From The Hollywood Reporter: “ Sofia Coppola’s comedic drama “Somewhere” and “Road to Nowhere,” a romantic thriller from veteran director Monte Hellman, were among the highlights of the main competition lineup for the 67th Venice Film Festival, which was released Thursday. Other in-competition films include Vincent Gallo’s “Promises Written in Water”; “Meek’s Cutoff,” a western from Kelly Reichardt; and Athina Rachel Tsangari’s drama “Attenberg.” Artistic director Marco Mueller said that — notwithstanding the presence of the 78-year-old Hellman — the competition lineup was the youngest ever in the storied history of the festival, with the average age among the directors of the 22 in-competition films just 47.”

********As in previous years, Aielli & Benevento will offer its September bound Venice clients a unique set of specialized touring experience in and around the festival’s 10 day program. All told, the festival will include 79 world premieres, including the entire in-competition lineup for the fourth time in five years. The out-of-competition lineup had its share of highlights as well, with brothers Ben and Casey Affleck both appearing with directorial efforts — Ben with “The Town,” a crime thriller, and Casey with “I’m Still Here,” a documentary about actor Joaquin Phoenix, who is Casey Affleck’s brother in law. It will be the directorial debut for the younger Affleck. Venerable Italian directors Marco Bellocchio and Michele Placido return to the Lido with “Sorrelle Mai” and “Vallanzasca – Gli angeli del male,” respectively, and Dennis Hopper’s “The Last Movie,” the actor’s 1971 directorial follow-up to “Easy Rider,” will screen as an unofficial homage to the actor, who died in May at the age of 74. As usual, Italian films were the best represented in the overall lineup, with 41 full-length features. But U.S. productions were second, with 19, followed by France with 11 and Japan and China with 7 each. A total of 34 countries are represented with at least one official screening, including the Dominican Republic, which will see a film screen on the Venice Lido for the first time ever in “Jean Gentil,” a film about neighboring Haiti that will screen in the Orizzonti sidebar.

67TH ANNUAL VENICE FILM FESTIVAL LINEUP

• “Black Swan,” Darren Aronofsky, U.S. (Opening Film)
• “La Pecora Nera,” Ascanio Celestini, Italy
• “Somewhere,” Sofia Coppola, U.S.
• “Happy Few,” Antony Cordier, France
• “The Solitude of Prime Numbers,” Saverio Costanzo, Italy, Germany, France
• “Silent Souls,” Aleksei Fedorchenko, Russia
• “Promises Written in Water,” Vincent Gallo, U.S.
• “Road To Nowhere,” Monte Hellman, U.S.
• “Balada Triste de Trompeta,” Alex de la Iglesia, Spain, France
• “Venus Noir,” Abdellatif Kechiche, France
• “Post Mortem,” Pablo Larrain, Chile, Mexico, Germany
• “Barney’s Version,” Richard J. Lewis, Canada, Italy
• “We Believed,” Mario Martone, Italy, France
• “La Passione,” Carlo Mazzacurati, Italy
• “13 Assassins,” Takashi Miike, Japan, U.K.
• “Potiche,” Francois Ozon, France
• “Meek’s Cutoff,” Kelly Reichardt, U.S.
• “Miral,” Julian Schnabel, U.S., France, Italy, Israel
• “Norwegian Wood,” Tran Anh Hung, Japan
• “Attenberg,” Athina Rachel Tsangari, Greece
• “Detective Dee and the Mystery of Phantom Flame,
• ” Tsui Hark, China “Three,” Tom Tykwer, Germany

Old Blue Eyes’ 70300 SAN LORENZO road home, aka ‘Villa Maggio’ is for sale for $4,400,000. With 8 bedrooms and 12 full baths, 1 half bath, the 6,428 square foot retreat has a checkered Rat Pack history. The getaway lodge was built in 1967 on a lot size of 10.0 acres.

A breath-taking, private, self-contained Mid Century gentlemens lodge of stone and custom wood framing above Palm Springs. Only 15 minutes from El Paseo. Built by Sinatra for privacy & seclusion to entertain family and friends, the Rat Pack boys and other celebs. The property boasts a main estate with mother-in-law quarters, a detached guest house with 3 separate suites, baths and mini-kitchens, and a pool house. Features a custom pool, a full size tennis/ sports court, and a Helo pad. Private road w/gated access, with breath taking views of the entire valley. Sellers have restored this property to original condition and are motivated! This sale includes a 5 acre parcel, and two 2.5 acre parcels.

Ristorante Santa Lucia.  Location:Near the Pantheon.

Has a wonderful courtyard.  The restaurant had its 15 minutes of fame (again) when Julia Roberts of ‘Mystic Pizza’ fame frequented during the 2009 filming of best seller “Eat, Pray, Love”.  ( Not that these Hollywood types are evidence of good food but Santa Lucia has been a hit with such VIPs as Rupert Everett, Ridley Scott, Sofia Loren, Dante Ferretti, Bernardo Bertolucci and Harvey Keitel. Bill Clinton has been back many a time with his daughter Chelsea, while Kirstie Alley gave the paparazzi the international finger sign having been spotted leaving the restaurant.  During the never-ending filming of Gangs of New York at Cinecittà, Martin Scorsese and Leo di Caprio were a permanent fixture at the restaurant.

Roberts is quoted as saying her favorite location scenes were “when people were speaking Italian athousand miles a minute and there was plenty of pasta and wine”.  We agree.  Menu favorites include scialatielli and spaghetti.

2 Via di Tor Sanguigna ; info@santaluciaristorante.it ; Tel#:  +39 06.68802427

A charming 5-star resort in the verdant hills of Franciacorta a few minutes’ drive from Lake Iseo, L’Albereta Relais & Chateaux is truly off the beaten track. The proprietor has a theory about houses, that each should have a pensatoio at the top—a place surrounded by windows where a person can pause, contemplate nature, and refresh. So L’Albereta between Brescia and Bergamo, has the Cabriolet Suite.  Atop a tower facing Lake Iseo, you are in the clutches of Northern Italian luxury—sitting on satin, damask; surrounded by vineyards; fed by the great Milanese chef Gualtiero Marchesi. Did we forget to mention the Michelin rated restaurant?  

The Henri Chenot Spa  has 1500sqm dedicated to the well-being of body and mind. From windsurfing or boat rides on the breathtaking Lago Iseo, weaving down the country lanes on a bicycle to explore the neighbouring villages, taking a tour of a vineyard on horseback, or hiking in the surrounding hills.  L’Albereta accommodation 57 rooms including 19 suites & junior suite. All rooms have air conditioning, satellite television, DVD (on request).

Getting to: L’Albereta: Fly to Bergamo or to Verona followed by a 45mins drive.  Excursions with a tour guide can be arranged to Brescia, Lake Garda, Verona, Bergamo, Milan. Boat trips & hiking trips available.

Where does Marisa Tomei or Leonardo DiCaprio go when their in the Hamptons and looking for some local Italian fare to take home?  Best guess is ‘The Villa’.  An East Hampton institution for over 20 years Villa Italian Specialities is located across from the rail station in the village. Famous for homemade mozzarella, sausages and Italian heros. “The Villa” also features an assortment of prepared foods to go, house made sauces, soups, salads and breads. Try the foccaccia.  

Villa Italian Specialties
7 Railroad Avenue
East Hampton,
New York 11937
Tel#  631-324-5110
Info@villaitalianspecialties.com
Hours: Monday – Saturday 7:30am -7:00pm; Sunday 8:00am – 5:00pm.

Frank Bruni is no longer reviewing restaurants fro the New York Times but his sense of A-1 Italian has been proven time again.  In recent interview in La Cucina Italiana, he was asked about his favorite NYC Italian restaurants.  Below are five he felt were worth mentioning…(Note: the descriptions of these restauarants and their signature dishes are drawn from other sources like New York Magazine and Fodor’s.)

> Marea

www.marea-nyc.com; 240 Central Park S; New York, NY 10019-1457; (212) 582-5100. ”One of Chef White’s great pasta specialties is fusilli smothered in a delicately braised pork-shoulder ragù. Deprived of pork, he substitutes octopus then loads this already heavy dish with lumps of heart-stopping bone marrow. The sense of overkill is magnified by the grand entrée-size pasta portions, among them a dank pile of spinosini obscured in a swarm of pricey but tasteless langoustines, and tubes of house-made gramigne overwhelmed with smoked cod and too much speck. A heaping portion of crab-and-sea-urchin spaghetti had a lustrous, exotic quality to it, but nothing on the pasta list was quite as satisfying (or, at $23, as comparatively cheap) as the little ricotta-filled “pansotti” ravioli (served with a pesto artfully flavored with nettles), which contains no seafood at all. The seafood entrées, come in all sorts of baroque shapes and sizes. If it’s freshness you’re after, try the ivory-colored black bass (with artichokes, pine nuts, and pools of salsa verde) or the skate, piled over morels and a bed of green, butter-soaked summer peas. A seafood risotto is also available, along with an elaborate $45 “bordetto di pesce” soup from Italy’s Adriatic coast, which could have used a little more broth. Scallops were sweet and fresh, though weirdly slippery (they’re touched with more lardo), and if you’re not dieting, you’ll probably enjoy the Columbia River salmon, which the calorie-happy chef poaches in duck fat.—New York Magazine

> Lupa Osteria Romana

www.luparestaurant.com; 170 Thompson Street; NYC; (212) 982-5089. Lupa opened its doors on October 1, 1999 under the partnership of Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich, and Chef Mark Ladner. A salumeria serves Italian artisan meats and cheeses, house-made products such as canned tuna and guanciale, and a kitchen that is dedicated to creating dishes as traditionally Roman as possible, while skillfully substituting and supplementing ingredients that are out of season or unavailable in New York. The result is a Roman menu with a New York balance.

> Locanda Verde

www.locandaverdenyc.com; 377 Greenwich Street; New York, NY 10013-2338; (212) 925-3797  “The latest Italian restaurant in Robert De Niro’s star-crossed space is called Locanda Verde (“green inn”), and in style, conception, and tone it’s as different from its predecessor Ago as a raucous, deceptively sophisticated pop band is from the provincial touring company of a tattered old Broadway show.  The most radical overhaul, however, is in the kitchen, which is now overseen by the celebrated chef Andrew Carmellini. Carmellini is a protégé of Daniel Boulud (he was head chef at Café Boulud for years), and he later ran the critically acclaimed Italian restaurant A Voce before leaving in a dispute with the owner. Carmellini is a master of classical French (and Italian) technique, but at Locanda Verde (where he is a partner), he chucks it all to cook “family style” food for the masses. His menu is filled with lots of fashionable, small-plate “cicchetti,” including mounds of fresh sheep’s-milk ricotta (sprinkled liberally with sea salt) and melty slices of “testa della casa” (headcheese) antipasti decked with tangy pickled vegetables. The best of these early finger foods, though, are the crostini, which the chef piles alternately with faintly spicy summer corn (over toasted prosciutto bread), smooth dabs of puréed chicken liver, and mounds of blue crab leavened with jalapeño and a light touch of cream. There are only seven “secondi” entrées on the menu at Locanda Verde, and, in line with Carmellini’s populist mission, none costs over $25.”—New York Magazine

> Peasant

www.peasantnyc.com; 194 Elizabeth Street; New York, NY 10012-4255; (212) 965-9511. “The crowd at this rustic restaurant is stylishly urban. Inspired by the proverbial “peasant” cuisine where meals were prepared in the kitchen hearth, chef-owner Frank DeCarlo cooks all of his wonderful food in a bank of wood- or charcoal-burning ovens, from which the heady aroma of garlic perfumes the room. Don’t fill up on the crusty bread and fresh ricotta, though, or you’ll miss out on other flavorful Italian fare like sizzling sardines that arrive in terra-cotta pots, or rotisserie lamb that’s redolent of fresh herbs.”—Fodor’s

> Convivio

convivionyc.com; 45 Tudor City Place; New York, NY 10017; (212) 599-5045  “Convivio is chef Michael White’s ambitious reimagining of an upscale Italian restaurant in Tudor City that was called L’Impero. To provide a sense of sunny, Italian lightness (Convivio is also the name of a famous restaurant in Rome), the interior designer, Vicente Wolf, has covered the walls with white reflective glass and fitted them with installations of shimmering nylon string. The old lamp shades have been replaced with modish ones hung with orange glass spheres. The waiters have been outfitted with rust-colored shirts and the banquettes covered in Italianate crimson, like the inside of a grand Sicilian railway car. The four-course, $59 prix fixe dinner is $5 cheaper than the old one, but now you can choose from a mind-boggling 53 items, many of which change on a daily, or seasonal, basis. There are nine authentic varieties of the pre-antipasti finger food called sfizi (artichokes tossed with slivers of mint, fat risotto croquettes colored with saffron, soft bits of baby eggplant touched with chile), and enough antipasto to feed a small army of Sicilian peasants. Try the skewer of grilled quail with sweet onions, the faintly boozy chicken-liver crostini made with onions sautéed in Marsala wine, and the breaded sardines, which are dunked in creamy salmoriglio sauce (like Sicilian tartar sauce) and filled with smoky provolone. It’s in the realm of pastas that White demonstrates why he’s become known, in certain Rabelaisian circles, as midtown’s answer to Mario Batali. Like Batali, the rotund, gregarious chef is a voracious scholar of regional Italian cuisine. And like Batali, he has the ability to take classic recipes and imbue them with his own combination of lightness and soul. I’m thinking of the handcrafted maccheroni, folded Roman style with egg yolk, pepper, salty bits of pancetta, and summer peas, which was followed to our table by a bowl of baby-size orecchiette dunked in a rich Sicilian ragù made with tripe and lightened with fennel. There are densely textured ragùs made with braised pork shoulder (served over a nest of fusilli and finished with a lush fonduta made with caciocavallo cheese), fat tortelli ingeniously stuffed with tomato, onion, and cured pork jowl, and a weirdly ethereal recipe from Sardinia called malloreddus made with saffron, blue crab, and a hint of fresh sea urchin.” —New York Magazine

Pantelleria has been known as the ‘Black Pearl of the Mediterranean’, since the early  Phoenician era.  The island lies in a stretch of sea between Tunisia and Sicily, yet it has little in common with either Africa or Italy.Instead of white beaches and waving palms Pantelleria offers steep cliffs and a rugged volcanic landscape shaped by the constantly- blowing winds and baked by the African sun. It reminds some visitors of the Scottish Highlands.

Pantelleria is also known as the island of sun and wind.  The town of Pantelleria itself, the main settlement on the island was razed by heavy bombing during World War II. Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini took advantage of its strategic position and ordered it to be turned into a fortress. The roads and airport built for the purpose are still in use today. Pantelleria was known for a while as ‘Mussolini’s aircraft-carrier’. In 1943, the Allies bombarded the island as a precursor to the invasion of Sicily.

Star designer Giorgio Armani fell under the spell of this island years ago and he likes to describe himself as one of the island’s pioneer tourists. He now owns a magnificent property at Couturier near Cala Gadir. It consists of six ‘Dammusi’, the name given to the indigenous houses on the island, mostly whitewashed, rounded single- storey buildings built in the Arab architectural style. Tourists can rent one of these homes for a holiday, arguably one of the most pleasant and authentic ways to spend a holiday on Pantelleria.

Gorgio Armani's beach house in Pantelleria.

The headline of the article read: “In Rome, Opera in Ruins“.  Truth is this uniquely Italian form of music and theatre continues to flourish.

Visitors to Rome often marvel at the astonishing integration of ancient structures into the city’s modern fabric. Shops, an embassy and a gelateria all sit atop the ruins of a first-century stadium; apartments lean on the Theater of Marcellus; even the mayor’s office claims a Republican-era records hall as its foundation. This summer, the eye-opening ruins of the Baths of Caracalla join the fun, hosting ballet and opera performances.

Summer operas in the ruins of the third-century public baths are nothing new. The tradition dates back to the 1930s and, save for a couple of interruptions (1940 to 1944 and 1994 to 2000), outdoor summer performances at the complex have been held annually, making them synonymous with sultry Roman summer evenings.

A ballet, “Romeo and Juliet,” has just finished its run, and will be followed by two operas: “Aida” (July 15 to Aug. 5) and “Rigoletto” (July 28 to Aug. 8). Both of these Verdi works were first performed at the baths in the 1930s, when the stage and seating were set up inside the ruins themselves.

Today, visitors sit on bleachers outside the baths and the stage is set up a short distance from the ruins. The impressive walls of the ancient caldarium (hot room) become stage scenery. Though despoiled of their stone veneer, mosaics and columns, the Baths of Caracalla provide an evocative setting and intensify the magic of this decades-old tradition.

Tickets are available online at the Opera Web site (39-06-481-60-255; en.operaroma.it), starting at 26.50 euros, about $32. They are also sold at the box office on the night of each performance, though due to the high demand for tickets, advance reservations are recommended.–From NY Times’ Travel.

Jessica Simpson was found celebrating her 30th birthday in July on the Italian island of Capri with her new boyfriend ex-NFL player Eric Johnson.  Hollywood watchers will recall it was 2005 when Jessica Simpson and then husband Nick Lachey took an October holiday in northern Italy.  Capri is know for its history as a haven for VIPs and celebrities and also home to Italy’s rich and famous.  In the latter half of the 19th century, Capri became a popular resort for European artists, writers and other celebrities. John Singer Sargent and Frank Hyde are among the prominent artists who stayed on the island around the late 1870s. Sargent is known for his series of portraits featuring local model Rosina Ferrara.

If you go:

Afternoon Cocktails?  Il Riccio Beach Club & Bar: Tucked between the rock and the sea, just a few steps away from the famed Blue Grotto, one comes across Il Riccio, the new restaurant and beach club of the Capri Palace Hotel & Spa. After extensive refurbishments of the historic Add’O Riccio, the restaurant once cherished by Aristotele Onassis, the new Riccio’s cuisine and décor are a tribute to the Mediterranean.info@ristoranteilriccio.com; Tel # +39 0818371380. The restaurant is open every day for lunch from 12.00pm to 4pm; and for dinner from Thursdays to Sundays from 8pm to 11pm.Via Gradola, 4-6 Località Grotta Azzurra 80071 ANACAPRI.

Private cruising…Wish to hire a private boat and skipper to whisk you around the emerald isle? Just call Aielli & Benevento.  We have a special deal with private hire Capri Boats in the island’s main marina. www.capritime.com.

Butterfield & Robinson’s recently issued its “Top Ten” reasons to love Italy…We can think of a lot more but its worth reading…

1. Culinary Traditions

Let’s begin with the soul of Italy: its day-to-day hospitality and rich culinary traditions. Yes, Italians rival anyone when it comes to cucina gastronomica, but our minds and appetites drift towards those moments gazing out at the Mediterranean from a garden table in the humble town of Pontone on the Amalfi Coast. Before us, the best pizza margherita imaginable and a lemon spaghetti to match. Simply without equal.

2. Truffle Hunting

In Piemonte, attend the Alba International White Truffle Fair, and if you’re on that tact, then add a visit to Torino for the Salone del Gusto—the Slow Food movement’s annual exposition dedicated to small-scale food producers of exceptional quality. For those who want something a bit more hands-on—join B&R in hunting for the elusive white truffle on our Piemonte trips, in the company of our friend Beppe and his sniffer-dog Diana.

3. Small Town Charm

Understood, there are the showcase cities like Florence, Rome, Venice and Milan, but we encourage travellers to delve into the charms of the “secondary” cities, such as Ferrara, Siena, Parma, Treviso and Lecce, also known as “Florence of the South”. It has its own Roman Amphitheatre and a stunning duomo (cathedral) that showcases the city’s Baroque splendour.

4. Rides of a Lifetime

In short, Italy offers some of the best biking in the world. A couple of incomparable rides come to mind: spinning along the vine-covered hills of Piemonte and pedalling to the banks of the Po River in Veneto. Even more stunning, the ride between Asciano to Siena in Tuscany, a ribbon of road lined with incredible villas, cypress trees and fortified hill towns that command dazzling views of this remarkable region.

5. Drink Like a King

We love to say the word ‘Barolo’ as much as we like to indulge its legendary taste. The “king of wine and the wine of kings”, so the saying goes, and we get to taste the fruits of famed wineries like Gaja and Elio Altare, and ponder the enduring flavours of the mysterious Nebbiolo grape.

6. Venice After Dark

Venice at night. It’s at this point when the day-trippers and cruise liners have pushed on and the calm descends that this city becomes something magical. You have to experience La Serenessima at its most serene to really capture the soul of this city.

7. Incredible Villas

Those moments where you can live like royalty. Case in point: Villa di Piazzano, an historical residence and spectacular hotel that dates back to the 1400’s. Located just outside of Cortona, this former hunting manor of onetime treasurer of the Vatican and Bishop of Cortona, Cardinal Silvio Passerini, features a formal Italian garden, cooking school, extensive wine cellar and celebrated restaurant. Yes, why leave?

8.  Café, Coffee

The coffee approaches a religious experience. At least, for our staff in Arezzo, where our favourite spot off the main pedestrian route Corso Italia, not only creates extraordinary coffee, but is chic, friendly and keeps enough up-to-date reading material on hand for those mid-afternoon escapes.

9. Glorious Gelato

You knew gelato had to appear somewhere on this list. A Sicilian tradition since the early 1600’s, there is outstanding gelato to be found anywhere in Sicily, but we have a weakness for a little family-owned seaside operation just outside of Scicli on the southern coast. Care to taste a true local treat? Order the almond granita, Sicily’s sophisticated take on the slushie.

10. La Dolce Vita

While we’re in the business of taking in the world at a gentle pace, there’s much to be said for anchoring yourself at a café in the main square of an Italian town and simply watching the world amble by. Sip a chilled Peroni or Negroni and take in the people, the style and the sounds. An appreciation of all things Italian is to occasionally just quietly kick back and take it all in, something the locals call, ‘il dolce far niente’.