Journeys Viaggio

June 13th…Ferrari has started online auction for earthquake victims. 

Www.ferraristore.com   will dedicate significant sums to those who have lost their loved ones in the recent earthquakes. The auction will feature rare and important items like 599 Evo, street-illegal race sports berlinetta , prancing horse watches, Formula 1 merchandise such as race suits, helmets, a V8 engine and other memorabilia associated with race cars from the past.

May 20th…

More than 120 aftershocks rocked the area in the hours following the magnitude-6.0 earthquake, which toppled factories, apartment buildings, and medieval and Renaissance monuments early Sunday. The epicenter was a small town between the art-rich cities of Modena and Ferrara. The area had not been considered at high risk for earthquakes, leading officials to call for revisions to the country’s risk map. Seven deaths have been reported.

No significant damage occurred in Bologna or Modena. Italians felt the quake strongly in Tuscany, Veneto, Lombardy, Liguria, Marche, Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

With summer travel plans in the works, Campania invaribly comes up. It is south of Rome and on the Tyrrhenian Sea and is comprised of some of Italy’s most well known names…Capri, Sorrento, Naples, Pompeii, Paestum, and Positano, to mention a few. The Amalfi coastline is a favorite summer playground for Italians and tourists alike. It has it all…from fascinating archaeological sites, appealing medieval towns, white sand beaches and picture-perfect villages….many built into the terraced hillsides.

There is something magic about the houses spilling down the hillsides of Positano toward the blue sea. Positano has been featured in many movies, the latest being Under the Tuscan Sun.
Once a small fishing village and port of maritime power Amalfi, today Positano derives its wealth almost entirely from tourism. Everywhere the views are compelling, and the fish you eat at dinner are fresh.
There’s lots to do in Positano for the well-heeled shopper and the beach crowd. Otherwise, a day trip for the views is all it takes.

“Truffles are the most expensive food in the world.” CBS news

Autumn in Umbria is fabulous in everyway. Why not spend a week on the Todi estate and enjoy a three day preplanned agenda focused on the infamous ‘truffle’. A few more days could be spent around the olive harvest or just day tripping to some of the dozens of fabulous villages in the area.

Friend and colleague Mario Santoro, has put together a very enticing multi-day encounter with ‘the truffle’. Details follow.

On the first day…we will join a professional truffle hunter (cavatore) on his morning hunt with his faithful dogs in the beautiful forests of Umbria. This will be followed by a typical lunch at a farm, tasting the precious tubers just harvested. A delicious truffle meal served with great wines !
In the afternoon, visit to the “Urbani Truffle Academy”, the most important manufacturer of this product, worldwide. There will a guided tour and a presentation about their products ending with a tasting.
In the evening, an unforgettable truffle based menu at TodiCastle.

Joaquim Rodríguez has taken the overall of the Giro d’Italia after the Spaniard won the 186-kilometre stage from Civitavecchia to Assisi.
For the 33 year-old Rodríguez, it is the first time he has worn the leader’s jersey.Wednesday’s epic 255-kilometre 11th stage from Assisi to Montecatini where Mark Cavendish will be hoping to win his third stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia.

http://www.steephill.tv/giro-d-italia/

The Tuscan Sun Festival, is considered by some as ‘one of the ten best festivals in Europe’, which has brought together the elite of the music, art and film world. This tenth edition will take place in Florence, June 11th – 18th, 2012. With one of Italy’s most beautiful cities as the new sophisticated backdrop, the Tuscan Sun Festival is delighted to welcome artists such as soprano Angela Gheorghiu, flautist Sir James Galway, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, violinist Nigel Kennedy, cellist Nina Kotova, pianist Valentina Lisitsa, pianist Ivo Pogorelich, actor John Malkovich, directors Gabriele Lavia and Maurizio Scaparro as well as violinist Maxim Vengerov, who will appear in this anniversary edition of the event in venues throughout Florence, including the beautiful Teatro della Pergola.

Crowning nine years of success in its original home in Cortona, the City of Florence will promote the continued growth of the Tuscan Sun Festival from this year forwards. Continuing with the Tuscan Sun Festival’s aim of presenting a multi-disciplinary festival, the musical performances will be enhanced by a literary collaboration with the innovative Palazzo Strozzi, a cinematic partnership with the stunning Odeon Cinehall in Florence as well as a series of gastronomic adventures under the heading of ‘Nuove Tradizioni’.

For tickets, see this link: http://www.boxol.it/TuscanSunFestival/EN/index.aspx?A=46703

Italy’s first private high-speed train, launched by Ferrari head Luca di Montezemolo’s company NTV and boasting sleek interiors and a cinema carriage, made its inaugural journey on Friday.
The dark-red 656 foot bullet-shaped train — named “Italo” — set out from Rome’s Termini station, taking just over an hour to reach Naples.
“Italo has arrived, the competition has kicked off… bringing real advantages to all those who travel,” NTV told its first passengers as they admired interiors styled by celebrated design house Italdesign Giugiaro.
The trains have gold edging, panoramic windows, leather seats and wider carriages than the classic French TGV trains. The Italo travels at a top speed of 224 miles per hour.
France’s national rail company SNCF owns a 20-percent stake in NTV, which is led by a group of Italian businessmen including Montezemolo, NTV’s president, and Diego Della Valle, the head of luxury shoemaker Tod’s.

For the first time in Europe and the world, two Italian rail companies will compete on the same high-speed rail track: on April 28 the state-run company Trenitalia will have to come to terms with private-sector Italo. The competition is expected be a good thing for consumers, who should benefit from lower prices. ‘On the Rome-Milan route, there will be a price war between the two rail-service providers. Consumers will reap the benefits until one of the companies gives in,’ predicted Mauro Moretti, president of Trenitalia.
The trains offer three classes, ‘Smart,’ ‘Prima’ and ‘Club,’ with different price tags and amenities. Within each class are two pricing tiers: economy (reservations cannot be changed) and base (reservations can be changed). No matter the class, all seats are leather and Wifi is free. However, there are reclining seats, personal video screens and other amenities only in Prima and Club.

Instead of serving Rome’s Termini station or Milan’s Centrale, Italo will use secondary stations, such as Roma Tiburtina and Milano Rogoreto. For example, Italo will travel from Milano Rogoreto to Roma Tiburtina in 3 hours and 11 minutes, making stops in Florence’s SMN station and Bologna Centrale.

Florentine.net
http://pursuitist.com/travel/italy-unveils-ferrari-inspired-high-speed-train/