Gift from Mr. Sakamoto to the city of Massa Marittima

In an effort to promote Italy and Italian lifestyle world-wide, Select Italy is proud to have helped organize the exhibition "Sol Levante. Dalla calligrafia al post-modernismo nell'arte contemporanea giapponese" (Rising Sun. From Calligraphy to Post-Modernism in Contemporary Japanese Art) to be held in Massa Marittima, Tuscany, from September 26 to October 17, 2010.

The project is an international cultural exchange transcending national borders that connects two ancient cultures – the Japanese and the Italian – apparently so different and yet, in their loyalty to their roots and history, so close. Massa Marittima, one of the the best preserved medieval towns in Tuscany and indeed one of its "best kept secrets," is the ideal setting for such a project. There, Select Italy and Momo Arts – the New York City Gallery that partnered with Select Italy in the project's organization – have brought together Art Cross, an association of Japanese artists with the mission to give more visibility to the content, extent and value of contemporary Japanese art.

The opening ceremony will be held on the 25th of September for this ground-breaking exhibition that features works by more than 110 contemporary Japanese artists. It will be hosted in two venues: the Palazzo dell'Abbondanza – a new state-of-the-art facility in Massa Marittima – and the Complesso Museale di San Pietro all'Orto. As the name suggests, the exhibition features a variety of styles and techniques that will showcase the ample spectrum of Japanese art, ranging from traditional art techniques to more contemporary ones.

One of the posters for the exhibition

Included in the show are many variations of "ink on Japanese paper" works, oil paintings, watercolors, wood block prints and several other techniques with which the Italian and Western public in general may be less familiar. This exhibition aims to open a window to the extreme technical sophistication and deep artistic sensitivity of Japanese art; the result of an evolutionary path that took centuries to grow and perfect. It is an example of how Japan's past is still alive and vibrant, and how it reflects and blends into contemporary forms of expression.

In addition to the exhibition, live performances of calligraphy and tea ceremonies are scheduled on October 2 and 3 respectively. The first will be held by Mr. Hansui Sakamoto and the second by Ms. Soyo Sakamoto (both performances are scheduled from 5:00pm to 7:00pm). These two events, so different in their expression, offer yet another opportunity to connect with and appreciate the unique refinement of artistic expression that characterizes Japanese art.

Given the uniqueness of the event, Massa Marittima's authorities have also included an educational component to the exhibition: a series of workshops for local school children that includes lessons in origami, Japanese calligraphy and a look at traditional Japanese fairy tales and story telling. The series will run from October 8-17.

Select Italy is very proud of this project and invites all of its customers, partners and friends to visit this spectacular and unusual exhibition. It is an opportunity to get to know an ancient and vibrant culture, and a chance for an excursion to beautiful Massa Marittima – without a doubt, a day to remember.

For travel arrangements, please contact our US booking office at 800-877-1755.

"Bia de' Medici" by Agnolo Bronzino, Uffizi, Florence

The staggering number of monuments and works of art on display in Italy means that most first-time visitors confine themselves to the “Top 10” – including the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, Michelangelo’s “David,” and the excavations at Pompeii.” But for those who are making a repeat trip to Italy and have already seen the highlights, or for passionate art lovers who always want to be up to date on the latest exhibitions, here are four shows that you won’t want to miss: two in Florence and two in Rome.

Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance so it’s fitting that the two major shows opening this fall explore the careers of painter Agnolo Bronzino (1503-72) and sculptor Gianfrancesco Rustici (1475-1554). “Bronzino. Artist and Poet at the Court of the Medici” at the Palazzo Strozzi from September 24, 2010 to January 23, 2011 uses the imposing Renaissance rooms of the Palazzo Strozzi as the setting for the first ever exhibition devoted to Bronzino’s pictorial work.

Florence is clearly the preferential location for a monographic exhibition on Bronzino since the majority of his paintings are still conserved there, above all in the Uffizi where his iconic portraits of members of the Medici family have been delighting museum-goers for generations. Loans from the world's most important museums have been included in the show; not just autograph paintings by Bronzino himself but works by other artists connected with him such as Pontormo and Alessandro Allori, as well as several works attributed to Bronzino that are being displayed to the public for the very first time.

The courtyard of the Bargello in Florence

A medieval palace that used to serve as the headquarters of the Florence police is the setting for “The Great Bronzes of the Baptistery: Rustici and Leonardo” at the Museo Nazionale del Bargello from September 10, 2010 to January 10, 2011. Centerpiece of the show is Rustici’s masterpiece, the three over life-size bronzes of the “Preaching of John the Baptist” that were situated over the north door of the Florence Baptistery in 1511 with the advice of Leonardo da Vinci. These impressive statues were restored in 2008 with the generous contribution of the Friends of Florence. The great versatility of Rustici’s style is demonstrated by marbles, terracottas, paintings and other small bronzes by this artist who ended his career in France as a member of the celebrated School of Fontainebleau.

"Field of Grain with Cypress Trees" by Van Gogh

Rome is animated this fall by a blockbuster show dedicated to one of the most controversial and popular artists of all time, Vincent van Gogh. It’s been 22 years since an exhibition of van Gogh’s works has been held in the Eternal City so anticipation is high for “Vincent van Gogh. Countryside Without Time–Modern City" at the Complesso del Vittoriano from October 8, 2010 to January 30, 2011. Around 110 paintings, drawings and watercolors by the famous Dutch artist will be displayed inside the Victor Emmanuel Monument in Piazza Venezia. Works from the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Von der Heydt-Museum in Wuppertal, Germany, have been chosen to show van Gogh’s love for the countryside and his connections to the urban landscapes of the city. The exhibition will stay open until 11:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays so that the maximum number of visitors can see it.

“1861 - The Painters of the Risorgimento” at the Scuderie del Quirinale from October 6, 2010 to January 16, 2011 is an exhibition designed to tie in with the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Unity of Italy. It shows how Italian painters depicted the events that led the country to achieve independence and national unity between 1859 and 1861. Works by leading artists of the day including Francesco Hayez, Giuseppe Molteni, Giovanni Fattori, Silvestro Lega and Giuseppe Sciuti attest to the fact that the artists’ interpretation of events tended to afford priority to the heartfelt grassroots support that the movement enjoyed while shunning a more obvious, celebratory rhetoric. A dramatic masterpiece like Giovanni Fattori’s tragic painting Lo Staffato (The Fallen Rider) remains the most potent symbol of the thoughts and concerns of those revolutionary years.

Kitty paw prints decorate these tasty cakes

One of the first questions people ask me when they learn I come from Vicenza is this: “Do people from your town really eat cats?” You might think this sounds like a very unusual way to get acquainted with someone, but the truth is, Vicenza is not only known for its splendid Renaissance buildings by the architect Andrea Palladio or for its prestigious Torcolato wine.

A curious detail that some people might not know regarding we Vicentini is that we’re famous among people from other Italian regions for our reputation as magnagati (which in the local dialect means “cat eaters”). Now, you may be wondering – probably horrified – “why do these Vicentini dislike (or like?!) cats so much as to eat them?”

Hoping that you’re still reading this article and didn't run to the nearest phone to call the Animal Protection Agency, let me say that the reason behind this nickname has been interpreted in a couple of different ways: for example, some believe that the inhabitants of the Monte Berico hill region had to turn to cats for sustenance during the devastating plague that struck the city between 1425 and 1428. Others say that, at the beginning of the 18th century, all the streets of Vicenza were filled with cats in order to control an invasion of mice and when the cats, in turn, overran the city the people turned to eating them to keep their numbers in check.

Local legend or historical fact?

Is this just an intriguing story or is it crude reality? There’s not enough proof to tell. Even though the city of Vicenza passed a “cat-saving decree” in 1943 that made it forbidden to kill and eat cats, so did all the other Italian provinces. And that was during World War II – the Vicentini certainly weren’t the only hungry people who turned to cats for food in wartime.

Fast forward to the year 2010. A group of seven master bakers decided to work together and create something that would represent the oldest traditions of Vicenza and its citizens. With a fine sense of self-mockery, they produced a cake called I Vicentini Magna la Gata, which means “Vicenzans eat the cat.” This cake, made with all-natural, locally produced ingredients such as almonds, corn flour from Marano, milk, butter and honey from the Berico province, plus the famous grappa from Bassano, is not just a delicious souvenir but also a genuine taste of Vicenza. And, rest assured, while not entirely fat free, you can be sure that these cakes are totally... "cat free"!