Travel Italy: Vacation Packages, Tips, Tours of Italy

For chocolate lovers who are visiting Piedmont this week, CioccolaTO’ is an event to not be missed.

From Friday, February 22 through Sunday, March 2, this annual chocolate festival held in Turin will feature endless tastings, laboratories with master pastry chefs of international renown, visits to chocolate factories, shows and also even chocolate classes.

CioccolaTÒ 2008 is not only a celebration of the palate, it is also many other activities, including design (Turin is World Design Capital for 2008), music, literature and theatrical presentations, all based on the theme of cocoa. Details of the event at http://www.cioccola-to.com/english/.
When: from February 22 to Sunday, March 2;
Where: Turin.

Among the events held this week-end in some of the major art cities, we suggest a few fairs taking place in Rome, Turin, and Naples.

In Rome the monthly bargain market, also known as La Soffitta Sotto i Portici, that takes place every first and third Sunday of the month in Piazza Augusto Imperatore.

In Naples, the Villa Comunale Antique Fair held on the third Saturday and Sunday of every month in the Villa Comunale gardens offers everything from antiques, modern furniture, jewellery and arts and crafts.

In Turin, the annual International contemporary art fair Artissima taking place at Lingotto from November 16 through 18. It brings to Turin about 200 emerging galleries from around the world; (see details at Artissima Website).

Finally, in Florence, Florence’s People Festival kicks off on November 16; it is a long-established international event offering a rich programme of film documentaries on contemporary topics.

Friday, March 2 kicked off the 2007 edition of CioccolaTO’, in Turin.

This chocolate festival, which runs through March 11, features endless tastings, visits to chocolate factories, shows and also even chocolate classes for those willing to improve their knowledge on this theme.

Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the largest square in Europe, one of the most beautiful spots in the city and the historic cafes are the venues for the event. See the program

by PrimeItaly.com - If you happen to be looking for street markets, as visiting Italy’s art cities in January, here some suggestions about very special markets helds in Rome and in Turin.

Turin: The Gran Balon Market. It takes places on the second Sunday of every month, in the Piazza della Repubblica, north of Turin’s centre.
A crowd of antique dealers from far and wide offer everything from fine furniture to used petrol pumps. An interesting opportunity for bargain hunters.

Rome: Paradiso delle Signore (Ladies’ Paradise). Held on the second Sunday of the month at the Parco dei Principi hotel, it is a fashion fair specialising in furniture, jewellery, clothes and other accessories.

In Turin, on Thu. November 9, will start Artissima 13, an international contemporary art fair held at Lingotto.

The fair will host about 200 emerging galleries from around the world, exhibiting paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, videos, photographs and performances.

There are three special sections within the fair: Present Future, dedicated to emerging artists, New Entries, competition for galleries established after 2001, and Constellation covering large-size artworks.
The exhibition runs through November 12.