Perugia's
Unforgettable Umbrian Jazz Festival by R. Ritchie
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Every July, Perugia hosts
the Umbria Jazz Festival, one of the most popular jazz events in Europe.
And every year since 1973, this beautiful medieval hill city has drawn
thousands of music lovers, young and old, from all over the world, to play
and hear all styles of jazz. Local performers get a chance to jam with
the experts and the streets are filled with people carrying instruments
to concerts and music sessions.
Along with the indoor paid-entrance
venues, the festival offers many outdoor concerts free to the public -
a generous offer that makes a visit to this festival much less expensive
that it might otherwise be. From the middle of the day until late at night,
you'll be entertained by top quality musical performances. These can be
found along the Corso Vannucci and in the Piazza IV Novembre - the city's
historic main square - as well as the public gardens, known as the Giardini
Carducci. The streets are still crowded well after midnight, with appreciative
music fans enjoying impromptu concerts and singing, dancing, eating and
drinking.
| The best jazz can be heard
in two magnificent opera houses, the 18th-century Teatro Morlacchi, and
Teatro Pavone, dating from the 19th-century. These wonderfully elegant
spaces with their domed ceilings and several storeys of box seats, make
your musical experience all the more memorable. In contrast, you can also
hear big name performers play in the sports stadium, the Santa Guiliana
Arena, that holds up to 5,000 people, but you will have to book early for
good seats. Tickets are required for most performances, but since prices
can be as little as 10 euro, concerts are very affordable.
You will also find jazz being
played in smaller, more intimate venues, such as the Rocca Paolina (the
small Cannon Room of a half-ruined 16th-century fortress), and many restaurants,
cafes and hotels. |
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Here you can hear jazz at
its intimate best, while you savour delicious regional specialities, made
with fresh local produce. Be sure to sample the excellent local wines,
including vernino, grechetto, trebbiano, arco del sovrano, and fratte.
The many pastry shops offer
special goodies in the shape of guitars and saxophones, and the museums
feature jazz though paintings, photography and exhibitions - you'll find
jazz everywhere. But even when there are no jazz concerts scheduled, shops,
cafes, bars, museums and public spaces resound with popular music of all
kinds - soul R&B, blues, gospel, pop and rock - as well as jazz. Everywhere
you go, it's a veritable feast of music and families, workers, and musicians
of all ages stop to watch, listen and join in.
And if you feel the need
of a few quiet moments, you could take a trip out into the beautiful countryside,
where rolling hills are dotted with castles, fortresses and monasteries,
and quality handmade ceramics are produced in enchanting medieval towns.
Umbria is every bit as interesting as Tuscany, but lots less touristic.
The excellent festival website
(www.umbriajazz.com)
publishes details of the current year's programme as soon as performances
are confirmed in May. Some of the jazz greats scheduled for 2007 include:
George Benson, Solomon Burke, Dave Douglas, Keb' Mo', Sonny Rollins, Keith
Jarrett, Ornette Coleman, Pat Methany, Gary Peacock, Brad Mehldau, Joe
Lovano, Al Jarreau, and Jack Dejohnette - all very popular jazz artists,
so be sure to book early. Top off your visit with an unforgettable closing
night performance at the Santa Guiliana Arena.
You can take the bus or train
from all major cities to Perugia. The main train station is about 3 km
from the centre of the city, so take a bus from outside the entrance to
the train station. You can get cheap flights from Rome and Florence and
other domestic connections, plus some international flights, but be sure
to book well in advance for this immensely popular festival.
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--------------------------------------------
Indulge
yourself at Perugia's famous Eurochocolate festival by Rod
Ritchie
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Perugia's Eurochocolate Festival,
an annual event that is famous throughout the world, is the most popular
chocolate festival in Europe. Chocolate is big business in Umbria and Italy,
with annual sales of 350 million euros. Consumption has doubled over the
past 10 years, rising from two to four kilos per year, per person - and
is still growing!
This year's festival, ChocolAge,
runs from 13-21 October 2007. Each year a new theme is developed, and commercial,
educational and cultural activities are planned around the theme. For nine
delightful days, Perugia in Umbria is transformed into a chocolate lovers
dream - a fantastic occasion to discover and enjoy the highly celebrated
Umbrian hospitality.
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More than a million chocoholics
visit this beautiful city each year, to sample chocolate delights from
all over Europe. You can scramble with the locals for free trimmings as
chocolate artists carve huge sculptures out of the massive metre-high blocks
of dark chocolate placed around Piazza IV Novembre. Join special guided
tours of the city, peruse the many exhibitions and live demonstrations,
and enjoy the numerous and generous free tastings, when samples of chocolate
from all over the world, including Vietnam, Cuba, Bolivia and Papua New
Guinea, are handed out on special trowels.
If you enjoy shopping, the
city's charming promenades are filled with vendors - more than 700 booths
offer an incredible array of goodies made with chocolate - pasta, salami,
liquors, cheeses, desserts, drinks and a vast array of pastries, cakes
and candies, and much more.
During the festival, Perugia
also hosts numerous educational and cultural events - cooking classes,
banquets, chocolate theatre, a chocolate cooking competition by top chefs,
and finally the much-anticipated Eurochocolate Awards. The many seminars
and talks will increase your knowledge about this delectable favourite
and afterward you will have no doubt about chocolate's distinct nutritional
and dietary benefits. |
You can also take part in
informative and lively forums that highlight the production of cocoa as
a sustainable industry for third world nations. The festival has a special
area that features certified Fair Trade cocoa products, made from cocoa
that was bought from Third World farmers at a fair price. This cocoa was
produced with full respect for workers' rights and grown in an environmentally
friendly way. Most Italian artisan chocolate makers use cocoa with the
Fair Trade certification.
| If you need some exercise
to work off all that overindulgence, there are excellent tennis courts
in the city and plenty of places to walk and cycle. Around Perugia, you
will see some of the region's most innovative architecture - the Renaissance-era
Rocca Paolina Fortress, the Priori Palace and beautiful churches such as
the Duomo San Lorenzo and the Basilica of San Domenico. For the more adventurous,
there is plenty of climbing, trekking, rafting, canoeing and kayaking in
the hills nearby.
If you are more into relaxation,
you will enjoy the aromatherapy sessions that utilise cocoa and chocolate
facemasks. The Eurochocolate festival also showcases the latest in chocolate
beauty treatments - and some are free. What a fantastic way to top off
nine days of celebrating the "food of the gods". |
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Perugia is Umbria's capital
city, known as the 'green heart of Italy', and the area, with its fascinating
array of mediaeval towns and hilltop villages, is a popular tourist destination.
The city is 175 km from Rome and 150 km from Florence and is easily accessed
by road and train. Inexpensive flights are also available from Rome and
Florence. You can hire a car at the airport and train station, but be sure
to book well in advance as this is a very popular festival.
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About the Author - Rod Ritchie
writes for many publishers including AA Publishing and Fodors. Cottages
to Castles offer high quality Umbria villas and Umbria
vacation rentals. |
