A new exhibition has opened in Rome offering people a unique opportunity to view all of Italy's 41 UNESCO World Heritage sites under the same roof.

Rome, February 21 - Around 120 snaps by contemporary Italian photographers have gone on show at the Central National Library in the city in an effort to remind Italians of the hoard of sites across the country with internationally recognised cultural significance.

While many of the places themselves may be familiar, the works on show aim to present the nation's archaeological and architectural gems from unusual perspectives.

Among the more famous sites on display are the Leaning Tower of Pisa, captured by photographer Olivo Barbiere in a composition of geometric shadows, angles and lines, and Pompei, represented by Mimmo Jodice's photo of a shattered fresco of a woman wearing a garland of flowers and a fittingly shocked expression.

Sicily feels the heat

Island grapples with fires and blackouts

Palermo, June 26 - Sicily was battling with fires and power outages on Tuesday as the island remained in the grip of a searing heat wave.

Temperatures soared to above 40 degrees Celsius for the fourth day running with blackouts in Palermo and other cities caused by overheated cables and a spike in energy consumption fuelled by the use of air conditioning.

The vast gardens of a Savoy hunting lodge which was the model for Louis XIV's magnificent residence at Versailles are to open to the public next week after an eight-year restoration.

Thanks to 200 architects and botanists, the 80-hectares of graceful, geometrically laid-out gardens surrounding the Reggia di Venaria Reale have re-emerged after over 50 years of neglect.

Around 40,000 new shrubs and trees were planted as paths were cleared and flowerbeds freed of undergrowth. Restorers have even dug up and replenished a 250-metre long fish pond which had long since dried up and disappeared.

The grandiose Baroque summer residence and hunting lodge was built outside Turin by Savoy ruler Carlo Emmanuele II in the mid-17th century.

The Venaria estate is often called the Italian Versailles because French king Louis XIV copied it when he built his own country residence outside Paris.

Tuscany: where land, history, art and leisure thrive alongside modern life. Tuscany: with its spectacular and varied landscape, full of colourful and dramatic history. .

Tuscany: wonder place which provides never-ending delight to the experienced traveller, the art connoisseur or the curious first time visitorSo come to Tuscany: better, come to Versilia, the most representative spot on its coastline. And to achieve perfection, come to Forte dei Marmi,the "apple in the eye" of Versilia." This message is taken from one of brochures of Villa Homes, an agency specializing in renting summer houses in Forte dei Marmi, Tuscany's unrivalled seaside town. Apart the jubilant boost of this famous Tuscan resort, there is a point in presenting Versilia as a place favoured by Mother Nature and enriched by man in centuries of civilization.

Pietrasanta. The "holy stone" of the majestic Apuan Alps

Proudly overlooking the Versilia Riviera, Pietrasanta is the "holy stone" of the majestic Apuan Alps, a culturally and artistically polished stone, sparkling from the reflection of the enchanting Tyrrhenian sunsets.

Its historical background begins in 1225, when Guiscardo from Milan, "podestà" of Lucca, decided it was the best spot from which to keep an eye on both Pisa and Genoa and their respective territorial claims. Florence also desired supremacy in that strategic and beautiful part of Tuscany, so Giovanni de' Medici, as Pope Leo X, brought Pietrasanta and Versilia under Florentine control. In 1841 Leopold II of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, granted Pietrasanta the status of "Noble City", as a homage to its glorious past, the beauty of its buildings, the importance of its institutions and the number of noble and wealthy families residing there.

In the suggestive land of the unique Sienese clay pits, among the rolling hills crowned by castles, farms and cypressus, the enchanted valley named after the river Orcia is now an area protected against technological unrestrained development.

Declared a natural, artistic and cultural sanctuary, it is watched over by 5 municipalities engaged in balancing human progress with the preservation of the ecosystem. This was precisely the subject of the recent seminar organized in the medieval Village of San Quirico d'Orcia which sought to find ways just to harmonize economy with ethics and ecology. It took place during the local Olive Oil Festival and was hosted in the imposing Chigi Palace, in the presence of distinguished guests. Sponsored by Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the event has seen the participation of prominent speakers presented by Leonardo Simonelli, president of the Chambers of Commerce in London and promoter of this seminar in his hometown.

Push for alternatives to costly flood barrier system. The city of Venice has asked the government to consider alternatives to the expensive mobile flood barriers that are currently being constructed at the entrances to the lagoon .

After 30 years of debate and testing, work began on the 'Moses' flood barriers in 2003. The massive construction project, due to be completed in 2012, is expected to cost 3.5 billion euros .

But in the wake of widespread concern among Venetians and environmentalists over the impact of Moses on the lagoon, Mayor Massimo Cacciari called on Monday for a "review" of the project .

"Naples has changed!" - I have heard so many people say this recently, that I decided to go and see for myself.

I had not been to Naples for about fifteen years when I arrived at Capodichino airport on a Friday afternoon.

A thirty minutes taxi ride and I was at my destination: the Grand Hotel Vesuvio. Probably the best hotel in Naples and certainly one of the oldest.

My room overlooked the little harbour of Santa Lucia, Castel dell'Ovo just in front and on the left hand side the old vulcano Vesuvio, still active, guarding the gulf.

Down below I could hear the joyful crowds strolling along Lungomare Caracciolo, or checking out one of the many famous restaurants on the seashore: "La Bersagliera", "Ciro", " La Scialuppa".

SEASON OF MISTS AND MELLOW FRUITFULNESS
FULL OF FRUIT WITH RIPENESS TO THE CORE,
TO SWELL THE GOURD AND PLUMP THE HAZEL SHELLS…

The words of Keats' Ode to Autumn apply themselves to no place better than the Langhe, with its landscapes infused with soft languor and delicate charm in the morning mist and the evening twilight. Churches and castles stand atop rounded hills which gently slope towards villages resting quietly on fertile lands broken by impetuous torrents, and lonely buildings stand guard beside orderly rows of vines and hazelnut trees.

This is where the Langa of wine, amorously coloured by a countryside culture with roots as deep as those of the vines which grow on its fecund soil, meets the Langa of the pine and the oak, its patches of green alternating with pastures and hazel groves. Distinctive landscapes and traces of ancient culture combine to create the fascinating allure of a land which generously gives back well-being to those who cultivate it with care.

The northern tourist seeking an early taste of spring on the Italian and French Rivieras between Sanremo and Nice, is greeted by light and colour. The mimosas, the white brooms and the almonds are in full bloom and eating outdoors without wearing an overcoat is usually possible.