The most representative dish in the Brescian culinary tradition is casonsèi, large ravioli stuffed with Parmigian cheese, spinach and eggs. Other popular dishes are strangolapreti (”priest stranglers”), elongated dumplings made of spinach, bread, eggs and cheese. From Mantua, we have the tradition of tortelli di zucca, stuffed with pumpkin, almond cookies, fruit mustard, raisins and pine nuts. A real delicacy! Also not to be missed, especially in the fall and winter, is polenta taragna, made from buckwheat, cream cheese and butter. Among the soups, mariconda is typical: bread and egg dumplings flavored with nutmeg and Parmigian cheese and cooked in broth.

Among the meats, Brescian gastronomy offers tripe, lepre in salmì (wild hare), mixed kabobs and uccelli scappati (”escaped birds”), which, the name notwithstanding, is actually pork wrapped in sage leaves. Also, typical, manzo all’olio, a very popular braised beef dish. One dish much loved by Brescians is polenta and game birds, which is eaten during hunting season.

Lake Iseo fish is highly-prized: try the baked tench with polenta. And for those with strong palates, there’s lumache alla bresciana, snails cooked with spinach and seasoned with abundant grated Parmigian cheese.

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Vatican City, formally State of the Vatican City, or Vatican City State, is a sovereign polis whose territory consists of a landlocked enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. The entire state is about 44 hectares and is considered a European microstate. It is the smallest independent nation in the world. Since it is governed by the Bishop of Rome (the Pope), its government can be described as ecclesiastical and the highest state functionaries are clergymen.

The state is the sovereign territory of the Holy See and the location of the Apostolic Palace — the Pope’s official residence — and the Roman Curia. Although the principal ecclesiastical seat of the Holy See (Basilica of St. John Lateran) is located in Rome itself, the Vatican City can be said to be the governmental capital of the Catholic Church of both East and West.

The Vatican City is situated on Vatican Hill in the northwestern part of Rome, several hundred meters west of the Tiber river, on the latter’s right bank. Its borders (3.2 kilometers or 2 miles in total) closely follow the city wall constructed to protect the Pope from outside attack centuries ago. The situation is more complex at the famous St. Peter’s Square in front of the St. Peter’s Basilica, where the correct border is just outside the ellipse formed by Bernini’s colonnade.

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The second year of RomeFilmFest has opened amid hopes that 15 world premieres, Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford will set the scene for a sequel to the city’s cinematic heyday.

Fourteen films are in competition, including Reservation Road, directed by Terry George, and Li Chun (And the Spring Comes), directed by Changwei Gu. Among the premieres is Blanchett’s Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Not all premieres are in the competition.

Local interest is focused on whether the festival can revive cinema in the Eternal City, or at least compete with the Venice Film Festival.

The festival, the brainchild of Rome Mayor and film buff Walter Veltroni, last year drew 480,000 movie-goers and made its mark by using a popular jury to pick the best film, the special jury prize and best actors.

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San Marco Square is the heart of Venice. For over thousand years it has been the central point of the city. Nowadays, thousands of tourists visit the square every day, and almost all of them fall in love with this amazing place surrounded by outstanding works of architecture. The uniqueness of the square was emphasized by Napoleon, who used to call it “the finest drawing room in Europe”. Indeed, if you want to touch history, you couldn’t find a better place!

The history of San Marco Square is very long and rich. It was founded in the 11th century. Around 100 years later the Rio Batario canal, which divided the Square in half, was filled in. In the 12th century, San Marco Basilica was crowned with splendid Byzantine domes. In the end of the 13th century, the Square was stoned and later the Basilica was adorned with peaked ornaments that gave it a Gothic character. In the end of the 15th century the outstanding Clock Tower was built by Mauro Codussi and 100 years later an architect called Sansovino made several important changes in the architectural style of San Marco Square. He finished the construction of Procuratie Vecchie, renovated the Campanile and the Basilica, reconstructed La Zecca and San Geminiano church, and built Libreria Marciana with arcades and loggias.

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Maybe no wine or tasty Italian desserts. No speaking dirty words. Abstinence from traditional pleasures. How do Italians prepare for 40 days of self-inflicted deprivation? Throw a party that lasts for weeks! From the Epiphany on January 6 to the beginning of Quaresima (Lent—derived from the Latin term Quadragesima, or “the forty days”), il Carnevale is traditionally a time dedicated to parades and masquerade balls, to entertainment, music, and revelry.

Carnevale Not Carnivores
The word Carnevale comes from the term carne levare since eating meat was restricted as a penance while preparing for Easter. The celebration itself has roots in ancient pagan celebrations such as Saturnalia and Lupercalia.

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Premium Italian coffee company illycaffe Spa is teaming up with Coca-Cola Co. to introduce a new ready-to-drink coffee beverage, taking on Pepsi Cola and its venture with Starbucks.The joint venture combines illycaffe’s knowledge of the coffee business with Coca-Cola’s marketing experience and distribution channels.

The product will be based on illyfreddo, a cold coffee drink sold in illy’s coffee shops in Italy and abroad. It will launch in 2008 in the key markets of Italy, Greece and Germany, before going global.

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Walks Inside Venice are official Venice tour guides who offer customized and tailor made walking tours of Venice and the surrounding area. Their specialist itineraries are suitable for individual travelers or small groups.

Roberta, Sara and Cristina are also native Venetians with a background in art history, foreign languages and literature and have published books on Venetian art and history.

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The first time Enzo Ferrari witnessed a car racing event, he immediately knew what his life was destined to be. And even if his life-long works are very popular among car enthusiasts, never had he expected that his name would be one that is so coveted by everyone who’s anyone in today’s society.

Around the time of Enzo Ferrari’s birth in 1898, the name “Ferrari” was just as ordinary as any other “John” or “Joe”. But now, the Ferrari brand is one of the most sought after in the automobile industry, a definite entry in most people’s list of dream cars.

The popularity of Ferraris can be attributed to every single ounce of blood, sweat, and tear that Enzo Ferrari spent not only in strengthening the brand, but in his entire career in the automotive racing industry as well.

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Italy has upped arts funding 17% to a total Euros 441 million ($573 million) for 2007 in the first tangible sign of the center-left government’s more pro-arts stance compared with the days when Silvio Berlusconi ran the country.

Culture minister Francesco Rutelli has announced the boost for the single fund known as FUS, which includes film, theater, opera and dance subsidies.

While not huge in monetary terms, the increase is significant since the national budget deficit has been ballooning.

Film funds, which had been frozen for most of Berlusconi’s five-year reign, have been upped 14.4% to $103 million. That is slightly more than the $95.5 million earmarked for theater, but way less than the $272 million allocated for opera, in this opera-mad nation.

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“2007 can be defined as a favourable year for tourism”, stated Riccardo Strano, the Director of the ENIT office in the USA, while discussing the progress of the summer season for incoming from North America.

”We are registering a trend on the rise that is also the result of promotion that is coherent with proposed tourism products. Large cultural events united with wine and food itineraries, wellness and shopping are a unique and very valued offer on this market.

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