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ITALY'S CONFERENCE-CENTERS CAN OFFER YOU A LOT MORE

The North-west
of
Italy: one
minute away from the rest of world
Piemonte. A
land where meetings take place
Lombardia,
the crossroad of Europe
In
Liguria,
an arch over the sea
The North-east: from the magic of
Venezia to the economic miracle
The magic of Venezia and the
Veneto
region
In
Friuli, the scent of
Mitteleuropa
The heart of Italy in
the midst of art, history and traditions
The old fashioned spirit of
Emilia Romagna
Toscana:
a trip through time
The
Marche, the terrace
overlooking the Adriatic sea
Umbria,
the green heart of the Italian peninsula
Between Roma and Napoli:
colors in the history of Italy
Lazio
and the eternal
city
Abruzzo, among parks, sea
and towns
The faces of Napoli and
Campania
The South, the terrace overlooking the
Mediterranean
Puglia ,
a trip through fabulous colors
Basilicata,
a gem hidden between two seas
Calabria,
facing the blue sea
Sardegna and Sicilia: the large
islands with their mysteries
Sicilia, a universe of
beauty and memory
Sardegna,
the echoes of a
thousand-year-old history

ITALY’S CONFERENCE- CENTERS CAN OFFER YOU A LOT MORE
TOP
Your top-cla ss conference-centre is here, in
Italy. You’ll find
the ideal place for your convention and for that
incentive
travel you are thinking of offering, among the hundreds of Italian resorts,
from the Alps to the Mediterranean,
in modern buildings
or old-fashioned palaces, villas, castles and historic houses. The many
conference-centers available
are all set against
a framework of nature and art that have
no equal in the
world, with constantly-expanding facilities
for the service and
reception of visitors. This market is by
now so great and
dynamic that it constitutes one of the most
important, if not
the most important sector of the Italian
tourist industry,
characterized by features that mark it out as being the one best
supplied with professional skills
and abilities for producing value
within the sector. The figures,
too, give us proof of these trends, showing that Italy is right
at the top in the conference and incentive travel market,
confirming it as a
country with high level of competitiveness.
Those who
contributed primarily to this growth are mainly
the specialist
centers, such as the large Conference Halls,
but conference-facilities located in historic
houses, in buildings
of great
architectural value and those available in large hotels
are constantly on
the increase, offering both meeting rooms
and overnight stays for conference-goers.
Italy is becoming more and more the favorite
choice of large international bodies which organize meetings
and conventions.
The number of international conferences
in Italy increases
every year, demonstrating Italy’s reliability
and credibility
and supplying an important indicator of the
improved
competitiveness of Italian conference facilities. The growth in Italian
conference-centers is, however,
not only in the
quantities, represented by the increase in the number of conferences
organized, but we have also seen a noticeable improvement in the quality
of what is offered: the average number of
participants at each
individual event
has gone up considerably, and the average
length of conferences has also increased.
However, the great
advantage that Italy offers is the variety
of the locations and the possibility of offering
conference-goers
leisure itineraries and activities, the like of which cannot
be found anywhere else in the world. It is
obvious that the growth in the Italian conference-business is linked
above all
to the growth in competitiveness of the tourist resorts, where the
number of conference-goers is constantly
increasing,
equaling the market-share of the towns and cities
that are traditionally the leaders in the Italian
conference
market. To those
who have to organize a conference, produce
a large company
convention, or create an event, Italy can offer
you more: highly
modern structures, efficient services, air, road
and
rail-connections, but above all, its coastline, its mountains
and its cities of art, representing added value
for a sector which aims more and more to play a leading role in Europe
and the world
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The North-west of Italy: one
minute away from the rest of world
TOP
It
used to be called the “industrial triangle”, a definition that is
perhaps no longer meaningful today and that should be brought up to date
to take account of the way this area has developed, not simply as the
headquarters of large industrial concerns, but more strongly inclined
towards the tertiary sector, to commerce and the service industries, and
therefore to large scale assemblies, conventions and conferences. This
readiness to stage meetings to debate problems, find solutions, make
firm business contacts and float new ideas has been helped over recent
years by the opening of several conference-centers. This is the
North-west of Italy: Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta, with their unmistakable
mix of aristocracy, in the noble house of Savoy, and of European
modernity. Then there’s Lombardia, a crossroads of traffic and commerce,
the capital of dynamism and enterprise: Liguria, a strong but gentle
land, rich in color contrasts. This part of Italy is just a moment away
from the rest of the world. Its airports, motorways and railways make
connections easy and convenient. The Alps, with their immaculate
mountain-peaks and green wooded valleys crown the area, where the broad,
well watered plain is thickly covered with farmland and urban
settlements that leave a mark on the landscape, and the view over the
sea stretches far into infinity. In the setting of this geographical
landscape, three large metropolises stand out: Torino, the birthplace of
Italian radio, cinema and telephone, cradle
of the automobile industry, the first capital of unified Italy; Milano,
a cosmopolitan city, always trendy, the vibrant pulse of the Italian
economy and the headquarters of large companies as well as the most
prestigious world names; Genova, a seaport of primary importance and a
fascinating city of labyrinthine streets, squeezed in between the
mountains and the sea. Besides the big cities, though, North-west Italy
offers sights of great interest, both from the natural and from the
historical and artistic point of view. First of all, there are the
mountains, with the large skiing areas in the Alps near Torino (which
will be host to the Winter Olympics in 2006), the Valle d’Aosta region,
the Ossola valley and the valleys of Lombardia. Then there are some
corners of unusual charm: the Ligurian hinterland (with pieces of
paradise, such as the Cinque Terre), the Monferrato and Langhe areas,
and the lakes in Lombardia, together with the castles, the little
villages, and the seaside towns on the Ligurian coast. And lastly, in
this part of Italy, you can become acquainted with a culture of good
food that has deep, historical roots in the poverty and wretchedness of
the countryside and the mountains, and which offers exciting, intense
flavors like the warming, welcoming wines of the Piemonte hills or the
Oltrepò Pavese.
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Piemonte. A land where meetings take
place
TOP
Torino’s
history and past are indissolubly linked to the Savoy dynasty and to the
dazzling splendor of its palaces, royal residences and hunting estates. Torino is one of the most beautiful Italian cities, able to combine the
ancient and the modern and bring out a strong European spirit in an
atmosphere of balance between Nordic and Mediterranean civilizations. In
this city, with its unusual town-plan, you can discover museums,
palaces, monuments and churches, just by walking for ten kilometers
under the colonnades enlivened by the glittering shop-windows, or
sitting in the old cafés and enjoying the famous cuisine. However,
Torino is also well qualified as a conference city. It has facilities to
welcome conventions of up to 10,000 participants and offers modular
spaces that can hold side exhibitions of many different types. Torino is
host to important trade-fairs throughout the year, from the Book Fair
(in May), to the Salone del Gusto (in autumn) . And when the day’s work
at the conference or trade-fair is over, the city and its surrounding
area offer splendid cultural and environmental opportunities, with many
facilities to choose from, for leisure and services. You can reach the
conference facilities in just a few minutes from Porta Nuova railway
station, where the airport terminal is also located. And you can also
get from there to all the most interesting places in the old centre of
the city. Thus it is easy to discover the elegant atmosphere of Piazza
San Carlo and Piazza Castello, in the shadow of the Mole Antonelliana
(the imposing spire that dominates the city and which is today the home
of the Cinema Museum) and to visit the exceptional collections in the
Egyptian Museum, the Sabauda Art Gallery and the Royal Armoury. Also
close by are the ancient churches and palaces with their art treasures,
the cathedral with the Guarini chapel where the Shroud i s kept (the
sheet in which, as tradition has it, Christ’s body was wrapped), Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama. You can visit the Valentino Park and the banks
of the River Po, which runs through the city, flowing along at the foot
of the green hills. Torino has convenient transport links for trips up
to the Alps in Valle d’Aosta, an excellent tourist area in all seasons
of the year, and also out towards all of Piemonte, which is equally
fascinating with its natural beauties and historical and artistic
attractions. A day out among the vineyards of the Langhe or Monferrato
areas, for example, is an unforgettable experience, especially if it is
finished off with an opportunity to taste the good food and sample the
exceptional wines from these hills. And don’t forget to have a look at
the wonderful historic town-centers, such as those of Saluzzo and Chieri,
and the artistic monuments such as the abbey at Staffarda. Other
fascinating sites to visit are the Monviso valleys and the Lanzo and
Susa valleys around Torino and, of course, the Pre-alpine lakes - Lake
Orta and Lake Maggiore - in the Novara area. One area that is, perhaps,
unique in the world because of the harmony of the nature and the
artistic splendours to be found there, is Valsesia, leading from the
plain up to Monte Rosa.
Lombardia, the crossroad of Europe
TOP
The traditional definitson of Milano, the regional capital of Lombardia,
as the economic capital of Italy really does not say the half of it. Of
course, there are large factories here, the tertiary sector is here at
its most advanced, and the current of technological development is in
full flow. But there’s more: Milano is not just a large business centre
but a way of life. It is not only a repository of rich art-treasures,
both those on display and those hidden away, but it is also a place to
discover nature, in the big parks in the city and in the region around
it.
It is almost impossible to present Milano in a fresh light, since just
about everything has already been said about this city. But for those
who would like to consider Milano as a place to hold a big meeting, a
conference, a company or a cultural convention, the city can boast the
availability of large facilities, excellent services, easy transport
connections, and the fact that it is the site of an intense activity in
trade-fairs (from the International Furniture Fair to the International
Tourism Exchange). All this is combined with some hitherto
“undiscovered” aspects: the “quiet corners” of the city and walks
through natural surroundings, in the parks that lie just outside the
city and in farm-holiday centres where you can sample the tasty, bright,
traditional Lombard speciallties.Enough has been said about the thousand churches, from Santa Maria delle
Grazie with Leonardo’s Last Supper to St.Ambrose’s Basilica, and to the
majesty of the gothic cathedral. A very relaxing tour, however, is the
one which takes you through the winding roads on the south side of the
city, in the area of the Canals, one of the most beautiful in the Milano
area. The aristocracy of the eighteenth century built splendid houses
for summer holidays there, taking advantage of the connections by water
to the city centre, in a countryside that today offers innumerable,
unexpected possibilities for walks in areas of natural beauty and parks
of elegant loveliness. Furthermore, Milano is only the centre of a
region with a thousand faces. Lombardia has a large range not only of
facilities for welcoming visitors but also of tourist attractions, from
the lakes (Maggiore, Como, Garda, Iseo and many others) to the
mountains, and to the cities with their history and art. Take Bergamo,
for example, with its charming historic town-centre situated on a
hilltop: the Carrara Academy here is one of the best art galleries in
Italy; or Mantova, the capital of the Gonzaga dynasty, with its
extraordinary buildings created by the great artists of the Renaissance.
Then there are Cremona and Vigevano, both of which grew up around town
squares that are absolute masterpieces of medieval and renaissance
architecture. And just a few kilometers from Milano, you will find an
oasis of tranquility, soothed by excellent wines: this is the area of
the rolling Pavese hills which flank the southern shore of the Po river.
INFO
Regione Lombardia Direzione Generale Turismo
Via Filzi 22, 20122 Milano
Tel. 01139 02 67656237
www.inlombardia.it
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In Liguria, an arch over the sea
TOP
Genova
is the city where Northern Europe and the Mediterranean embrace each
other, and it is the ideal place to organize a conference. It has a
charming atmosphere, a historic flavour and the air is suffused with the
taste of the sea. Genova is an old city, but now its big, generous heart
appears more beautiful than ever. There are alleyways and little streets,
unexpected squares that suddenly open up in the narrow spaces of the old
town centre protected by the severe appearance of its ancient palaces. A
city of art with many souls, Genova can show you unexpected artistic
treasures and facilities that are extremely modern, well developed and
complex. In the new millennium the city has confirmed its role as a
popular resort for conference-tourism, helped by the favorable features
of its climate and surroundings, its convenient road and airport links
and by its system for welcoming visitors that has grown rapidly in
quality and quantity. The real hub of Genova for the tourist is the area
of the Old Port, rebuilt in 1992 by Renzo Piano. It is unique in Italy
because of its location right in the city, with cultural, scientific and
play/recreational areas, as well as commercial areas such as
restaurants, bars and other services. The Aquarium and the Città dei
Ragazzi are based here and the conference and exhibition facilities like
the Magazzini del Cotone. It is here that the large trade-fair events
take place, the best-known of which is the International Nautical
Exhibition (in October) and, every four years, Euroflora. Set between
the mountains and the sea, Genova has a number of qualities that are
highly soughtafter. These are undeniable strong points that make it
unique and attractive as a headquarters for conferences. It has an
international airport only 15 minutes away from the city centre, a very
efficient train service and motorway connections which link it to the
main Italian and European cities. Just a short distance away from the
city, the whole region of Liguria offers large, attractive and unique
facilities for visitors in areas such as the Golfo Paradiso and the
Golfo del Tigullio, in famous resorts like Camogli, Portofino, Santa
Margherita Ligure, Sestri Levante and San Remo (famous for its wonderful
flowers), whilst the hinterland, full of tradition and culture, has
important natural resources and outstanding landscapes. To give just a
few examples: to the west (the Ponente side) you can reach the Nervia
valley, behind the coast road leading from Bordighera to the French
border, and Dolceacqua, one of the most picturesque villages in an area
renowned for its great wines. Albenga has Roman remains and some
remarkable medieval buildings, with a Baptistery which is the most
important Early Christian construction in the region and dates from the
5th century. To the east (the Levante side), you can drive up from the
characteristic historic centre of Chiavari with its long arcades, and
in a few minutes vou arrive at the 13th century Basilica of San
Salvatore dei Fieschi, one of the most valuable architectural works in
Liguria.
INFO
Convention Bureau Genova
Piazza Matteotti 9,16123 Genova
Tel. 01139 010 5761975
www.cbgenova.it
Consorzio Portofino Coast
Via Lamarmora 17/6,16035 Rapallo (GE)
Tel. 01139 0185 270222
www.portofinocoast.it
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The
North-east: from the magic of Venezia to the economic miracle
TOP
The new frontier of Italian development runs
through here, the
North-east. This area is actively involved in services
to business, starting
with the sectors of advertising, exhibitions and conferences. The
North-east offers extremely modern conference
services that can
respond to any
requirements, both from the point of view of size and
from the aesthetic
point of view, because of the high image-level of the
facilities there.
It is a difficult region, which underwent centuries of
poverty, causing
much of the population to emigrate (there are count-less
numbers of people from the Veneto and Friuli regions spread all
over the world) and
which is today the promised land, the new Eldorado
of economic growth. Its closely-woven fabric of enterprise, with
thousands of small
companies, offer a good livelihood to those who
lived wretchedly only a few decades ago. This
evolution has not rubbed out the area’s physical characteristics,
however; here, nature and history have produced scenery
that is often
quite unique.
Spread out between the Alps, Lake Garda and the extreme offshoots of the
Adriatic Sea, North-East Italy contains a wide range of
landscapes: the
rocky crags and snow of the mountaìns, the gentle slopes
of the hills, the
abundant waters of the large rivers and famous lakes.
“Le Venezie”: this
is what this area is called for short, meaning that, in
some way, the
beacon of the three regions is down there, in the Lagoon.
Venezia is one of
the (many) things it is worth coming to Italy to see: an idea, a gesture
of the heart, a delight for the eyes; its houses built on the
water, the bridges,
the canals, Saint Mark’s, a never-ending story of meeting and journeys,
Marco Polo, the Orient. You look to the east from here,
just as you do from Trieste which was once proud
of being the port of
the Austro-Hungarian Empire and which is today the loveliest Central
European city in Italy, with its echoes of the great writers and
intellectuals it has welcomed or given birth to, from Joyce to Svevo.
Behind these two cities on the sea, there is a
very charming area dotted with famous, beautiful towns such as Verona and
Vicenza, where
the mastery of the
great sixteenth-century artist Andrea Palladio has left
villas and palaces
that are unique in the world. Further north, towards
the ring of the
Alps, lie Trentino and Alto Adige, a spectacle of nature
with the Dolomites and the thousands of
attractions in the ski resorts
and the towns with
their clear Tyrolean character, such as Bolzano and Merano, or in
Renaissance and Romanesque style, such as Trento.
Finally, those who visit these parts must not
miss the great quality of the food and the splendid varieties of wines.
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The magic of Venezia and the
Veneto region
TOP
Venezia
is the perfect example of how in Italy, the need to be practical and
efficient in a conference-event can be combined with delights that are
unique. A combination of history, art and tradition set in an
unparalleled framework; just the memory of it evokes a sense of longing.
Many people have asked what the secret of Venezia is, and have given
thousands of possible answers. But maybe there is no secret. Or rather,
the answer is so obvious that you’d never suspect it. The secret of
Venezia is the water, the element from which it draws its raison d’ètre,
its greatness and the character of this city which is the only one of
its kind in the world. This is why being Venetian has always meant
knowing about this “wateriness”, knowing about its positive aspects and
facing its problems without dramatizing them.
Because of the very fact of the water, Venezia offers a logistic
solution to be found nowhere else and which is thus different from any
offered by other conference resorts at an international level. The
water, the element around which Venezia has grown up and developed ever
since it was founded, enables transport connection to be planned more
easily and more precisely, with great advantages for the logistic
planning of any event, unlike what happens in other European cities
congested by motor-traffic. Venezia’s special urban structure,
easy to get around on foot, means that events can be organised efficiently, and
offers the wonderful opportunity of combining its historic and artistic
heritage with the specific requirements of the meeting planners and
their clients. With its history laden palaces and hotels, or in highly
modern buildings, particularly at the Lido (which each year becomes the
centre for the Film Festival), Venezia is today one of the jewels in the
crown of conference-tourism in Italy. But the Veneto region is not just
Venezia. In the international language of art, for example, the word
“Veneto” means color - a whole culture of art based on colour.
Discovering the sites in the Veneto region signifies wandering through
shades of color, in the harmony of the light and in the balance of the
forms, molded by a sensitivity determined by the atmospheric conditions
themselves, by the variety of tones and the diversity of this land.
This gift for painting developed over the course of the centuries,
through the influence of many civilizations rich in history and culture:
from pre-Roman and Roman societies to the Middle Ages and the
magnificence of the Renaissance, from the inventive seventeenth century
to the “Settecento” and Venezia’s golden decline, from the atmospheres
of Mitteleuropa in the nineteenth century to modern, contemporary
cultural expressions. It is a tale of extraordinary artistic richness,
spread both in the large cities of the region and in the small towns, in
the countryside and even in the most delightful and remote places that
have not been forgotten, however, by the genius and sensitivity of
illustrious artists and industrious artisans. There is a huge treasure
to be admired and appreciated in each tiny detail, where enormously
valuable artistic surprises are revealed, giving great satisfaction to
the mind and to the soul. Apart from Venezia, the incomparable capital
of the region, there are many centres that have excellent credentials to
offer conference facilities for international customers, who are often
attracted by the intense trade-fair business carried on there. It might
be said that in Veneto region, a trade-fair sprouts in every
town-square: there are some large exhibitions linked to the food and
agriculture industry in Verona (the Agricultural Fair and Vinitaly, for
instance); Vicenza has become the European capital for exhibitions of
gold-work and jewelery; Flormart, the great exhibition of flower
nurseries, is held in Padua in spring and there are equally important
events in the smaller places, too, such as the International Ice-cream
Shop-window in Longarone, near Belluno. The buildings, historic seats
(many eighteenth century villas and noble palaces have been transformed
into conference centres) or recently built facilities, offer efficient
servìces and excellent skills for welcoming visitors.
INFO
Regione Veneto Direzione Turismo
Cannaregio 168, 30123 Venezia
Tel.01139 041 2792761
www.regione.veneto.it
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In Friuli, the scent of Mitteleuropa
TOP

If there is one city in Italy that could be
called international, it is Trieste, the capital of the Friuli-Venezia
Giulia area, it is thus an ideal venue for
any conference
event that desires to speak the
language of the world. Discovering Trieste means
going back into
history and the
lives of great
characters of
culture: Winckelmann, Freud, Rilke,
Joyce, and Slataper,
Svevo and Saba, natives of
Trieste, and many
others. Looking at life through
the eyes of these
great men helps one to understand life to
the full. Trieste is a city of contrasts, of Mitteleuropa and
cosmopolitanism, a mix of
different ethnic
groups and cultures, and a city where
freedom of thought and a readiness to
meet others
half-way are the basis of society. This
is a perfect place,
therefore, to organize meetings and
conferences.
We see Trieste embedded between the sea and
the hills. It stands out against the bright,
white horizon
on the blue of the sea and the sky and looks like a sort of last
Mediterranean mirage to
those who travel
along this northern stretch of
Adriatic coast.
Trieste is right at that spot, to the
east where the sun rises, on a strip of land where
the Carso
rock dives into the sea without blunting
itself on the sandy beaches: a frontier town,
a port opening onto
eastern Europe, between the
Latin and the Slav
worlds, a characteristic which
the people of
Trieste carry stamped on them with an
indelible mark.
The city depends not only on the development of
its port facilities, but also on the tertiary
sector and
scientific research establishments. It also
believes strongly in the challenges deriving from the
broadening of the European Union towards
the east and sees
itself as a point of reference for
countries of Eastern Europe.
One
of the most important events in
Trieste’s
large
trade-fair district
is, in fact, the Tourism of
the
East
Exchange, alongside the well-known Sea
Trade-fair.
As well as being rich in history and traditions, Trieste has lots of
leisure opportunities and, thanks to its unusual geographical position,
lots of beautiful natural scenery. These features make Trieste a
European city, a meeting point of cultures and a “test-bed” for ideas
that cannot fail
to offer further opportunities for development. Trieste
has immediately taken advantage of this opportunity; it has deployed all
its energies and succeded in becoming an important centre of
conference-tourism for an elite who look for resorts that can combine
efficiency and modernity, but which also offer the change to plunge into
cultural and natural surroundings rich in charm.There is the Duino castle, for example, on the rocky headland near the
estuary of the Timavo, a karstic river which flows out to the surface
after a long passage underground, or the miramare castle sorrounded by a
large park facing the sea in which an important marine reserve has been
established. The whole region, in fact, demonstrates
an ability to combine its natural beauties harmoniously with the works
of men. A good
example can be
found at Cividale del Friuli, a delightful
historic town with remarkable medieval monuments on the edge of a hilly
area which is one of the most famous in Italy for its wines, or in
Udine, a beautiful city with splendid works of
Venetian art. The
harsh scenery of the Julian and Carnic Alps are just a short distance
away, as are
the natural
treasures of the Adriatic lagoons of
Marano and Grado.
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INFO
Promotrieste
Convention Bureau
Molo Bersaglieri 3, 34124 Trieste
Tel. 01139 040 304888
www.promotrieste.it
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The heart of Italy in the
midst of art, history and traditions
TOP
One
of the reasons for choosing Italy as the place for a conference is the
fact that the country
has a large part of
the world’s artistic and historical treasures. This means that it can
offer conference-goers an infinite choice
of opportunities for enjoyment after a working day.
Central Italy is a
treasure-house of riches. This is the cradle of the Renaissance, the
land where the great painters, architects and artists lived and
left the most important traces of their creativity.
In Toscana, for example, it is hard not to fall victim to the so called
“Stendhal syndrome” (a mental disturbance
caused by the excessive emotion felt when viewing works of art), with
so many, and
such wonderful masterpieces to be seen there. And it is hard not to feel
sated
by
the beauty of the cities of art and the treasures concealed in every
corner. And what shall we
say about Umbria,
which combines an abundance of artistic works with the memory of an
example of faith that is unparalleled in the world, that of St. Francis
of Assisi, the best-loved and most
venerated saint in western culture?
Around this central core that attracts tourists, visitors and business
people from all over the
world, with jewels of cities like Firenze, Siena,
Pisa, Lucca, Assisi, Orvieto and Perugia, central
Italy includes other
regions that are also laden with history and traditions.
There is Emilia,
with its capital, Bologna, a city with a great university tradition, but
known
throughout the world above all for its welcoming hospitality and its
wonderful tradition of good
food. Then there’s
Romagna, which combines examples of Byzantine art with the amazing
mosaics of Ravenna, with modern leisure
activities, especially the party atmosphere, the fun and the shows in
the riviera resorts like Rimini. There are the Marche too, which are
like a mosaic of ancient tows and villages scattered over gentle hills,
and of white, sandy sea-shores and high cliffs.
In this part of Italy where all roads meet, it is fantastic to follow
the itineraries of art, especially Medieval and Renaissance, but also
those of tradition: the myriad festivals, both religious and secular,
tournaments of ancient origin, and carnivals. Here there is a long
standing tradition of a people who have remained attached to their roots
and who have passed them down through time, trasforming them into
resources for family tourism and to offer services for
conference-tourism.
Finally, there are no words to describe the marvelous food and wine of
the area. The cuisine of Emilia with its filled pasta dishes
(tortellini, lasagna) and its cold meats, and Tuscan dishes of meat or
game with wines from the Florentine or Umbrian Hills. A stay in this
region is a tribute to beauty, in every sense.
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The old fashioned spirit of Emilia
Romagna
TOP
Bologna,
the regional capital of Emilia Romagna, is an inimitable city. The old
town with the unmistakable brick-red color of the buildings, is one of
the best preserved in Europe and the largest in Italy after Venezia. The
city has an ancient, welcoming centre, with a succession of arcades (40
kilometers long) where people meet, shop or simply stroll; here, you can
discover medieval streets, squares, beautiful monuments (for example,
St. Petronio, St. Domenico, Santa Maria dei Servi), towers (Garisenda
and Asinelli) and districts with evocative names. Bologna, of course,
also has a modern, European spirit, found in the thousands of companies,
service industries and highly-modern
facilities, the result of a
work-ethic typical of the Po Plain. What makes Bologna really unique is
its special skill in welcoming visitors, which it exerts with great
pleasure at all hours of the day. It has 400,000 inhabitants, is
situated on the main rail and road networks and has an international
airport; it has grown up around a highly intense trade-fair and
conference industry (with events such as Motorshow, Futurshow and the
International Children’s Book Fair). Serving this industry are hotel
facilities of sizeable proportions and plenty of service structures.
There are good facilities, in fact, in the whole region and in its
cities of art: Byzantine Ravenna first of all, and Parma, which well
deserves the great reputation it enjoys because of its artistic riches
and the opulence of its gastronomie tradition (Parma ham and Parmesan
cheese); then there’s Modena, with its extraordinary works of
Romanesque-Gothic art and Ferrara, the city of the Este family, and the
so-called little capitals: towns such as Carpi, Mirandola and
Correggio, which were the seat of great lords, whose deep cultural
heritage they have preserved. And, of course, there’s Rimini and the
Romagna region, names associated with the image of fun and leisure.
Here, they dance, spend time on the beach, go to night-clubs and discos,
make friends, hardly ever sleep and devote themselves to the good life.
The Romagna coastline is not just beaches, parties and discos, however.
People work in Rimini, as they do in Riccione and Cesenatico. They come
here for business, meetings, work-appointments, conferences and
trade-fairs. The welcome is superb and the accommodation limitless. And
why is Rimini perfect for all this? Because it has ideal spaces for
working and wide horizons for relaxing. In Rimini, groups of people,
both large and small, can exchange ideas, have serious debates and
conventions and this has made it famous throughout the world, not just
the fact that it is a seaside town with a great night-life. There are
centers for conferences (like the Palacongressi, one of the largest in
Italy), meetings, trade-fairs (a lot of activity goes on with meetings
linked especially to the entertainment industry, like the Sib, the
International Show of Technology for Discotheques), and exhibitions all
along the coastline. Then there are the hotels, the well equipped
conference centers and the organizations that serve conference-tourism.
Meeting in Romagna is always a pleasure: even when it’s for work.
|
INFO
Regione Emilia Romagna Assessorato al Turismo
Viale Moro 64,40127 Bologna
Tel. 01139 051 283353-283006
www.emilia-romagna.it
Convention Bureau della Riviera di Romagna
Via della Fiera 52,47900 Rimini
Tel. 01139 0541 71150
www.riminiconvention.it
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Toscana: a trip through time
TOP
A
magic charm to conjure up a journey through
time right to the heart of Italian art and
history,
Humanism and the Renaissance: a conference organized in Toscana and in
Firenze is the formula
to trigger off this magic spell. The moment of
magic, for the conference-visitor to Firenze,
arrives when
he or she has finished the day’s conference
business and becomes a simple tourist.
The city is a
marvelous open-air museum. The old
city centre is very
close to the conference and
trade-fair venues
(there are three main ones: the
Palazzo dei
Congressi, Palazzo degli Affari and the
Fortezza da Basso, where large conventions
devoted above all to
fashion and, every year, to
the International
Conference Tourism Exchange
are held). It appears as a lively, bright stage with
a backdrop
made up of the Renaissance architecture of
noble palaces, squares and churches.
Throughout the year,
the evenings and nights in Firenze are
filled with top-quality musical and
theatre events.
However, it is impossible to resist the temptation to start the evening
by paying tribute to the delicates of Florentine cuisine and its
splendid wines. The area around the city, on every
side, is overflowing with wonders: the Mugello,
Versilia,
with its mild climate, its landscapes, and
the prestigious events taking place all through
the year,
highly suitable as adjuncts to business tourism. Then there’s Lucca,
surrounded by city-walls
and, close by, the beautiful Serchio valley,
an area set deep in
the peaceful, green country-side,
with hotels and sporting facilities that guarantee first class services
and a respect for the
environment. And
there’s more: Pisa and its amazingly
beautiful main square, the pinewoods of the
Maremma and the
Tyrrhenian coast, Arezzo, the medieval towers of San Gimignano, the
Chianti
area designed by the hand of man, as if it were a
Leonardo landscape, Siena with its “contrade”,
the
great spa centres
like Chianciano and Montecatini, with
excellently equipped modern facilities
and a wide choice
of hotel accommodation. Even the shortest excursion offers a pleasantly
unexpected
treasure as a prize. In Firenze and in Toscana,
therefore, a meeting or a conference can
offer infinite and
exciting temptations.
|
INFO
Firenze Convention Bureau
Guardiola del Pratello Orsini, 50123 Firenze
Tel. 01139 055 4973201
www.conventionbureau.it
Convention Bureau Chianciano Terme
Via Sabatini 7, 53042 Chianciano Terme (SI)
Tel. 01139 0578 63037
Convention Bureau Serchio
Piazza Guidiccioni 2, 55100 Lucca
Tel
01139 0583 919928
www.conventionbureaulu.it
Versilia Convention Bureau
Viale Marconi 30, 55049 Viareggio (LU)
Tel.01139 0584 407707,
www.viareggiocongress.com
Convention Bureau di Montecatini Terme
Via delle Sallne 88,
51016 Montecatini Terme (PT)
Tel. 01139 0572 72019
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The Marche, the terrace overlooking the
Adriatic sea
TOP
There’s
one city where the culture of hospitality
has solid, long-established r oots, and where the
sun rises
and sets over the sea. This is Ancona, the
magnificent queen of the mid-Adriatic, the
dynamic port of Europe and a city where ancient and modern live together
admirably. It is a cosmopolitan city and continues to be the meeting
point of peoples and cultures. It offers a cocktail
of art, history,
culture, sport and tourism, including
conference-tourism and tourism connected to
trade-fair activities (the International Fishing
Trade-fair is held in Ancona annually). The landscape of the region, too, is an interesting mixture
full of opportunities for attractive
post-convention
itineraries: the charming, gentle hills covered
in woods, vines, castles and old villages evoking
a
thousand-year-old history. The sea, 170 kilometers
of coastline from San Benedetto del Tronto to the Conero riviera, from
Fano to Porto
San Giorgio, passing through Porto Sant’Elpidio and
Senigallia, supplies emotions and perfumes,
reflections and colors. Then there are mountains:
the Sybilline
mountains, the Maga Alcina, Mounts Nerone
and Carpegna, and the Cingoli woods, the “balcony of the Marche”, are an
unforgettable sight. The wild beauty of the place, among
beech-woods and
mountain streams, catches the imagination and invites you to taste the
pleasures of
country walks and mountain rambles.
|
INFO
Regione Marche - Assessorato al Turismo
Via Gentile da Fabriano 9, 60100 Ancona
Tel. 01139 071 8062284
www.marcheworldwide.org
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Umbria, the green heart of the italian
peninsula
TOP
The fusion of modernity and tradition, the development of efficient
services and an atmosphere
unique in the world: a conference
in Umbria offers this wonderful opportunity
Umbria is the land
of St. Francis of Assisi, rich in history,
art and culture, and the green heart of
Italy, an oasis of
peace and tranquility, of good food and good wine, according to ancient
culinary traditions.
Umbria is also the setting of great historical, cultural
and show-business events: the most important jazz festival in Europe,
the commemoration
of the
Calendimaggio at Assisi and the Festival
dei Due Mondi (Festival of the Two Worlds) at
Spoleto. Umbria has
ninety-two municipal boroughs
and medieval towns set deep in an evocative
rural landscape. It is an area primarily of hills and uplands, with
unifying characteristics despite the variety and complexity of its
morphology. The
highest points
rarely go above 1,500 meters and
belong to the main
chain of the Central Apennines. The
important features of the area are, therefore,
the natural beauties of the landscape, its great
artistic and
cultural traditions and the modernity of
its economic and road structures, where tourism, including that linked
to meetings and
conventions, finds a highly satisfactory welcome.
The main town, Perugia, has many historic
remains and
today, because of its strategic position
with regard to routes of communication, it
has a strong
tendency towards the tertiary sector,
particularly to the
business of trade-fairs and conferences.
However, there are other centers that
offer equally
strong attractions for tourists and as venues for conferences. Assisi,
first of all, is a compulsory stop for
international tourists,
because of its
characteristic medieval urban planning
and its traces of St. Francis and St. Clare; the
wonderful Basilicas
dedicated to these two saints continue to charm the visitor even now.
Added to this, there are the variety and convenience of the
accommodation and the art of hospitality which
the citizens have developed over more than seven centuries of energetic
cordiality in welcoming pilgrims and tourists.
Then we have Todi,
Gubbio, Spoleto and Orvieto,
which rises up on a tufaceous plateau with very
steep walls and
dominates the countryside from a position
of exceptional beauty; this unusual
town is full of the
fascination, almost impalpable, of times long gone, harking back to its
Etruscan,
Medieval and Renaissance past, but yet still lively
enough to make a
mark on the present day.
|
INFO
Convention Bureau Assisi
Via Perosi 23,06081 Assisi (PG)
Tel
01139 075 8155127
www.assisicongress.com
Orvieto Convention Bureau
Palazzo del Popolo Centro Congressi
Piazza del Popolo, 05018 Orvieto
(TR)
Tel. 01139 0763 344644
www.comune.orvieto.tr.it
|
|
Between Roma and Napoli:
colors in the history of Italy
TOP
In
order
to narrate the history of Italy you just have to say Roma: the
caput mundi
of the Romans, the Eternal City, the cradle of Christianity,
and the treasure-house of innumerable works of art. And to describe a
certain Italian quality, you just have to say Napoli: music, the sea,
the faces of
the children and the women. Enclosed within these two
extremes, the
solemnity of History (with a capital H) and the every-day
happenings recounted in tales, is everything that can be said
about this part of
Italy, which we can define, with geographers’ terminology,
as the Centre-South.
The three regions, Lazio, Campania and nearby Abruzzo, can offer,
as well as lots of natural and artistic beauties, a recent, rediscovered
capacity for welcoming visitors, with a particular eye to conference-tourism,
based on modern, efficient facilities, functional services and
convenient and punctual transport-systems. People come here, however,
mainly to take a trip through the events of men going back a
thousand years, to plunge into areas that never cease to amaze with
their variety of faces. Lazio is the area around
Roma, and it has lots to
tell the tourist,
with its countryside made up of volcanic lakes, mountains, vines and
precious olive groves testifying to the domination of
the Etruscans and
the epic period of the Romans. Campania is the
region surrounding Napoli. It has green plains
that stretch out towards Santa Maria Capua Vetere, mountain areas around
the Benevento district and the rough, wooded lrpinia area.Then there is
the Amalfi coast which never fails to enchant Italian and foreign
visitors alike with its
astonishing beauty,
and Capri, Ischia, Procida, the jewels of the gulf of
Napoli. Finally, Abruzzo, dominated by the
Apennines, is a region of
large natural parks, a harsh land with mountains that
form a backdrop to little towns of
medieval origin. This is the gateway to the Italian South, a land
to be discovered
and to be
loved, beyond the
stereotypes and
the clichés.
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Lazio and the eternal city
TOP
One of the aspects where Roma’s inclination to be a great international
capital manifests itself is the growth in
its
facilities, coinciding with events of worldwide importance, and its
development of new services especially in the tourist and conference
sectors. In this way, Roma proves to be highly modern and
multi-functional. By combining elegance and quality of services, it has
become the ideal venue for conferences, meetings,
conventions,
seminars,
concerts, theatrical events, exhibitions and shows. In 2000 Latium, and
Roma in particular, was host to the highest percentage of conference and
meetings taking place on Italian soil. All this is set in a marvelous
city that has no equal in the world, with classical, medieval, baroque
and modern architecture. Michelangelo, Bernini, and Borromini. Squares,
fountains, gardens, bridges, museums and churches.
And then there are the palaces, the embassies,
the many places for meetings, politics, business, diplomacy and, in St.
Peter’s, the heart of Christianity. Roma really is the
caput mundi. Its unusual
quality lies in the fact that it can bewitch the visitor just in the
space of
a few moments. Even without having a precise goal, the tourist
can savor Roma walking around it, following very personal itineraries,
and stopping to admire even the things that no guide mentions: a little,
unexplored square, a hidden courtyard, or the treasures in a tiny
museum. We see from this that Roma has a lot of valid things to offer
tourists for business, trade-fairs and conferences. Having satisfied
one’s hunger for archaeology, for Renaissance and Baroque art, what one
needs is to relax in natural surroundings. And you do not have to go far
in Roma: the hills of the Castelli are just a stone’s throw away, but
there are wide, green spaces (among the largest in Europe) within the
urban confines of Roma, too. And what about opportunities for leisure
activities? Exhibitions, concerts, great cultural events and shows can
fill up the evenings of guests and conference-goers with a style which
is only possible in Roma, perhaps accompanied by a thrilling encounter
with good food and wine. This is an aspect where Roma is well known to
be really unique.
And the same is true for the whole of the Latium region. We have already
noted the Castelli, a real oasis of peace, good cuisine, and excellent
wines on the outskirts of the city. We should not forget the natural
beauties of the Bolsena, Vico and Bracciano lakes - volcanic basins set
deep in woods in the area around Viterbo, a city which was a papal seat
in the Middle Ages and which still has valuable artistic reminders of
those times. The real jewel of nature here, however, is the Circeo
National Park, south of Roma on a stretch of coastline that is
deservedly one of the most famous on the Tyrrhenian sea.
|
INFO
Regione Lazio - Assessorato al Turismo
Via Colombo 212,00147 Roma
Tel.01139 06 51684130
www.regione.lazio.it
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Abruzzo, among parks, sea and towns
TOP
Ev eryone finds something interesting to see and
do in Abruzzo. The region holds a certain
fascination for all, and in particular, it offers a wide range of
possibilities and activities aimed at young people, at those who love
the country,
mountains with
their rock-faces, rivers and the gentle
seashore. It also offers a range of services
to welcome visitors
and facilities that will satisfy even the most particular requirements
of those who have to organize a work-conference or a
company convention.
Abruzzo’s tourist image is inextricably linked to
the
landscape and particularly to the parks. The
presence of the National Park has given the
region a profile that is definitely positive, but
often too
reductive: according to a recent survey, 72% of Italian tourists
associate Abruzzo with the
idea of the
National Park. Fine..., but it doesn’t
stop there, because Abruzzo also contains a
remarkable variety of environments, sites, landscapes
and architecture to be discovered. This region has a lot to offer: first of all, the
quality of its tourist facilities, which are becoming
more and more
numerous and more and more efficient. They
are aimed at a public with diverse
needs and who, in
most cases, no longer want a long holiday
but preferably short, frequent periods
for relaxation or who come to this area seeing it as a venue for business meetings and conference s,
and being able to combine easily their
technical
requirements for services with the beauties
of the natural surroundings. The landscape
itself is a
collection of various features ranging from the rocky coast high above
the sea to the well-equipped, sandy
beaches, and from the loneliest mountains to the lively little towns
frequented
by tourists in winter. This is a landscape
that has been shaped by nature but also by the
hand of men,
as can be seen in the many little medieval villages set on mountainous
plateau, often dominating hilly areas with their vines and
extensive olive-groves opening up almost unexpectedly
and stretching as far as the eye can see.
And finally, there are the hermitages, sometimes almost dug out of the
rock, places of worship in which the feeling of Christian faith is
smoothly interwoven with pagan rites and legends. This is
Abruzzo: landscape, history, art, traditions and above
all, the countryside, a countryside that is
loved and protected.
|
INFO
Regione Abruzzo Assessorato al Turismo
Viale Bovio 425,65100 Pescara
Tel. 01139 085 7671
www.regione.abruzzo.it
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The faces of Napoli and Campania
TOP
Everybody
knows Napoli, because it is much more than a city: Napoli is a color,
or rather, a thousand colors. It is a sound, or rather a symphony. It
is a smell, or rather a whole concert of
smells. Napoli is a
child’s face, the spectacle of a glorious
and difficult past, the memory of lives
and journeys
intertwining, between the joy that
explodes and the grief that becomes scornful irony. In the past few
years, Napoli has experienced a genuine rebirth; it has rediscovered its
beauties and
restored them to the sight of visitors; it
has rejected the bad part of its tradition
which sees it
just as pizzas, mandolins and “O
sole
mio”.
It
has also discovered that it is a really great
city for conferences.
Over three hundred well-equipped rooms are the
proof of the
readiness of Napoli and Campania to
receive visitors and its great ability to meet any
requirements of business tourism and of
tourism
linked to conferences and conventions or to great
trade-fair events (with the facilities of the Overseas
Exhibition).
The rediscovery of Napoli is the result not only of
the return to the roots of its beauty, but also
of the relaunching and the retrieval of entrepreneurial
skills
supplying suitable facilities. Napoli
has today returned
to being a real capital of the modern
world and to offering its unrivalled setting
with pride. Stretching out between the Phlegraean Fields and the slopes of Mount Vesuvius,
with an exceptional
artistic, archaeological and architectural
heritage in its old city centre, surrounded
by other tourist resorts that are just as splendid (from Capri to
Ischia, from Pompeii to
Positano and from
Sorrento to Amalfi), Napoli is
really the ideal
framework for conference events and
incentive travel.
The city, however, reveals only a small number of
the thousand faces of the region of Campania,
which has lots to offer the tourist, and not just on
the coast. We need
only think of Caserta and the
splendid
eighteenth-century royal palace of the Bourbons, of the towns on the
Capua plain with their archaeological and
artistic treasures, of
Benevento and
Sant’Agata dei Goti, of the harsh,
tormented beauty of
the Cilento area and its little villages
perched on the mountains, and of
Paestum and the
ruins of the ancient town, with
temples that are among the best preserved from
Greek civilization.
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The South, the terrace overlooking the
Mediterranean
TOP
The palette of colours which an imaginary painter should use
to paint the regions of southern Italy is almost
infinite: there is blue, for a sea that is so beautiful that it couldn’t
be possible anywhere else; there is the white of the rocks, the cliffs
and the
sandy beaches; there’s the green of the woods, the Silver
of the olive-groves, the yellow of the clay; and there’s the
bright red of the sky at sunset...
This
is the South of Italy, like a large terrace looking out onto the
Mediterranean. A
land oozing with a depressing history and past
events, but
redeemed by a generous, unending countryside, the
ideal place for all
types of tourism, including conference-tourism which
has, in recent years, been discovering more and
more these wonderful areas as the places to choose for all types of
meetings. In the South, in fact, hotel facilities and supporting
services for conferences have been qualitatively and quantitatively
improving over the past few years. Puglia is a frontier land: it plunges
into the Adriatic and stretches into the lonian Sea, with alternating
wild landscapes and fabulous beaches,
the white houses of
country dwellers and monuments filled with history,
art and Baroque charm. It is a land where pilgrims and Crusaders passed
on their way to conquer Jerusalem, then it came under the control
of the Hohenstaufens, and the region of Puglia, still today, wears the
austerity of its past like a shell inside
which beats a cheerful heart with a strong sense of hospitality. The
gastronomic tradition is a galaxy of
spectacular colors.
Calabria, the long peninsula between the
Tyrrhenian and the
lonian Seas, is the southernmost end of
Italy. It has maintained over the ages its
almost virgin
quality, next to the extraordinary
beautiful, crystal-clear sea. The
Sila, the “great
forest of
Italy” offers unforgettable glimpses of a pristine, unpolluted environment.
Basilicata is also a jewel in its own right, but consisting of
stronger colour contrasts, where the green of the woods and the yellow
of the eroded land mark the changes from fertile soil to arid soil,
from lush countryside to quasi-lunar landscapes.
Enchanting
scenery, artistic beauty, incomparable flavors and smells:
the South of Italy
has much to discover, with its warm hospitality, ready
to welcome all
those who come here on holiday or for work.
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Puglia, a trip through fabulous colors
TOP
Puglia
has in recent years become one of the motive-forces in the development
of the South of Italy. Its growth is now recognised at all levels and
has involved the development of facilities for tourism and conferences,
starting from the promotion of the natural beauties of this region.
A trip to
discover Puglia and all its complex layers
of aesthetic and symbolic dimensions, will offer the opportunity and the
pretext for an unusual game of discovery, in the colors magically
generated by the light. The only rule of the game, to appreciate the
natural and cultural beauties of this land as if they were magnificent
jewels, is to allow oneself to be guided by intuition, by the magic and
the charm
which conjure up myriad emotions and passions
suggested by the
colors. From churches to castles, from
old town-centers to rural architecture, from the seashores to the
culinary specialties, the warm Mediterranean temperament mingles with
“visions” of a region rich in
tradition and culture.
For example, with brilliant white, Puglia expresses
the most intimate sense of its own history. There
is white in the salt-works, which are an important part of Puglia’s
tradition, and also in the stone used for cathedrals and castles. Red,
the color of fire, evokes vividness and warmth; it is an indescribable
force with an
incomprehensible
power that appears in the sunsets, in the
delightfully round grapes and in the wine. And the yellow of the sun,
when it sends
out its most intense rays, reminds us of the yellow
ears of wheat.
Puglia is also a green region. The olive tree is
silver green
and a lot of green can be found in the
extensive woods of
the Gargano area which, as a whole, make
up the Umbra Forest, a natural heritage
site of great importance that extends over
more than 15,000 hectares and which was
acquired
as State forestry property, more than 130 years ago.
Finally, our ideal trip finishes at the deep blue of
the Puglia sea, where, according to mythological
tradition, the war heroes of ancient Troy sailed,
in one single color that describes the whole essence of the area.
Tourism for Puglia is now a primary sector of the
economy. Especially in recent years, the holiday
and leisure industry
has gained ground and is
becoming more and
more widespread. It could be said that the
sector, with all its induced business, is in continual growth.
The new products on offer, such as conference
and business tourism, are today well-established.
Starting from the centre at Bari and from its
trade-fair
activity (hinging on the Levant Trade-fair
- Fiera del Levante), this trend is growing and involving thousands of
hotels, clustered mainly in the Gargano
and Salento Adriatic coastal areas,
representing a new
breakthrough in this sector in Italy.
|
INFO
Regione Puglia Assessorato al Turismo
Via Bozzi 45/C,
70126 Bari
Tel.01139 080 5401111,
www.regione.puglia.it
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Basilicata, a gem hidden between two
seas
TOP
If th ey
were given a geography test on the subject
of Basilicata, the majority of Italians would
fail it. If
they tried to say exactly where Basilicata is, and
indicate it on an atlas, few would be able to
find it at the first attempt, since few know exactly where it is. And
yet in this region, which is so
lovely but still so
little known, the tourism resource
is becoming an
important source of income, and so too is
conference-tourism. This can take advantage of all the various
facilities for welcoming visitors, with the usual Italian
high quality tourist
features, as well as the splendid
views and numerous places for post-convention
trips. The lovely town of Maratea, which rises up in a woo d and fades
away into a bright sea set between two cliffs, is situated here, in
Lucania (this
is the old name for the region - the only
region in Italy which has two names). The castle at Melfi, the beloved,
favourite residence
of Frederick II, still dominates and rules over the
town today, from its rocky position on the
hill; it is one of the jewels of this area. Then there’s Matera, a
“one-off”, a town dug out of the rock, the tormented symbol in a lonely
landscape, of
a region which was
until a few decades ago, very poor and
abandoned, isolated from the rest of
the world. The
Basentana national highway (SS 407), a
modern road joining the mountains to
the valleys, has
finally given Matera the freedom to
welcome visitors.
In Basilicata, it must be said, there is everything.
On the one hand the sea, or rather, two
seas: Maratea looks
out onto the Tyrrhenian and Metaponto spreads out into the lonian; and
there are
mountains, hills and valleys, woods, rivers,
small lakes. And don’t forget the mountain
gorges, the Rocks
of Matera, and the settlements, some of
which date back to 800 years before
Christ and which
have been declared a “heritage of
mankind”.
Calabria, facing the blue sea
TOP
If those
who have to organize a company meeting,
a conference or a convention are looking for
unforgettable scenery, they should ch oose Calabria.
This region at the extreme southern end of
the Italian
peninsula, is an area of great variety.
The landscape ranges from the mountains of the
Aspromonte and the Sila to the crystal-clear sea,
with cities that are quite different from each
other.
Even the beaches are different one from another:
sometimes
sandy and suitable for sunbathing,
sometimes rugged
with rocks suitable for diving or
underwater swimming. Calabria has an ancient
Mediterranean civilization and is the primitive
place from which the whole Italian peninsula takes its name. Calabria,
in fact, was at first called
Italia,
in honour of its king, Italo. The archaeological
works range from prehistoric to the settlements
of the Bruzi, the indigenous people, up to the great age of
Magna Grecia.
Calabria still has important visible signs of these eras, which were
fundamental to European history and culture. For
example, there are the excavations at Sibari, Roccelletta
di Borgia, Locri and in the various museums. The Romans, Goths, Lombards, Byzantines,
Normans, Swabians, the Angevins and the
Aragonese have all
left architectural expressions
of great cultural
and artistic significance in the region.
Exploiting its natural beauties and the
abundance of
historical and archaeological treasures (we need only think of the
famous Riace
Bronzes), Calabria,
Europe’s terrace on the
Mediterranean, has
discovered its tourist vocation in recent
years.
It has venues and hotel accommodation for conference
tourism as well, and offers high quality services in a delightful area,
which will also be appreciated for its recreation and leisure
activities, as well as its good food and wine.
INFO
Regione Calabria Assesorato al Turismo
Via San Nicola 8, 88100 Catanzaro
Tel 01139 0961 741724
www.regionecalabria.it
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Sardegna and Sicilia: the
large islands with their mysteries
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Organizing a conference often involves organizing a vacation, too: the
periods of work, for conference-goers, need to be followed by necessary
periods of relaxing and leisure. This is why
the Italian islands represent an opportunity that it is hard to beat,
and not just because of the
beauty of the natural surroundings.
A veil of mystery shrouds the two large islands in the Mediterranean,
Sardegna and Sicilia; they
are situated there, in the middle of the great stretch of blue, as if
crowning the Italian peninsula.
The mystery comes from the mythology, which touches the history and is
interwoven with the
folklore and traditions. For instance, they tell
of how Neptune, god of the sea, when he wanted to give
his children, the Cyclops, a gift, did not hesitate, but gave them
Sicilia, a splendid land surrounded by
water, unknown to men and to the other gods. And
among the legends surrounding the most ancient part of Sardegna’s
history, linked to the Nuraghic settlements, there are those that
tell stories of the
Domus de
Janas, fairies’
or witches’ houses, dug out of the rock in the mountain-walls in
often inaccessible places. However, beyond the
imaginative fantasies woven by tradition, Sicilia
and Sardegna are an absolutely extraordinary
part of Italy. In Sicilia, nature seems to want
to show off, with the spectacular lava
flows and the snows of Mount Etna, the
scorching sun on the coast, the luxuriant gardens, the inaccessible
mountains, the cornfields and the dunes. In
Sardegna, what stands out most is the
marvelous sea, the cleanest in Italy:
the rugged coasts and the breathtaking
views are its
unmistakable characteristics, making the
island one of the
most popular tourist resorts, even
among
Italians themselves. Sardegna
and Sicilia are linked together by a
common history, with the succession
of rules and invasions that have left
deep traces in the towns, the monuments, the traditions and even in the
language. For instance, they have both
been subjected to Arab and Spanish
influences (to take one of the more
obvious examples). Beaches, mountains,
villages and lovely towns: in this
“world apart” comprising the large Italian
islands, it’s nice to think of getting
lost by immersing oneself in the mystery
of its never-ending beauty.
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Sicilia, a universe of beauty and memory
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“ Without
seeing Sicilia, you cannot have an idea of Italy: and in Sicilia you
find the key to every-thing”, as Johann Wolfgang Goethe wrote from
Palermo on 13lh April 1787 when he was on his first trip to Italy in
search of the roots of western culture. And it is true: it is the
largest island in the Mediterranean and the largest region in Italy, and
it is a magnificent area, where natural beauties merge
with the works of
art of the many peoples who have lived there: Greeks, Carthaginians,
Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, Aragonese, and Spanish. In
this region, you can find not just natural scenery but also the
facilities, the large halls, and the big hotels to stage really
successful conference-events. This tip of Italy is a whole continent by
itself. Within the radius of just a few kilometers, the landscape
suddenly changes, from barren hills to green grasslands, from fields
covered in snow to white, sandy beaches. No other country has so many
faces, and the same contrasts can be seen in the population. The mix of
civilizations brought about by historical events, has shaped, little by
little, the Sicilian temperament, a mixture of snow and fire.
With its 25,460 square kilometers, Sicilia is also administratively
responsible for the numerous islands nearby: the Eolie (Vulcano, Lipari,
Sallna, Panarea, Stromboli, Fillcudi, and Allcudi), Ustica, the Egadi (Levanzo,
Favignana and Maret-timo), the Pelagie (Lampedusa and Linosa) and
Pantelleria.
To put it another way, it might be said that Sicilia is shaped like a
large triangle, which is where its Greek name,
Trinacria, or “the land
of the three points”, comes from. Its three sides correspond to three
types of region (“of which you could say that they deliberately turn
their backs on one another, with one looking towards the Tyrrhenian, the
second towards the sea of Africa and the third towards to the lonian”,
as one writer has pointed out).
The north coast is bordered with mountains lining the Tyrrhenian shores
from Messina to Termini Imerese (near Palermo). The line is formed by
the Peloritani mountains, made of ancient granite rock, like those of
the Aspromonte on the other side of the Strait. The Nebrodi, or the
Caronie mountains, and finally the Madonie, some of whose peaks are 2000
meters high, complete the long chain which surrounds the Tyrrhenian Sea,
passing through the Italian mainland, Corsica and Sardegna.
These rocky massifs, cut through by streams (sometimes dangerous ones,
too, when they burst their banks after the heavy rains), extend as far
as Palermo; they surround the Conca d’Oro and encircle the city.
The east coast looks towards Greece and includes two large volcanic
formations: Mounts Iblei and Etna, around the Catania Plain. The latter
is 3323 meters high and dominates the whole area; on fi ne days its snowy
white cone can be seen tens of kilometers away. It is the highest and
most important volcano in Europe and one of the most active of earth.
Finally, the south coast faces towards Africa and is rather similar to
it, with the limestone hills and semi desert uplands, which are the main
features of the Sicilian landscape inland.
Tourism is naturally a centre-stage player in the Sicilian economy and
it continues to develop strongly. The region offers interesting
attractions for conference-tourism, too, and not just in its natural and
artistic treasures. The conference centers are growing, and the large
hotels equipped to receive conference-visitors are being given better
facilities, in particular in the provinces of Palermo, Messina (with
resorts such as Taormina where conference-business is very intense) and
Catania. Trade-fair activity is also being developed, with important
events in Palermo ( the Mediterranean Trade-Fair) and in Messina. This
is another way to discover a region unlike any other in the world.
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INFO
Azienda Autonoma Provinciale per l’Incremento Turistico
Piazza Castelnuovo 35,
90100 Palermo
Tel 01139 091 6058111
www.aapit.pa.it
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Sardegna, the echoes of a
thousand-year-old history
TOP
There is a survey carried out with deep scientific seriousness, which
analyses tourist-preferences all around the world and defines Sardegna
as “leader in the collective set of images”. This means that when a
tourist thinks of an ideal vacation, he
thinks mainly of Sardegna. And it is true that the sea of this
Mediterranean island (second only
to nearby Sicilia in size) is among
the most beautiful and clear to be seen in the whole world. “This land”,
wrote D.H. Lawrence, “is like no
other place” and the writer Marcello
Serra gave one of his books the title Sardegna, quasi un continente (“Sardegna,
almost a continent”).
Sardegna today is a perfectly structured and well-equipped destination
for work-meetings, lectures, and conferences.
This serves to emphasise the uniqueness of the Sardegna landscape and
the profound differences between the different parts of the island. The
sea is, without any doubt, the most important resource for tourism in Sardegna, but visitors are also attracted by other aspects. For one
thing, there are the traces of its very ancient history (as witnessed
by the various Nuraghic settlements, like the Barumini complex and the
Losa nuraghe, a small pre-Roman fortress at Abbasanta in the Oristano
area) and then the numerous large towns, from Alghero to the capital,
Cagliari, and Oristano, right down to the many small towns which abound
there. These are today considered as natural and cultural “resources of
the area”: the environment and the history, the popular celebrations and
festivals, the food and the wine, handicrafts and modern production
activity; there is everything to interest the most assiduous visitor.
But for some time now, when we talk of Sardegna, we don’t just limit
ourselves the concept of vacations, the wonderful sea and the unspoilt
countryside.
The main centre of this business is the trade-fair area of Cagliari,
with a large Conference Centre, alongside a thriving exhibition activity
(with important events such as the International Sardegna Trade-fair)
and lots of conferences and conventions. However, conference activity is
also growing fast in the typical seaside resorts on the Emerald Coast
and on the other coasts of Sardegna, where clients can be offered
accommodation, generally in large, luxury hotels with modern facilities
for welcoming visitors and interesting programs for leisure time after
the conference.
INFO
Regione Sardegna Assessorato al Turismo
Viale Trieste 105,09123 Cagliari
Tel. 01139 070 606280
www.regione.sardegn
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