Autumn

Not a traditional park, but something similar to a huge open-air art installation. Inside the park, in addition to a new bridge over the Dora, a large covered square has been built - 300 meters long and 45 meters wide, with 30 meters high steel pillars. The 12,000 square meter space hosts concerts, markets, events and sporting events, and has been built in the Vitali area, where once there was a strip steel mill.

Opera, ballet and theatrical performances in Novara Teatro Coccia was opened on December 22, 1888, with the opera The Huguenots by Giacomo Meyerbeer, directed by the man who was to become the most famous conductor of the 20th century, Arturo Toscanini. The theater is much larger and more capacious than the one it replaced, Teatro Nuovo, which had become inadequate for the new genre of shows increasingly in vogue at the end of the 19th century. The new complex occupies an area four times larger than the previous one and today you can still admire the size of the large horseshoe-shaped hall surrounded by three tiers of ample seats. In 1932 an article appeared in the newspaper, Il Corriere della Sera, defining the Teatro Coccia as the foyer to La Scala due to many of the great artists on the world opera scene having debuted on the Novara stage. The 1940s saw Novara-born Guido Cantelli take to the stage in Teatro Coccia for the first time and in 1967, Riccardo Muti won the "Cantelli Prize" competition for young conductors there. In addition to the usual opera seasons, Teatro Coccia hosts courses and educational activities for schools, as well as advanced training courses and masterclasses for the Accademia-Amo and the Guido Cantelli International Orchestral Conducting Award.

In the heart of Italy lies one of its oldest centres, Perugia, known for its vibrant social life, university heritage and much more. A modern city with traces of its prominent past around every corner: standing atop a hill in the Tiber valley, Perugia, the capital of Umbria, is a renowned city of art and an effervescent cultural centre. Built as a fortified medieval village, it is encompassed by a mighty city wall. It boasts top-notch museums and beautiful nature, not forgetting chocolate, which it produces and celebrates at the mouth-watering Eurochocolate festival.

Città della Domenica: the children’s park of animals and fairy tales Città della Domenica (‘Sunday City’) in Perugia is the first family amusement park created in Italy in the 1950s. It has entertained generations for more than 70 years. This charming 'old-fashioned' park is designed to offer young children an unforgettable opportunity to see animals in nature and to discover the imaginative settings of their favourite fairy tales. This is the perfect place to spend a special family day, not just on a Sunday! An amusement and nature park Just six kilometres from the centre of Perugia, Città della Domenica covers 45 hectares of holm oak, plane tree and oak woods. It was created in the late 1950s by Mario Spagnoli, a Perugian entrepreneur and son of fashion designer Luisa Spagnoli. The area where the structure stands, historically named Monte Pulito (‘Clean Mountain’) because it lacked any vegetation, is now an area of lush greenery where many animals live, some in the wild. You can easily visit on foot or by taking a small train. At first, it was just a clay pigeon shooting range, but later it turned into an children’s amusement park, and since the 1980s it has also been involved in environmental conservation and teaching about nature. Straight out of a fairy tale Città della Domenica lets you immerse yourself in the world of children’s most beloved fairy tales: there is Pinocchio's village, Little Red Riding Hood's house, Merlin the Wizard's tower, the fairy forest, Sleeping Beauty's castle, and Snow White's little house. There are also plenty of more dynamic attractions, including a mini-kart track, Fort Apache, an Indian village where you can meet Red Bear, mini-motorboats, a riding school, a labyrinth, a Trojan horse you can all pile inside, and even a rocket that offers magnificent panoramic views of the city of Perugia and the Umbrian countryside. Various entertainment activities are organised daily for children and parents, from treasure hunts to an adventure game to save the park's resident animals. The falconers' show offers the exciting chance to see trained birds of prey such as owls, buzzards and eagles up close. One of the most recent attractions added to Città della Domenica is the Talking Forest, a 300-metre-long trail that teaches children to listen to nature. Designed by Bulgarian artist Kiril Cholakov, it allows children to be protagonists in a story in which they have to pass tests to become messengers for the trees. This exciting and educational experience teaches the value of the forest as an interconnected system of living nature. Animals in the wild Many animals roam free in the forest of Città della Domenica. Along the trails, you can spot mammals and birds common to the European continent, as well as exotic species that have adapted to the climate of central Italy. Among them is the mascot of the park, the Asinara donkey, with its white coat. This beautiful animal was saved from extinction thanks to the efforts of Città della Domenica, in collaboration with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Perugia. If you climb up the mountain, towards the rocket, you will find the wildlife route, where you can see kangaroos, reindeer, ostriches, yaks, llamas, Patagonian hares, dromedaries, African buffaloes and snowy owls. In the park, you can find all kinds of animals, from rabbits, both dwarf and giant, to hens, geese, turtle doves, swans, peacocks, cranes, storks, macaws, American bison, African mouflon, llamas and antelopes. Near the park’s exit, inside Darwin’s Tower, you will find a reptile house, homes to alligators, caimans, and venomous and giant snakes.

An open-air art gallery where you can admire Renaissance masterpieces Piazza della Signoria is one of the most beautiful squares in Italy, photographed every day by millions of tourists, and venue of the city’s many historical, political and civil events. Here was where the Medici returned to the city after their exile, and where Girolamo Savonarola had sinful objects burned during the Bonfire of the Vanity. In 1498, Savonarola, accused of heresy, was condemned to the stake here, as recalled by the circular marble plaque in front of the fountain of Neptune, the latter sculpted by Bartolomeo Ammannati located in the center of the square. It hosts the most famous buildings of the city, including Palazzo Vecchio, seat of the Florentine government, one of the most important medieval buildings in Italy. In front of the Palace, there are copies of the Marzocco, the lion symbol of Florence, and Donatello's Judith and Holofernes. Opposite, visitors will find the Loggia della Signoria, an open-air sculptural museum, where you can admire Benvenuto Cellini's Perseus with the Head of Medusa and Giambologna's Abduction of a Sabine Woman sculpted from a single block of marble. In front of the Loggia, there is a copy of Michelangelo Buonarroti's David (the original is kept in the Accademia Gallery). In the face of such beauty, one might be left breathless!

Built in honor of the Renaissance master, it offers a unique view over the city A favorite spot to admire the view over the whole city and the Arno, Piazzale Michelangelo was built by the architect Giuseppe Poggi, in 1869 when Florence was the capital of Italy. The square was named in honor of the Renaissance master and was to become a monument to Michelangelo with the loggia intended to bring all the statues of the great artist in Florence together in one single museum. At the center of the Piazzale, there is a copy of Michelangelo's David gazing towards the hills, beyond the city limits, along with copies of the four allegories of the Medici chapels of San Lorenzo.

The ideal place for shopping and for discovering Italian gastronomic specialties At the Mercato Centrale, also known as the San Lorenzo Market, you will find handicrafts, artifacts, and souvenirs in the many stalls that display their wares outside. The part indoors is dedicated to food. The cast iron and glass building, on two levels, was built when Florence was the capital of Italy, by Giuseppe Mengoni, the same architect who designed the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. On the first floor you will find a bit of everything: fruit, vegetables, meat, fish but also many local products of the highest quality. The second floor, recently renovated, is dedicated to Italian culinary specialties such as cheese and wine, with spaces dedicated to tasting. You will be able to browse the workshops of the various stands where the "artisans of taste" show how a product is made, for example artisanal ice cream, bread and buffalo mozzarella. Open every day, it is a must if you want to visit one of the oldest markets in the city.

The Baptistery of the Cathedral Complex The Baptistery of St. John (also known as the Baptistery of Florence) is part of the Florence Cathedral Complex which also includes the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with Brunelleschi's Dome, Giotto's Bell Tower and the Opera del Duomo Museum. Built in the 13th century, it celebrates the city's patron saint, St. John the Baptist. The complex features the Florentine Romanesque style and a characteristic octagonal shape. The exterior is covered in white marble and green marble of Prato. When stepping inside, the interior decorations of the dome immediately catch the eye, featuring precious mosaic art and occupying three of the eight sides depicting scenes of the Universal Judgement. The baptistery is also renowned for its three sets of artistic bronze doors with relief sculptures: the south doors were created by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Michelangelo nicknamed the east doors the Gates of Paradise. Many important figures were baptized here, including: Italian poet Dante Alighieri and many other important Renaissance figures, including members of the De Medici family.

The museum on the history of Florence Palazzo della Signoria, or Palazzo Vecchio, with its 94-meter-high medieval tower, is the symbol of the political, cultural and artistic life of Florence. Resting over an ancient Roman theater still visible underground, it has always been the city’s center of power, first hosting Cosimo I De' Medici who expanded the Palace with the help of artists such as Vasari and Buontalenti. When Florence was the Capital of Italy, the Palace became the seat of the Government, and still holds this function as the location of the city hall. Inside it hosts the museum that exhibits the history of the city. On the first floor, you can find the “Salone del Cinquecento”, one of the largest and most representative halls of the Palace. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti were commissioned to paint two glorious episodes of the military history of Florence, respectively, the Battle of Anghiari (1440) and the Battle of Cascina (1364), but neither of the two artists completed the work. The current appearance of the room is by Giorgio Vasari. The coffered ceiling, decorated with 42 cassettes, depicts important episodes in the history of Florence, including the foundation of the city in Roman times and the expansion of the walls in medieval times. At the center, Cosimo I stands as the lord of the city and lands annexed to the duchy, surrounded by the insignia of the twenty-one Arts, or guilds, and by cherubs bearing the emblems of his house. In the Salone, there are extraordinary masterpieces such as Michelangelo's Genius of Victory. In the Mezzanine, you can admire typical furnishings of ancient stately homes and works of art from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. On the second floor, there are additional monumental rooms such as Sala delle Carte Geografiche [Geographical maps] and globe, Sala dei Gigli where the original of Donatello's Judith is located and paintings by Bronzino, in the Chapel of Duchess Eleonora. In the basement of the palace, it is possible to follow an archaeological route through the excavations of the Roman Theater.

For over a millennium, Florence has been a global icon of beauty. Even its lesser-known neighbourhoods are a delight. The cradle of the Renaissance and the world capital of art in the 15th century, it boasts one of the oldest historic centres and some of the most famous museums in the world, as well as one of the most iconic and distinctive landscapes as far as the eye can see. Everything in Florence is spectacular: from the shops to the streets that lead to the hills overlooking the most touristy areas, from the most authentic and popular neighbourhoods, just outside the historic centre, to the monuments that exhibit its soul.

The rich city of “Miracles” with the leaning tower, Pisa retains the charm of its ancient Maritime Republic past. Pisa is a wonderful tourist destination in the centre of Tuscany, an open-air museum but also a lively city, full of events and teeming with young people attending the university Normale di Pisa. With its rich cuisine and many historical monuments, it is a city to be rediscovered using all the senses.