L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 3 "Estate Romana", Summer nights in the eternal city among beautiful monuments and sights more popular and well orga- nized, and nowadays if someone wanted to stay in Rome all Summer they would not get bored, with more than one plan to choose from nightly. For movie-lovers, there are 12 outdoor "arene" all over Rome where one can enjoy a good film, usually surrounded by beautiful scenery such as the gardens of Castel Sant'Angelo (right next to the Vatican), L'isola Tiberina (the little island in the heart of Rome), the gar- dens on Piazza Vittorio, or Villa Carpegna, to mention only a few. Each of the 12 arenas scat- tered around the city, has from one to three screens and their programs include all the movies that came out during the past year. To get tourists involved as well, all the foreign movies are screened in the original lan- guage. Details may be found at http://www.arenediroma.it. Then there's the "Lungo il Tevere" ("Along the Tiber"), an event organized by the Vela D'Oro Cultural Association that this year celebrates its 12th anniversary. The program is rich and engaging and covers every- thing from culture to entertain- ment, from music to literature, from painting to charity. It's a sort of open-air gallery along the Tevere river, running from Ponte Subicio (Subicio bridge) to Ponte Sisto (Sisto bridge) on the beautiful Tiberina Island. Thousand of people participate in book presentations, exposi- tions, contemporary art installa- tions, theatrical and literary con- tests, meetings, readings, and cultural events. Entrance is free, and the event continues until August 31st. For those who prefer histori- cal monuments, the Estate Romana features night tours of some of the most fascinating monuments of the Eternal City. The Cultural Association Genti e Paesi (People and Countries) offers guided visits of many sites. Among these are the underground area of the Domiziano Stadium, right underneath the famous piazza Navona, and the Passetto di Borgo at Castel Sant'Angelo. This is an 800-meter secret pas- sage ordered by the 15thC anti- pope Giovanni XIII, designed to allow the Pope to escape the Vatican in case of danger and make his way to Castel Sant'Angelo. The visit includes the prisons, a breathtaking view of Rome by night, and a histori- cal reconstruction of the many Popes who used this secret pas- sage to save themselves. Then there is Palazzo Farnese, which is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Rome. Among the artists that were part of its construction is the leg- endary Michelangelo. Today Palazzo Farnese is the location of the French Embassy in Rome, which is usually closed to the public and makes this Continued from page 1 Love is the theme at this summer's Festival Puccini, ded- icated to the magnificent Tuscan composer. Torre del Lago cele- brates the 60 th anniversary of this festival, where love emanates through Puccini's music. This is the only festival in the world dedicated to Puccini that occurs in the very place where it was inspired. Located between Lake Massaciuccoli and the Tyrrhenian Sea, Torre del Lago offers the perfect setting. Festival Puccini holds about 40,000 participants annually in its outdoor theater, Teatro dei Quattromila (named after its original intended seating capaci- ty). The festival takes place just a stone's throw away from the "Villa Puccini", where Giacomo Puccini lived and worked from 1900 to 1921. He was forced to move to Viareggio in 1921 when pollution from the lake became too hazardous. Puccini is buried in a small chapel beside the music room in Villa Puccini. The Festival Puccini presents four to five opera productions of Puccini's most beloved operas each season. This season, they are performing La Bohème (1896), Madama Butterfly (1904), Il Trittico (1918), and Turandot (1926). Celebrating the 110 th anniversary of the premiere of Madame Butterfly, major Italian opera designer and direc- tor Renzo Giacchieri will bring his elegant, renowned opera style to the production. La Bohème will be directed by Ettore Scola, one of Italy's most prestigious film directors. Scola provides a fresh, new interpretation to Puccini's oper- atic masterpiece. For the first time in forty years, the Puccini Festival is presenting the Trittico (three one-act operas: "Il Tabarro", "Suor Angelica", and "Gianni Schicchi"). Festival Puccini cre- ated the Puccini 2.0 Project to give young artists career growth opportunities. The talented young singers of this project will perform alongside major artists, such as Amarilli Nizza. During August, the Festival will include five performances of a whole new production of Puccini's unfinished opera, Turandot. Eclectic artistic direc- tor Angelo Bertini adds unique emotion to this opera. Audiences will listen to the famous aria "Nessun dorma" under the starry night sky in Puccini's heartland. Love will literally be in the air during this breathtaking performance. JANe HusoN Love is in the Air at Festival Puccini visit an especially wonderful opportunity. It is also now pos- sible to take a night time tour of the Colosseo (Coliseum), together with the underground areas, particularly beautiful when illuminated at night. Another interesting tour is called "La Roma delle Cortigiane" (The Rome of the Courtesans) a fascinating evening walk around buildings and places of libertine Rome told through the stories of many famous Roman women and courtesans. Alternatively, a guide will lead you on a two hour tour to places where the "ghosts" of famous personalities appear and tell you their stories from the past, extending from Castel Sant'Angelo to Piazza Farnese, Piazza Pasquino and Campo De' Fiori. It's also possible to "meet" famous personalities such as Giulio Cesare (Julius Cesar) and other Roman people from the past in an evocative walk around the Fori Imperiali by night where the visitors will learn about the history of the Fori from the real protagonists. For more information about these tours, contact the Associazione Culturale Genti e Paesi - Tel. 06.85301755 - Fax 06.85301757 - Email: info@gentiepaesi.it Lastly, only during the Summer it will be possible to visit the Vatican Museums by night, which avoids the long lines that tourist and Romans normally have to endure to admire the incredible beauty of the Sistine Chapel or Raffaello's Rooms. To reserve a spot on the night tour, contact Cooperativa soc IL SOGNO srl, Viale Regina Margherita, 192 - 00198 ROMA Tel. 06/85.30.17.58 Fax 06/85.30.17.56 Email: ser- vice@romeguide.it. Have fun in Rome and enjoy the Roman Summer! Isola Tiberina, Rome

• Cover