Rome Gelato Sales Banned After 1AM

Rome, March 26 - Revellers spilling out of discos and bars in Rome in the early hours of the morning will no longer be able to satisfy late-night munchies under a new city council reform designed to calm the capital's nightlife.

Vendors of freshly made croissants, ice-cream, pizza and sandwiches will have to shut up shop at 1 AM under the new law, which comes into effect in mid March.

''This applies to croissant makers, ice-cream makers, cake shops, yoghurt shops, sandwich shops, take-aways and rotisseries,'' said city councillor Davide Bordoni.

''One in the morning seems to us a reasonable hour that is satisfactory for both the shop owners and residents,'' he said.

For more on two of Rome's most famous gelateria, Giolitti Gelato and La Palma Gelato, and the history of gelato click WebVisionItaly.com Gelato in Rome.

Giotto in Rome: Father of Renaissance Giotto's Works on Display in Rome

San Francesco expels the devils from Arezzo by Giotto

Rome, February 20 - Rome is gearing up for one of the artistic highlights of its year, a major exhibition paying tribute to the father of the Renaissance, Giotto.

Opening March 6, 50 works of art, including 20 panels, exploring the life and times of Giotto di Bondone (c.1267-1337) will be on display.

Speaking at the presentation of the event, Culture Minister Sandro Bondi said the exhibit would be unique.

''It will just not be a great cultural event but will also have enormous civil, political and democratic value,'' he said. ''Giotto was one of the fathers of European art and just looking at his masterpieces makes us all better people''.

The exhibition will feature wooden sculptures, illuminated manuscripts and goldwork. The highlight of the show will be the fragile, 14th-century panels on loan from major museums around the world, several of which have been restored for the show.

''This event will not simply commemorate Giotto's work, it aims to approach the master from a fresh point of view,'' said Architectural Heritage Superintendent Roberto Cecchi. ''There are so many aspects to Giotto that we still know little about, such as his interest in architecture, and the exhibition will contain some appealing ideas for future studies''.

Although renowned for his skill at life drawings at a time when stylized Byzantine art dominated, much of Giotto's life, travels and training remains shrouded in mystery. He was born in Tuscany of a father named Bondone, studied with Cimabue, one of the greatest painters of his day, and completed his greatest masterpiece, the decoration of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, in around 1305.

However, the year and precise place of his birth and his family's background remain subjects of dispute, as does the order in which he completed his works and even their attribution. The exhibition sets out to address these uncertainties among others, looking at conflicting views and tracing his voyages around Italy through the impact of his art. ''The exhibition will analyze the master's presence in Italy's greatest cities, from Rome to Florence, and from Naples to Milan,'' said the event's curator Alessandro Tomei.

''First-hand evidence has disappeared but historians have reconstructed his trail through documentation and the influence his work had on his contemporaries. ''Where Giotto appeared, artistic expression changed for good,'' he concluded. Entitled Giotto e Le Trecento (Giotto And The 14th Century), the exhibition runs in Rome's Vittoriano from March 6 until June 29.

One of WebVisionItaly's favorite Italian towns is Assisi, which we find so peaceful and beautiful. Inside the Basilica di San Francesco does Giotto's art cover the walls depicting the life of San Francesco? One of our favorite's is the panel that depicts San Francesco expelling the devil and phantoms who had taken over the souls of the people from Arezzo. Giotto was long credited with the frescoes in the Upper Church of S Francesco in Assisi, painted between 1297 and about 1305, but of course there is always controversy and these Giotto paintings in the Basilica of San Francesco Assisi are subject of one big controversy: are the paintings by the hands of Giotto or by students who copied his style.

If you plan to travel to Rome this Spring stop by the Vittorino to see Giotto's work, a wonderful base from which to jump into European Art and the Renaissance.

For more video about travel in Italy click WebVisionItaly.com.

Rome Fashion Week Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2009

From Reuters today Rome's fashionistas are getting into cat fights about where they hold their cat walks. Rome Fashion Week Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2009 show February 2, 2009 happening in Rome this week brings out the cattiness in its designers.

Rome fashion bristles at Armani jibe from Paris
Mon Feb 2, 2009 4:54pm GMT

By Deepa Babington
ROME (Reuters Life!) - Giorgio Armani's comment that Rome has killed off its fashion scene by parading inept designers has ruffled feathers in the Italian capital. Armani was quoted in Italian media last week as saying in Paris that Rome "has killed high fashion by showcasing people who didn't merit it" and that the French capital offered more for designers.

Armani's office had no comment, but many of the designers in Rome say that if one of Italy's most famous fashion names was true to his Italian roots he would hold his shows in Rome rather than cast disparaging remarks about the people who do. "An Italian in Paris should not be discrediting Italian work at a time of economic crisis for fashion and as the biggest catwalk shows get underway in Italy," Stefano Dominella, chairman of the Gattinoni fashion house and former chairman of Rome's fashion week, told Reuters. "Armani should be more patriotic. His name is so strong, he should not make provocations of this kind." He suggested Armani restore big name power to Rome's struggling fashion week by unveiling collections in the city, which has a long tradition of haute couture and launched designers like Valentino but lacks Paris' glamour and buzz.

Gattinoni's designer Guillermo Mariotto, who unveiled his spring collection in Rome on Sunday, told Reuters that as an Italian he was proud to show in Rome and would never move to Paris, adding that at any rate: "I see no future of couture in Armani."

Neapolitan designer Fausto Sarli, a long-time fixture on the Rome haute couture scene, agreed that Armani's comments did not help as the fashion world grapples with recession-hit sales.

"At times like this, there should be a joint effort to face the crisis," said Carlo Alberto Terranova, Sarli's spokesman and associate, adding that Armani ought to bring his collections to Rome to raise the city's fashion profile.

"Also because when it comes to creativity, in Rome we're not second to anyone. One cannot allow oneself to say Milan or Rome or Paris is better."

Nicoletta Fiorucci, the new chairman of AltaRoma, the group that organizes Rome's fashion weeks, said she saw Armani's point and that under her watch the twice-a-year events would only include high-quality designers.

She has axed some designers from the agenda and tried to raise the event's profile by pairing catwalk shows with exhibits and art, though critics complain it is chaotic at times and lacks the buzz that draws in top fashion buyers and celebrities.

"The tradition of haute couture is divided between Rome and Paris," Fiorucci said. "I take (Armani's words) as a provocation, not as the truth revealed."

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

For video from Italy's designers visit www.WebVisionItaly.com Fashion Channel.