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Thanks to the wine-making skill and dedication of the vintners of Monti, over the years the land became dotted with many small vineyards. And, in July 1956, 22 farsighted winemakers, in order to guarantee correct processing of harvested grapes created the Cantina Sociale del Vermentino whose name pays tribute to the noblest of Gallura grapes. The Winery has today 350 members who cultivate vineyards in the territories of Monti, Telti, Olbia, Loiri and Porto San Paolo, for a total of 500 hectares, delivering selected grapes yielding elegant, stylish and original wines. The Winery, immersed in three hectares of oak woods is where the entire production cycle unfolds, from delicate crushing and stemming down to storage of the wine in controlled temperature cellars.

Galleria Masini is the oldest art gallery in Florence since it was established in 1870.Our art gallery is specialized in original contemporary oil paintings. Largest selection of typical Italian landscapes.

Italians trace their gastronomic heritage to Romans, Greeks, Etruscans and other Mediterranean peoples who elaborated the methods of raising, refining and preserving foods. But dining customs acquired local accents in a land divided by mountains and seas into natural enclaves where independent spirits developed during the repeated shifts of ruling powers that fragmented Italy from Roman times to the Risorgimento.

The famous La Spada is very well known for it's typical great tasting food, with regular locals eating at the restaurant every night the atmosphere of La Spada is always a warm, happy and very alive. Your experience at the La Spada restaurant will be a very fulfilling and memorable one.

Italy, united in 1861, has significantly contributed to the cultural and social development of the entire Mediterranean area, deeply influencing European culture as well. Important cultures and civilizations have existed there since prehistoric times. After Magna Graecia, the Etruscan civilization and especially the Roman Republic and Empire that dominated this part of the world for many centuries came an Italy whose people would make immeasurable contributions to the development of European philosophy, science, and art during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Dominated by city-states for much of the medieval and Renaissance period, the Italian peninsula was eventually unified amidst much struggle in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Are you fascinated by Italy's magnificent cultural works? Our course on the History of Italian Art will enable you to understand its history and social background. The course is designed to show, by means of slides and guided visits, the development of art in Italy in relation to the rest of Europe and offers you an introduction to the most important artistic styles (Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque). You will become acquainted with the most important works of artists such as Botticelli, Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo while learning about the most significant historical and social events that accompanied them.

Ancient Rome Uncovered __ Read about a major new archaeological project in the center of ancient Rome. A find near the Coliseum triggered this international effort. You will also learn some of the rather sad state of Italian archaeology.

Etruscan art - Before the days of ancient Rome's greatness, Italy was the home of a nation called Etruria, whose people we call the Etruscans. Its civilization prospered between 950 and 300 BCE. in northwestern Italy — in a region between the Arno River (which runs through Pisa and Florence) and the Tiber (which runs through Rome). These people rose to prosperity and power, then disappeared, leaving behind many unanswered questions concerning their origin and their culture. Because little Etruscan literature remains and the language of inscriptions on their monuments has been only partially deciphered, scholars have gained most of their knowledge of the Etruscans from studying the remains of their buildings, monuments, vast tombs, and the objects they left behind, notably bronze and terra cotta sculptures and polychrome ceramics.

The Civic Archaeological Museum of Bologna is located in the heart of the city, inside Palazzo Galvani, close to Piazza Maggiore and the Church of San Petronio. The first construction of this building dated back to the XV century. Modifications and renovations continued up to 1881, when it was definitively opened to the public as a Museum. You can reach the Museum using any bus that runs through Piazza Maggiore.

a major site on Roman antiquity, including a photogazetteer of Roman and Etruscan cities and monuments (with a very large site on the city of Rome of course); a site for teaching yourself to read Latin inscriptions; the complete Latin texts of Pliny the Elder's Natural History, Quintus Curtius' Histories of Alexander the Great, the Saturnalia of Macrobius, and Censorinus' de Die Natali; Suetonius, Velleius Paterculus, the Historia Augusta, Claudian, Frontinus, Vitruvius, Celsus, and Cato's de Re Rustica in both Latin and English; complete English translations of Polybius, Cassius Dio, Dio Chrysostom, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Appian's Civil Wars and Quintilian; Rodolfo Lanciani's book Pagan and Christian Rome, Christian Hülsen's book on the Roman Forum, Bury's 2‑vol. History of the Later Roman Empire, Bevan's House of Ptolemy, 4 books on Roman Britain, George Dennis's Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria; Platner and Ashby's Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome (nearly complete) and most of Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities; a fair amount of Plutarch and Ptolemy's Geography; some maps of the Roman Empire, and lots more.