Aielli & Benevento

Three products worth checking out for the lover of all things designed and made on the Italian Peninsula…Aurora fine writing instruments put in your hand their new Guiseppi Verdi Opera limited series, staring at $950…or keep those hands smooth and fresh with Olea Europaea a collection of bath products by Lorenzo Villoresi. The perfume maestro is known the world over for prestigious custom made fragrances from his studio over looking the rooftops of Florence. Bugatti, the classic Italian car maker, is now building a more than $1 million, 980 horsepower Vehyron. Now there is Safe Bugatti, a $100,000 home safe with built-in seismic and noise detectors, and a leather interior to protect the family jewels.

The English are famous for their writers and for their love of sunny Italy. Now you can enjoy British literature in “Bella Italia” thanks to a small property alongside the Spanish Steps in Rome. This apartment is part of the restored house where poet John Keats died of tuberculosis 185 years ago. For about $350 a night, Anglophiles and poetry lovers can cozy up in what has become a shrine to English poetry. Contact: Landmark Trust (44) 01628 825925, www.landmarktrust.org.uk.

Wine Spectator recently gave some of its highest marks to two proven Brunello makers: Valdicava and Casanova di Neri, receiving 98 and 97 pts respectively (out of 100) for their 2001 vintages. Brunello, ages five years in barrique oak barrels so 2006 is the first opportunity to taste this juice of the vine. Quality does not come cheap as Valdicava is $110 per bottle and Casanova is cheaper at $70 per! More can be found at: www.casanovadineri.com and www.valdicava.it.

That was the headline in a recent article describing the major Roman art treasure the Metropolitan Museum of Art agreed to return to Italy. Known as the Euphronios Crater it is one of the world’s famous and well-preserved antiquities. Alas, the Italian government has finally posted a major victory in the never ending battle against art thieves and looters…unfortunately an American museum is hit with the bill.

According to Forbes life the Italian men’s designer with hardest name for Americans to pronounce, Ermenigildo Zegna, now has a nifty new pair of leather-wrapped sunglasses. At $260 a pair they are the perfect add-on for your drive down the Amalfi coast in a Ferrari. See www.Zegna.com.

Real estate values have skyrocketed but no more so than in Venice, Old Europe’s Grand Jewel. A sinking Palazzo on the Grand Canal, one in need of a total overhaul, can still set a seller back $18 million. So what’s the proletariat to do? Well, if you can’t buy how about renting? Count Gilberto Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga, who inherited the 15th century Palazzo Papadopoli, will rent you this newly refurbished estate on the water. The price is confidential; you must call the UK and ask for Emily, +1 (44) 207 602 7602.

There is no more quaint, albeit a bit tourist trampled, coastal town than Portofino. And there is no better getaway than the Hotel Splendido, frequented over time by the famous from Bogart and Gable to Madonna and Bill Gates. When in need of drivers, guides or a day cruise the guy to call in Portofino is Raffaele Staiano who runs Trial Travel,+39 081 552 9090. And be sure to tell him Aielli & Benevento sent you!

While Americans usually wait until the last minute to book their vacation plans, Aielli & Benevento travelers will now have the opportunity to reserve now their place to travel next year. Come 7/15 A&B will be releasing its 2007 touring program with over a dozen special trips ranging from a 10 day Sicily Sojourn to a Gastronomic Extravaganza in Venice. The Andiamo ‘07 (Let’s go!) reservation plan allows one to make a reservation now with a 100% refundable deposit. Click here to download the tour sampler.

According to a recent news report, prepare to see visitors fiddling with their iPods in the Sistine Chapel. A Michigan company, Artitineraries, has launched a digital tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s basilica. It can be downloaded to any MP3 player for $14.95.

A&B has recently designed the ultimate luxury wine tour for lovers of the grape and wine industry professionals. Entitled “Wine Harvest Escape,” the seven day all-inclusive tour will include a dozen wineries and tastings plus gourmet dining daily, and a balloon ride over the Tuscany. Groups limited to 12 or fewer will depart on 9/23; 10/2; 10/9 and; 10/16. For more on this A&B tour, email: info@aielli-benevento.it.