans Frontiers, the Argentinian-born Canadian-naturalized writer and translator Alberto Manguel and Professor Naomi Oreskes for her studies of the role of science in our present society and the reality of climate change.

Sadly, the head of the family, Benito Nonino, passed away this year in July at the age of 90. He is succeeded by his wife and three daughters, all active in carrying on the business.

1000. STENHOUSE

      Info: Tel. +39.0432.675242        www.grappanonino.it       premiononino@nonino.it

GUBBIO LIGHTS UP WORLD'S GREATEST XMAS TREE

One of Italy's most evocative Christmas rituals is the lighting up ceremony of the gigantic Christmas Tree that stretches 800m up the side of Mt. Ingino at the historic town of Gubbio (Umbria).

This ritual takes place every 7^th December on the eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in front of crowds of people who have flocked from all over to admire the sight of “The World's Biggest Christmas Tree “ (according to the Guinness Book of Records 1991). The tree form is outlined by eight hundred lights that sparkle on the flank of the nearby Mt. Ingino, which is crowned with the shrine of St. Ubaldo, a peace-loving 12^th century holy man and the town's patron saint and protector. Every year, a leading figure from the Church, or a representative of a charity organization, the civil defence corps, a sports or cinema personality or a local political figure is invited to turn on the lights, which will illuminate the hillside every night until the second Sunday of January of the New Year.

1000. STENHOUSE

Info: Tel. +39.075.9229693 turismo@comune.gubbio.pg.it

POMPEII FOR CHILDREN

The archaeological site of Pompeii is to open a special area, called the Pompeii Children's Museum dedicated to younger visitors, following the successful initiative of the Children's Museum of Verona, with the aim of catering for and involving future generations of visitors.

The Pompeii Children's Museum is to open in spring 2025, but meanwhile, the archaeological site already organizes special programmes for children, such as treasure hunts, interactive games, theatrical performances and so on.

The museum will be located in the 19^th century Casina Rosellino, located inside the Archaeological Park, which is presently being renovated and adapted. Outside the Casino is a 1,800 sqm garden, which will contain 25 interactive exhibits. There will also be an indoor meeting room, theatre, bookshop and reception area, as well as the ArcheoFabLab, a laboratory focussing on ancient arts and techniques.

The initiative involves some twenty partnerships, both public and private, with contributions from institutions such as the Academy of Fine Arts and the University Federico II of Naples, the Vesuvius State Park, the City Theatre of Napoli, City of Science, the Foundation Quartieri Spagnoli, as well as the music Academy of Bari (Apulia), the Maiella Conservatory of Music(Abruzzo) and others.

Info: Tel. +39.081.8575.347 www.pompeiichildrensmuseum.it info@pompei.info@cultura.gov.it

ITALY'S HISTORIC HOSPITALS COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS

The Italian Ministry of Work and Made in Italy has commissioned a new series of stamps honouring five of Italy's historic hospitals, as part of its “public spirit” series.

The stamps illustrate iconic features in each institution, all founded several centuries ago but still functioning as modern hospitals, fully equipped with avant-guard instruments for diagnosis and treatments.

The series, which was issued on the 24^th November 2024, are veritable historic documents, reproducing images of the unique elements of each hospital, such as the historic archive of the Polyclinic (General Hospital) of Milan, founded in 1456, and with one of the most important historic archives in Europe as well as numerous works of art by celebrated artists, the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova of Florence, first founded in 1285, allegedly on land belonging to the Portinari family to which Dante's Beatrice belonged), the renaissance Civic Hospital of Saints John & Paul of Venice (which also incorporates a series of scientific and medical museums), the Santo Spirito in Sassia (Holy Spirit Hospital) in Rome, situated near the Vatican and believed to be one of Europe's oldest hospitals, dating back to the Dark Ages when it catered to “Saxon” pilgrims, and lastly, the Hospital of Santa Maria del Popolo degli Incurabili (the “Hospital of the Incurables”) in Naples founded in 1522 in the heart of the city.

Info: https:/filatelia.poste.it

TURIN'S EGYPTIAN MUSEUM: NEW EXPERIENCE

The Egyptian Museum of Turin has undergone a thorough restyling to set off some of its most celebrated exhibits to better advantage. In addition, new display space has been created that will finally allow visitors to admire an additional 6,000 items that had been hitherto kept in storage.

After Cairo, the Egyptian Museum of Turin is the oldest and most important museum in the world dedicated to Ancient Egyptian culture, dating from 1824, when King Carlo Felice of Italy bought the vast collection gathered by Bernardino Drovetti, Counsel General for France under Napoleon and his successor Louis XVIII. Among the most important exhibits is the Tomb of Kha and Merit, dating from 1425-1353 BC and a rare example of a tomb found intact. In addition to grave goods it contained traces of food like grapes and meat.

Another special exhibit is the Ellesiya chapel, dedicated to the deities Amun, Horis and Satis and the oldest rock temple discovered in Nubia. It was gifted to Italy by the Egyptian government as a thank you gesture for the help given by Italian archaeologists and restorer specialists in saving some of the monuments that were doomed to be submerged by the construction of the Aswan dam in the 1960s.

Important changes have been made to the Gallery of Kings, where natural daylight now illuminates the groups of gods, goddesses and pharaohs, allowing better observation of details. Previously, lighting was dim, creating an intimate but brooding atmosphere.

In October 2024, three new sectors have been opened in the museum, dedicated to materials used by the Ancient Egyptians to create tools and artefacts, with focus on wood, terracotta and pigments and displaying several thousand items dating from 4000 BC to the Byzantine era.

Info: Tel. +39.011.4406903 https://www.museoegizio info@museitorino.it

GIBELLINA: EX EARTHQUAKE TOWN REBORN ART CENTRE

Gibellina, near Trapani in Sicily has been elected 2026 “Italian Capital of Contemporary Art”, the first Italian town to hold this title. The project is entitled “Portami il Futuro” (Bring Me the Future), and aims to combine tradition with innovation, regenerating the concept of culture as “common good” and involving the citizens together with the artists and the institutions.

Gibellina, a small community near Salemi, was totally destroyed by an earthquake in 1968, and was reborn, thanks to the courageous initiative of the then mayor, Ludovico Corrao, who convinced celebrated artist Alberto Burri to create a landscape monument out of the rubble. The result was the Grande Cretto di Burri, one of the most extensive works of contemporary art in the world – a vast concrete labyrinth constructed over the site of the ruined town, with passages and corners that faithfully followed the former town layout.

The new town of Gibellina was built instead on a more protected site some 11 kms distant, incorporating designs and creations submitted by other celebrated Italian artists, such as Mario Schifani, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Mimmo Paladino, Pietro Consagra, Andrea Cascella, Franco Angeli and others, many of whom donated their art works to a new museum of contemporary art, named after Ludovico Corrao, which now contains a collection of over 2000 works.

The new town is an open air art gallery, with the main square named after the date of the fatal earthquake: Piazza XV January 1968.

1000. STENHOUSE

Info: Tel. +39.0924.524882 www.macgibellona.it info@macgibellina.it

THE ENIGMATIC WARRIOR OF CAPESTRANO

The Abruzzo Region has changed its official crest to include a stylized image of the prehistoric sculpture known as the Capestrano Warrior, designed by the celebrated contemporary artist Mimmo Paladino.

The 2m-tall statue, carved out of a single limestone block, has been dated to the VI century BC, and identified with the Vestini, an ancient Italic people who once lived in the area stretching from the mountains of Gran Sasso to the Adriatic coast.

The sculpture was discovered by chance in 1934 in an ancient burial site near the town of Capestrano, and has intrigued archeologists and scientists ever since. An inscription on the base, which was only fully interpreted in 1986 after years of study by noted archaeologist and Etruscologist Adriano La Regina as “Aninis made this fine image for King Nevio Pompulledius” has also provided the key to understanding other inscriptions found in this hitherto unknown language.

The warrior is a unique and impressive work of art, representing a noble chieftain, armed for battle, holding a sword and a small-headed axe in arms crossed over the breast, with a mask over its face and a unique wide-brimmed hat on its head. Recent restoration has revealed traces of red colouring and bronze, suggesting that it once had metal shin guards and breast plate. The face was covered by a mask that was originally painted white.

The warrior intrigues some researchers for other reasons, thanks to certain anatomical anomalies. While the upper torso is flat and conforms to the male form, the lower part of the trunk tapers into a slim waist above generously curving hips and typically feminine buttocks. Did the statue actually represent a Warrior Queen? Another theory suggests it was a mythical figure of a divinity representing both sexes.

The Warrior of Capestrano is part of the collection of the National Archeological Museum of Abruzzo at Chieti.

M. STENHOUSE

Info: Tel. +39.0871.331666      www.museiabruzzo.cultura.gov.it      https://cultura.gov.it

SEEING THE INVISIBLE WITH MARCONI

The Italian Ministry of Culture is commemorating Guglielmo Marconi, the pioneer of radio communications, with a major exhibition in Rome's monumental Victor Emanuel Memorial to mark the 150^th anniversary of the scientist's birth.

The multi-medial exhibition, complete with rare and exclusive material supplied by Cinecittà, Italy's major cinema studios and the historic Luce Archives of photographic material, was launched on the 8^th November with the title: “Seeing the Invisible”

Meanwhile, other exhibitions and tributes to Marconi's genius are being staged all over Italy, with special initiatives involving the Marconi Foundation, located in the Villa Griffone near Bologna. This was Marconi's family residence and where he conducted some of his earliest experiments with “wireless” communications.

Marconi conducted most of his experiments from his yacht, the Elettra, the name that he also gave his daughter, now aged 94. A living custodian of her father's memory, she is much in demand this year by both Italian and foreign media.

Marconi was forced to move his operation and experiments from Italy to Great Britain in 1896 when he was unable to obtain sufficient funding from the Italian government. Within a year, he was able to transmit signals over a distance of 12 miles and took out his first patents. In 1901 he successfully made his first transatlantic contact in the form of the morse code letter “S” between Newfoundland in Canada and Poldhu in Cornwall.

Originally, the potential importance of his experiments were underestimated – until the Titanic disaster in 1912. The doomed ship was equipped with radio transmitters but the signals were not picked up immediately and rescue ships were slow in arriving. Nonetheless, some 700 survivors were saved and the era of modern communications was born.

“Seeing the Invisible” runs until the 25^th April 2025

M. STENHOUSE

Info: Museo Marconi at Villa Griffone: Tel.- +39.051.846121) www.museomarconi.it

“Vedere l'Invisibile” https://cultura.gov.it www.archivioluce.com

THE BOOK BOAT: NEW CRUISE ROUTE

After its successful series of voyages between the Italian port of Civitavecchia and Barcelona (this year in its 12^th edition), Grimaldi shipping lines has launched a new literary cruise for book lovers with destinations Naples and Palermo.

During the voyage, between the 13^th and 19^th November 2024. participants can enjoy meeting a selection of well-known authors who will present their books, with live musical accompaniments.

The “A Ship of Books” event is part of the programme “Leggere Tutti” (Everyone Read), promoted by the publishing company Agro Editrice, with the collaboration of the Grimali line. It will not be, however, an exclusive bookworm event. Emphasis will also be on the gastronomical treats of the two cities, prepared by local top chefs and patisseries.

Time off shore is spent exploring the marvels of the two cities, accompanied by local guides and will include the splendid Norman Cappella Palatina, Monreale and Villa Niscemi in the Park La Favorita.

The second day contemplates visits to Bagheria with Villa Palagonia (the Villa of the “Monsters”), Villa Cattolica, seat of the Guttuso Museum, plus the famous wine cellar of Duca di Salaparuta at Casteldaccia, celebrating its 200^th anniversary this year.

Naples offers a city tour of the city monuments and artistic marvels, including a visit to the Museum of Capodimonte.

The “Leggere Tutto” publishing house aims to encourage and promote reading, also in schools and public libraries. Previous cruises of “A Ship of Books “ included Erasmus students, teachers and school children among its passengers .

M. STENHOUSE

Info: +39.06.44254205 www.leggeretutti.it info@leggeretutti.it

FORGOTTEN WOMEN ARTISTS IN ROME

The ground-breaking exhibition “Le Signore dell'Arte”, focussing on Italian women artists of the 16^th and 17^th centuries, held in the Royal Palace of Milan in 2021, opened a door onto a hitherto unknown reality: that art had not been an exclusive prerogative of men from the Renaissance onwards, but that many women artists had also had successful careers during the same period. The Museum of Rome at Palazzo Braschi has now taken up the theme, offering a spectacular exhibition of the works of 56 women artists who worked in Rome between the 17^th and 19^th centuries.

On display are 130 works, coming from major Italian galleries and museums in various Italian cities, as well as the National Gallery of London and the Thorvaldsen Museum of Copenhagen.

For many of these artists, this is the first time that their work has received official recognition, since many of their paintings were catalogued as “artist unknown” or were attributed to their maestro or to a male family member.

A series of talks, open to the public, describing the lives and works of the artists on show are available during the exhibition period, as well as a map of Rome indicating the places connected with the life and work of many of the artists

“ROMA PITTRICE, Artiste al Lavoro tra XVI e XIX Secole” (Rome Women Artists, working between yhe XVI and the XIX centuries) runs until the 23^rd March 2025 at the Museo di Roma, Palazzo Braschi.

Info: Tel. 060608 www.museodiroma.it museodiroma@comune.roma.it