TURIN
When? February 23.
Why? Come on, what’s wrong with a bit of patriotism? Rhona Martin, the Freddie Flintoff of curling, led her team to gold at Salt Lake City in 2002, sweeping football briefly off the back pages with a sport few had previously come across — an amalgam of carpet bowls, ice-skating and housework. Martin is again the captain in Turin, and tickets for the curling (February 13-24) are still available, though optimists will need £50 for a seat at the women’s final.
How? Buy your tickets at www.torino2006.com; or opt for a package from Sportsworld (01235 550904, www.sportsworld.co.uk). Fly to Turin with British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com), EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) or Ryanair (www.ryanair.com).
TITIAN AND THE 16TH-CENTURY ITALIAN PORTRAIT
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NAPLES
When? March 24-June 4.
Why? If the name Capodimonte kindles cringing memories of your granny’s china cabinet, think again. This green corner of noisy, noisome Naples contains some of the finest Renaissance art treasures anywhere. The Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, an 18th-century royal palace, has most of them, and this spring it will borrow a few more for a seminal exhibition of 16th-century portraiture. It’s easy to be blasé about Renaissance art, but the sheer humanity of Titian’s portraits is revelatory when seen up close. Many of the greats will be here, from Danae to his pictures of the Farnese family, set beside 40 works by contemporaries from Raphael to the Caracci. Go on any weekend in May, when Neapolitans will be staging their Maggio dei Monumenti, an open house for museums and monuments, including film screenings and walks through the city’s underground passages.
How? Call the museum on 00 39 081 749 9111 or visit capodimonte.spmn.remuna.org. Fly to Naples with BA (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com) or EasyJet (www.easyjet.com).
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DANCE OF THE DEVILS
PRIZZI
When? April 9-16.
Why? Every nation has its eccentric folk customs — and for maximum Italian ritual strangeness, you need to spend Easter in Sicily. Across the island, for days on end, the cosmic battle between good and evil rages, as entire villages act out real-time Passion plays. At Prizzi, south of Palermo in the picturesque Sicilian interior, the masque begins on Palm Sunday, when Jesus rides into town on horseback. There follows a Last Supper on Holy Thursday, then a Calvary procession on Good Friday (they use a chalk effigy for that bit). Then comes the real fun: at 6am on Easter Sunday, the forces of Satan arrive, hideous in their iron masks, and rampage through the streets. Will evil triumph? No. A company of angels eventually turns up, to slay the devils in suitably histrionic style. And you thought the mafia was frightening.
How? Similar mystery plays, more or less melodramatic, happen in Enna, Adrano, Terrasini, San Fratello and elsewhere. Call Sicily Tourism on 00 39 091 707 8201 or visit www.regione.sicilia.it/turismo. Fly to Palermo with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com).
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CANTINE APERTE
TUSCANY
When? May 27-28.
Why? Free wine all weekend. Knew that would get your attention. Smart-thinking oenophiles have been booking their annual villa holiday to coincide with Tuscany’s Open Cellars celebration for a decade now. It’s when vineyards across the region offer complimentary slurps of the new Chianti. Last year, more than 140 estates took part, the best giving tasting tours and demonstrations, and just about all of them laying out slabs of pecorino and prosciutto to help soak up the grape. The Tuscan tourism people compile a good driving map to guide you, but we suggest sticking to the half-dozen growers around Greve. Alternatively, you could meander north to Florence on the 28th and catch Zubin Mehta conducting Falstaff at the Teatro della Pergola, part of the city’s Maggio Musicale festival (April 30-July 14, www.maggiofiorentino.com).
How? Visit www.turismo.toscana.it; or contact the event organisers (00 39 0432 26339, www.movimentoturismovino.it). Fly to Florence with BA (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com), EasyJet (www.easyjet.com), Meridiana (0845 355 5588, www.meridiana.it) or Ryanair (www.ryanair.com).
OPERA SEASON
VERONA
When? June 24-August 27.
Why? Hmmm, a tricky one. Why choose alfresco opera in Verona when you could hear Puccini in Lucca (July 21-August 20, www.puccinifestival.it), Rossini in Pesaro (August 7-21, www.rossinioperafestival.it), jazz in Perugia (July 7-16, www.umbriajazz.com) or a bit of everything in Spoleto (June 30-July 16, www.spoletofestival.it)? In the Italian summer, music jamborees are like gelaterie: there’s always one around the corner. But what clinches it for Verona is sheer spectacle: a Roman amphitheatre; remarkable ancient acoustics; a 500-strong chorus (complete with horses); 20,000 spectators; starlight and candles; tickets from less than a tenner; and an unapologetic commitment to opera’s greatest hits. This year’s programme is perfect sing-along stuff: Tosca, Madam Butterfly, Aida and Carmen.
How? Book online at www.arena.it or call 00 39 045 800 5151. Fly to Verona with BA (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com), or to nearby Brescia with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com).
IL PALIO
SIENA
When? June 29-July 3 and August 13-17.
Why? A predictable choice, perhaps, but you’ve heard of the Palio for a reason: it is Europe’s most eye-boggling day out, in Italy’s prettiest city. Imagine running the Grand National around Trafalgar Square, with no rules to speak of and 50,000 juiced-up spectators hanging off Landseer’s lions, and you start to get the idea. Siena’s street-racing season spreads across five days, but the showpiece races happen on July 2 and August 16. There’s a three-hour procession of Renaissance-quality pomp, complete with battle chariots pulled by white oxen, then it’s three “death or glory” laps around a packed Campo, winner takes all. Devastating, explosive... and suddenly you realise why you’ve been standing in the square since daybreak, with no route to a lavatory, just for 75 seconds of horse-based delirium. Then it’s off to drink grappa and dance with Sienese grannies till dawn.
How? Call Siena Tourism on 00 39 0577 280551 or visit www.terresiena.it; for Palio background, visit www.ilpaliodisiena.com. Fly to Florence (as above).
LA NOTTE BIANCA
ROME
When? September 16.
Why? For one night only, Rome becomes a nocturnal playground, with theatres, cinemas, bars, restaurants, shops, cinemas, parks and even libraries staying open until dawn. This will be the fourth time the capital has staged its annual all-nighter, and they’re planning the biggest yet, with 500 special events and a 300-strong cast of singers, poets, circus acts and street performers, including a whole raft of stuff just for children. No firm bookings yet, but last year’s programme included food and wine tastings, digital art installations, guided archeological tours, outdoor storytelling by the light of magic lanterns and a non-stop horror-movie marathon. Don’t worry too much about planning, though — just grab two matchsticks, insert between eyelids and prepare to party.
How? Programme details, once available, will be posted at www.lanottebianca.it. Fly to Rome with Alitalia (0870 544 8259, www.alitalia.co.uk), BA (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com), EasyJet (www.easyjet.com), Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) or Aer Lingus (0818 365000, www.aerlingus.com). Milan’s version of the White Night is on June 17, while Naples stages one on October 28.
WHITE TRUFFLE FESTIVAL
ALBA
When? October 1.
Why? Of all the monumental feeds in Italy’s social calendar, this has the most musky magic. It’s a month-long gastronomic love-in dedicated to that god among morbid growths, the white truffle. These pungent pebbles are harvested from the wooded hills around Alba by trained hounds, and every weekend in October sees a marathon tasting session in the town square — a lovely spot fortified with turrets and palazzi. The local talent with a tartufo will delight you: they whip it up with cheese to make fonduta; sliver it over pasta with butter and parmesan cheese; even sprinkle it on their eggs for breakfast. The event is garnished with deliciously silly medieval carousing. Don’t miss October 1, when there’s a feudal fancy-dress pageant featuring 1,000 knights and damsels, with donkey-racing in the square.
How? Call Langhe’s tourist office on 00 39 0173 364030; or visit www.fieradeltartufo.org. Fly to Genoa with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com), or to Turin (as above).