Travel Italy: Vacation Packages, Tips, Tours of Italy

Those who are visiting Rome early June have the chance to enjoy one of the most spectacular Infiorata. The Infiorata is the art to cover the streets with intricate floral patterns.

The patterns, designed by local artists, can represent religious themes, popular traditions as well as popular works of art.

The town of Genzano, one of the “Castelli Romani”, located on the hills in the surroundings of Rome, hosts its Infiorata the second week-end of June.

Just 29 km away from the Eternal City, Genzano is an idea for a day-trip from Rome the second week-end of June.

When: June 11 - 14, 2010 (annual)
Where: Genzano (directions by bus from Rome: at Anagnina metro station in Rome, take C.O.T.R.A.L bus to Genzano or Velletri)

If you are looking to experience secret local food and wine places in Rome, you could take advantage of a 3.5 hours private tour while visitng the Eternal City.

A private guide will take you through the following places — in each of them you’ll be able to enjoy tasting sessions.

- Chocolate shop: taste chocolate made from secret recipes which have been kept secret for decades.
- Coffee shop: taste hot coffee and visit of the roast room with explanations about how the coffee is prepared and roasted in the most famous coffee shop in Rome.
- Ice Cream Shop: taste artisanal ice cream.
- Campo de’ Fiori: wine tasting in one of the places where you can better experience the real flavor of Rome.
- Restaurant near the Church of Santa Barbara: try Baccalà (fried fillet of stockfish) + 1 glass of DOC wine, mineral water, olives, nuts etc .

The price starts from 73.06 euro (for 8 people, to 269.00 for 1 people). See details here.

“L’Arte nell’uovo di Pasqua” — “Art in Easter Eggs” — is an art exhibition based on the theme of Easter Egg.

A number of International artists, architects and designers inspired by the idea of the egg as a symbol of birth and hope will be displaying their creations at Rome’s White Gallery.

Where: White Gallery - Rome, Piazza G. Marconi, 18/19 - Roma Eur
When: March 24, 2010 (annual)
(Opening Hours: Tue-Sun 10am-8pm; Mon 3pm-8pm)

Details of “Art in Easter Eggs” are available at http://lartenelluovodipasqua.com/ .

The 2010 edition of Rome’s Marathon — Maratona di Roma — is taking place on Sunday, March 21. 
It is not only a day for athletes running the 42.5 km marathon.

The Maratona di Roma also features the non-competitive 4 km race, the RomaFun - “La Stracittadina”.

More than a race, it is a leisurely walk to which anyone can participate. Classmates, grandparents and grandchildren, parents and children, together with their favorite domestic animal, on skates…

You can register at the Marathon Village until the day before the race: € 7,00 included official t-shirt. Also, if you wear your bib you get free transport on buses, trams and metro.
Details are available at
http://www.maratonadiroma.it/en/15/info_roma_fun_la_stracittadina.aspx.

To celebrate the 400th anniversary of Caravaggio’s death, Rome’s Scuderie del Quirinale is hosting an exhibition including many of the great artist’s most representative works.

Among the great pieces are being displayed: the Bacchus from Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, the David With the Head of Goliath from the Borghese Gallery in Rome, the Musicians from the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Lute Player from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Amor Vincit Omnia from the Staatliche Museum in Berlin, and many more masterpieces from the major museums in Italy, as well as around the world. 

The Caravaggio’s exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale runs from Feb 20 through Jun 13, 2010. It is set to offer the public a new and stimulating opportunity to penetrate the very essence of the “terribly natural” painter, his revolutionary and astonishing naturalistic criterion, and his stubborn if questioning deference to the depiction of reality which no pattern or school could contain, which was solitary in its poetic greatness.
Exhibition program: daily 10am-10pm (10.30pm Friday and Saturday)

When: Feb 20 - Jun 13, 2010
Where: Rome (Venue: Scuderie del Quirinale)
Find out details of the exhibition on Scuderie del Quirinale website.