Travel Italy: Vacation Packages, Tips, Tours of Italy

Milano Food Week is a festival celebrating the pleasures of the good food and drink.
Held in Milan — the 2010 edition goes from June 5 through 13 — it features a large variety of tastings as well as workshops and cultural events centered on the “pleasures of the table” theme.

“EatMI” section is dedicated to a selection of regional foods, “CoffeeMI” to the traditional Espresso, “PanMI” to all things baked, as “ILoveCooking” is about practical skills in the kitchen.

When: Jun 5 - 13, 2010 (annual)
Where: Milan (main venue: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II)
For details about the program and the venues, please visit http://milanofoodweek.com .

“Identità Golose” is a three-day food event held in Milan from Jan 31 through Feb 2, 2010. It is a premier event for those who would like to know more about the latest food trends.

“The Luxury of Simplicity” is the theme for 2010 edition of Identità Golose.

It is focusing on how to promote creativity and healthy eating based on the most basic produce.
It goes beyond the recipe itself and pays attention to production and environmental health.

We must ask ourselves “What pleases us most today? Where is wealth on a table? How should we spend our money?”, therefore the joy of a meal comes from a high quality and soulful vegetable, from a bread that will still be good three days later, from an “alive” meat, still bleeding and generating stamina, from an olive oil that was “born on a tree”, from a pasta that we can enjoy again with no dressing because it is the pasta itself that gives the first taste, not the sauce that covers it…

Program and details at http://www.identitagolose.it/english/index.php
Where: Milan - Milan Convention Centre (address: 5, Via Giovanni Gattamelata)
When: Jan 31 through Feb 2, 2010 (annual)

A few suggestions to those who are looking for bargain and antique markets held in the streets of historic districts in the major art cities.

- Rome
Porta Portese is the king of street markets in Rome, there you can find everything. However a bargain street market mostly focusing on collector’s items is “La Soffitta Sotto i Portici“.
Held twice a month (on Sunday) in Piazza Augusto Imperatore, it features from collector’s items and antiques to not-so-old objects like watches and furniture.

- Naples
The Neapolitan Antique Fair, held on the third and fourth weekend of most months in the Villa Comunale gardens, features antique and modern furniture, arts and crafts, and collectors’ items. Villa Comunale is located on Via Caracciolo facing the sea, a few minutes’ walk from the Castel dell’Ovo and the Piazza Plebiscito. Find details and info on the dates at Neapolitan Antique Fair website.

- Milan
The major antiques street market of Milan is held along the canal of Navigli, one of the best known historic and typical districts of Milan.
It is held last Sunday of every month at Naviglio Grande. To get there by subway, stop at Porta Genova.
Find information and dates at Antiques Market of Naviglio Grande website.

“La Fiera degli oh bej oh bej” is a major Christmas market held in Milan in the early of December (2009 edition takes places from Dec. 5 until 8).

It is a very ancient Christmas market featuring local delicacies and Christmas’ traditional food.

In the days “oh bej oh bej” market, Milan celebrates its patron saint, St Ambrose — Sant’Ambrogio’s day on Dec. 7. The day of St Ambrose also coincides with the opening of the new season at La Scala theatre.

Where: Milan (venue: Castello Sforzesco)
When: Dec 5 - 8, 2009 (annual).

With the New Year the fashion discount season kicked off in most of Italian cities. With premier designer shops offering quality items at very cheap prices, it is an unmissable opportunity to fill up your wardrobe with the best designer fashion.

To locate the best designer shops in the major art cities located at walking distance from major tourist attractions, please have a look to our shopping in Italy guides.

If you have a chance to travel a few km outside the city center, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the only-designer outlets.
You can find the best designer deals there. Just to suggest few in the surroundings of major art cities:
- in Rome: McArthurglen Outlet in Castel Romano , 15 km away from Rome Eur (details here); Valmontone Outlet, along the motorway A1 Rome - Napoli (details here).
- in Florence: McArthurglen’s outlet in Barberino del Mugello (about 20 miles north of Florence) and
the Prada outlet in Levane-Montevarchi (about 30 miles south of Florence; direction to Arezzo).

The fashion sales season actually go on until early March, however in the early weeks of January you can catch the best bargains.

Below the 2009 winter sales start dates for the major cities and tourist areas.
- Jan 2: Napoli (Capri, Amalfi Coast and Campania), Trieste, Potenza
- Jan 3 gennaio: Bari, Bologna, Catanzaro, Genoa (Liguria), Milano (Lombardy), Palermo, Rome, Turin (Piedmont), Venice (Veneto)
- Jan 6 gennaio: Ancona (Marches)
- Jan 7 gennaio: Florence (Tuscany), Perugia (Umbria), Bolzano, Trento
- Jan 8 gennaio: Cagliari
- Jan 10 gennaio: Aosta, L’Aquila (Abruzzo).