The Vinilmania logo

Visiting this event you will find 300 international exhibitors that offer their rarities: singles, music albums, memorabilia, CDs, books and magazines. This event is accompaigned by a series of other happenings like concerts and press conferences.

A Vinilmania stand

This big trade fair is focused on craftsmanship attracting every year many visitors who look for new original gifts for Christmas: here in fact you can find handcrafted products belonging to different countries of the world like Asia, Africa, Latin America together with objects made in Italy and in the other European nations.

The Craftsmanship Trade Fair logo

Thanks to its display area of 100.000 square metres and to the presence of 90 foreign countries this can be defined the widest craftsmanship trade fair in the world.

A stand in the Craftsmanship Trade Fair

The institution called Camera Nazionale della Moda was established  in Milan in 1958 involving all the most important Italian brands to promote the Italian fashion all around the world. This institution organizes every year fashion events and happenings that attract in Milan a great number of top-models, fashion designers, journalists, actors and politicians.

The Women's Fashion Show Poster

The most important and appreciated events are those connected to women’s fashion: between February and March and between September and October there are the famous fashion shows to present all the new spring/summer and fall/winter collections for the next year. Many parties, concerts and cultural events are organized during this two periods to promote the fashion shows.

The women’s fashion show

The Scala Theatre

A new “Carmen” by Bizet (conducted by Daniel Barenboim with the production of Emma Dante) will inaugurate the 2009-2010 Opera Season that will be characterized by 19 Opera titles, nine new productions (like a new “Ring” by Wagner with the production of Guy Cassiers), and more than 60 symphony, singing and chamber concerts.

The 2009-2010 Opera Season will be especially characterized by the presence of a series of important conductors like: Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, Myung-Whun Chung, James Conlon, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniele Gatti, Daniel Harding, Nicola Luisotti, Zubin Mehta, Antonio Pappano, and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

There will also be the presence of famous producers like: Patrice Chéreau, La Fura dels Baus, Peter Stein, Federico Tiezzi, Eimuntas Nekrosius, and Laurent Pelly.

The most important singers that will perform on the Scala Theatre’s stage are: Jonas Kaufmann, Leo Nucci, Stefano Secco, Peter Mattei, Erwin Schrott, Carmela Remigio, Juan Francisco Gatell,  Robert Dean Smith, Anja Harteros, Julia Gertseva, Placido Domingo, Carlos Alvarez, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Laura Aikin, René Pape, Marcello Giordani, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Juan Diego Florez, Alessandro Corbelli, Joyce DiDonato, Rolando Villazon, Nino Machaidze, Ambrogio Maestri; e ancora  Ildar Abdrazakov, Simon Keenlyside, Angela Denoke, Christopher Maltman, Fiorenza Cedolins, Waltraud Meier and Sonia Ganassi.

On the 9th of December 2009 Placido Domingo (who in April will be the main character in the opera titled “Simon Boccanegra”) will celebrate his 40 years in the Scala Thetre – where he debuted in 1969- playing the role of Siegmund in the first act of “Die Walküre” by Wagner conducted by Daniel Barenboim in form of a concerts. The other two roles of Sieglinde and Hunding will be respectively played by Nina Stemme and Kwangchul Young.

The Scala Theatre's balconies

The Verona's trade fair zone logo

The most important Verona’s trade fairs are:

- Vinitaly and Sol (on April);

- Marmomacc: the International Exhibition of Stones, Design and Technologies (On September)

A Marmomacc stand

- Abitare il Tempo (on October): the most exclusive trade fair for the interior design that unifies tradition and innovation attracting many international visitors.

A "Abitare il Tempo " stand

- Vivi la casa in fiera (on December):  this is a complete trade fair of design and furniture

A "Vivi la casa in fiera" stand

- The Agriculture’s Trade Fair (on February): this is the unique big Italian event that offers a complete view on the agricultural sector. 

An Agriculture’s Trade Fair stand

- Samoter (on March): this is the International Three-year Fair of Building Trade Machineries

- Job & Orienta: this is the most complete national event focused on school, education and on careers guidance.

- The Fiera Cavalli (on November): this trade fair has always represented the reference point for all the global equestrian sector. This event is capable of attracting in Verona 150.000 visitors coming from all over the world, 900 journalists, 700 Italian exhibitors and 25 foreign delegations. Here you can watch the Jumping Verona’s competitions and the official Rolex FEI World CupTM race or you can visit all the stands dedicated to the equestrian activities.

A moment of the Fiera Cavalli

Place of Departure: The equestrian statue dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele placed in Bra’ Square.
Hour of Departure: 17:00 P.M.
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: 10€ per person or 15€ per couple.

Tourist route’s places:

Through this guided tour you will visit all the Shakesperian places of Verona: the Juliet’s House, the Romeo’s House, the Verona’s fortified walls and the Carlotti Palace. However you will also admire all the other important monuments of this romantic city like the Arena and the Arche Scaligere together with its main squares like Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza dei Signori.

Piazza dei Signori ornamented for St Valentine’s day

During the whole St Valentine’s day’s week all the urban centre’s streets are ornamented with red hearts that cover the streetlamps creating a very special atmosphere. Walking throughout Verona during those days you will also receive some heart shaped balloons.

The Verona's streets ornamented with heart shaped balloons

Many special events are organized all around Verona during that week like concerts, exhibitions, and theatrical shows. Especially on the 14th of February in the Juliet’s House there is the prize-giving ceremony for the best love letters sent to Juliet from all over the world.

If you want to send your personal letter to Juliet you can use this address:

THE JULIET CLUB
via Galilei 3 – 37100 Verona

Every year in Verona there is the Carnival feast called “Bacanal del gnoco” whose origins are connected to ancient religions.

The Verona’s Carnival poster

All the masks are elected by the local inhabitants and by those of the surrounding towns. The most important character is “Papà del gnoco” (the “dumpling’s father“) representing an old bearded “king” wearing a hat carrying as his sceptre a big fork supporting a giant dumpling.

The “Papà del gnoco” mask

The other famous masks are the Duca della Pignata, the Dio de l’Oro, the Re Teodorico della Cadrega, the Simeon de l’Isolo, the Principe Reboano, the Duca della Seola, the Conte Nogarola, the Mastro Sogar, the Re del Goto, the Conte Polenton and the Conte Caramela.

Celebrations last several days and on the Friday before the beginning of Lent there is the famous parade made up by 4000 masks accompaigned by allegorical floats, bands and majorettes.

A carnival band in the parade

The parade's majorettes

An allegorical float of the parade

This parade, after having crossed all the urban streets, ends in San Zeno Square where dumplings are offered to all visitors.

The exhibition bill

Visiting this important cultural event you will see more than 400 artistic creations admirable here thanks to the collaboration of many museums, collectors and artisans.

One of the exhibition's nativity sets

Every year the symbol of this fascinating exhibition is the grand Christmas star which decorates the Arena and its square.

The grand Christmas Star in the Arena

A part of the proceeds will be made over to Charity in Holy Land.

You can visit this exhibition everyday from 9:00 h. A.M. to 20:00 h. P.M. Tickets prices: Standard Ticket 7,00€; Reduced Ticket 6,00€; School Group Ticket 4,00€.

The Canalone Miramonti ski slope

This is a very prestigious event ideal to celebrate this feast on skis sharing this magic atmosphere with the most famous champions of the Alpine ski World Cup.

The Christmas Parallel Giant Slalom

This will be a fashionable sport event dedicated to all those tourists who will crowd the Miramonti slope’s borders.

Madonna di Campiglio at Christmas time

An Umbria Christmas street market

During this period many sacred music and choruses concerts  are organized in churches where you can also attend many High Masses.

In many towns of this region like Perugia and Città della Pieve you can also admire artistic nativity-sets and several live nativity-sets.

An Umbria artistic nativity-set

An Umbria live nativity-set

A very striking and spectacular event that deserves your attention is the Christmas Tree present in Gubbio from the 7th to the 10th of December: this is the highest Christmas Tree in the world. It is placed on the Ingino hill dominating all the town lighting it with hundreds of colored lights. Many national and international tourists come every year in Gubbio to see this unique wonderful spectacle.

The Gubbio Christmas Tree