Italian Clubs, Events, Lifestyle; Travel Italy

The town of Putignano, in Apulia, Southern Italy, hosts the longest Carnival festival in the world. It starts on December 26.

Below a video of one of its parades (taking place the last four Sundays preceding “Martedì Grasso” day — Shrove Tuesday).

With Carnevale approaching, several Carnival festivals are scheduled to start throughout Italy in the upcoming weeks. In the U.S. a “Carnevale Italiano” themed evening will be held in Staten Island at the Hilton Garden Inn.

It will be a night of Italian songs, with Italian American tenor Aaron Caruso who will be performing classical Italian songs and tribute songs to singers including Luciano Pavarotti, Mario Lanza, Jimmy Rosselli, Sergio Franchi, Jerry Vale, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra.

Aaron Caruso will take you to romantic Italy, thrill you with Broadway show tunes and wow you with the up tempo songs of Lou Monte. Aaron Caruso’s show is a crowd pleaser with a universal appeal that bridges the boundaries of gender, age and ethnicity.

When: Sunday, February 8th, 2009 (Dinner: 5:30 p.m. Showtime: 7:00 p.m.)
Where: Staten Island, NY - Hilton Garden Inn
For Dinner and Show Reservations: call the Hilton Garden Inn at (718) 477-2400 Ext. 5.

In the early days of January (Jan 2, 3) the fashion discount season kicks off throughout Italy. As designer shops prepare to take in the new collections of the year they empty their storefronts by offering Fall/Winter quality designer fashion at ridiculous prices.

Quick guide for shopping designer items in the major art cities

In Milan you have top designer shops concentrated in an area bordered by the Via Montenapoleone, Via Sant’ Andrea and Via della Spiga; in Rome the leading designer shops are concentrated in Via del Corso, Via Condotti, and in the other streets close to Piazza di Spagna.
(See our:
- “Shopping in Milan guide”
- “Shopping in Rome guide”
- “Shopping in Florence guide“).

- Designer outlets malls
However it is in the large only-designer malls located outside the city center you can get the best designer deals.

In Rome you have:
– McArthurglen Outlet in Castel Romano 15 km away from Rome Eur;
directions: from Rome EUR, take Via Cristoforo Colombo, then Via Pontina (SS 148), then Castel Romano exit; or from EUR take Via Laurentina, then Via di Trigoria, then Castel Romano
(see directions and map details here);
– Valmontone Outlet, along the motorway A1 Rome - Napoli (see directions)

In Florence: you have a McArthurglen’s outlet about 20 miles north of Florence, in Barberino del Mugello and a only-Prada items outlet in Levane-Montevarchi (directions: take train in Florence, stop in Montevarchi, then take the bus to Levane).

Keep in mind that even though the sales season runs through March, in the early weeks of January you can get the best designer deals.
Below you have the calendar of 2009 Winter sales season by region (city).
Abruzzo: Jan 10 - March 10
Apulia: Jan 3 - Feb 28
Basilicata: Jan 2 - Mar 2
Calabria: Jan 3 - Feb 28
Campania (Naples, Amalfi coast…): Jan 2 - Mar 31
Emilia-Romagna (Bologna…): Jan 3 - Mar 7
Friuli-Venezia Giulia: Jan 2 - Mar 31
Lazio (Rome): Jan 3 - Feb 15
Liguria (Genoa): Jan 3 - Feb 16
Lombardy (Milan): Jan 3 - Mar 3
Marche: Jan 6 - Mar 1
Molise: Jan 15 - Feb 28
Piedmont (Turin): Jan 3 - Feb 27
Sardinia: Jan 8 - Mar 8
Sicily: Jan 3 - Mar 15
Tuscan (Florence): Jan 7 - Mar 7
Umbria (Perugia): Jan 7 - Mar 7
Valle d’Aosta: Jan 10 - Mar 31
Veneto (Venice, Padua, Verona): Jan 3 - Feb 28
T.A.A.(Bolzano): Jan 7 - Feb 17
T.A.A.(Trento): Jan 7 - Feb 29