Good Things From Italy - Le Cose Buone d'Italia

The city is famous for being the birth place of Matteo Ricci, a 17th century humanist and mathematician. Ricci was the first Westerner to visit Beijing in 1601, and would go on to translate various classics like Cicero and Euclid into Chinese.
Macerata is a fairly wealthy city, whose economy is mostly based on agriculture.
If you're in town, there are a few places you should visit. You should start with the Church of Santa Maria della Misericordia, [...]

Le Marche’s Carnivals are renowned for being spectacular, fun and full of tradition. One Carnival, celebrated on Fat Tuesday (as many are), starts with huge and colorful floats by the shore, and then moves inland for the real party. There is more food than you could imagine, and so many people in costume, just enjoying the frivolity of having a good time.

There is also the Offida Carnival, which consists of men moving a giant fake ox through the streets, then a crowd of young people in robes move it swiftly, in attempt to show the ox’s nature. This used to be performed with a live ox and then it was ritually slaughtered, whereas now they just do so symbolically.

The Fano Carnival, Italy’s oldest, is a huge and beautiful affair, with entertainment, food, exhibits and so much more. They try every year to make it better than the last, with more color and excitement to give people an experience not to be forgotten. It is one giant party, each day different and new with a lot of great things to do free of charge.

The carnival of Macerata has chariots, music, dancing, cake and a whole lot of fun. With all of its colorful displays and confetti everywhere, it truly is a wonderful celebration.

The Ascoli Carnival is a traditional festival of dancing, music, masks, confetti and fun. With so much to do and see it is another carnival worth attending. The Carnival of Ascoli Piceno, starting on January 17th each year, consists of people in masks, doing skits and impersonating celebrities, local government and other well-known people. The city is lit up with beautiful lights, as the streets become theaters and the spectators become participants.

Lastly, the Amandola Carnival is celebrated with two large events. First there is a parade with people in masks everywhere. Then there is what is called the beacon of King Carnival, during which people in old costumes throw wheat and poppy in honor of Blessed Antonio. There are also actors and theater afterwards during this one as well.

The Macerata vineyards are an undiscovered joy, producing a wonderful range of unusual and extraordinary wines. Traditional and down-to-earth cantinas (with grandma at the helm) still thrive here alongside innovative and modern wineries. These tours, led by Graham, give you the opportunity to visit these wineries and discover different approaches to winemaking as well as experience a revelation of new flavours and varieties. You will observe the process of winemaking from start to finish by walking through the grounds, vineyards and cellars and discussing with the winemakers themselves. Naturally, you will be able to sample the different wines offered in each cantina alongside local produce such as bread, cheeses, salumi and chocolate. Blind tastings are also possible, as well as an opportunity to learn about the art of blending your own wine. At harvest time (late September) Graham also offers a hands-on 4 day course designed to encourage all wine lovers (regardless of previous wine knowledge and background) to go beyond the simple joy of drinking their favourite varieties and to introduce them to the wonders of actually making and being involved in every aspect of producing the wine. Imagine – making your own wine and having your name on the label of the bottle, served to you by your waiter at your favourite restaurant, or consider the pleasure of pouring your own wine at a dinner party or special event for friends and family! Alongside these events there is a chance for guests to relax and explore the culture and history of the local towns and villages as well as to enjoy the delights of the high quality restaurants of this region. [...]

[...] Marche a region often overlooked by tourists and Italians alike– is in the middle of Italy, bound by the Adriatic sea and the Sibillini mountains. Apart from its photographic vantage points, it is more importantly, the home region of ciauscolo. More specifically, the sausage is produced in the provinces of Macerata, Fermo and Ascoli Piceno– which have subsequently held PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status since 2009.
Made from cuts of pork shoulder and belly, lonza (pork sirloin), prosciutto, and some extra fat, ciauscolo is seasoned simply with black pepper, salt, garlic, and sometimes vincotto (a sweet cooked wine). The finely minced mix is then cased, and left to dry for one day. The sausages are then cold-smoked over juniper branches for another two days, and finally left to age for two weeks
With such a brief age time, the result is a softer, spreadable sausage that is habitually had over bread. A lightly seasoned and slightly smoked, almost-raw spread, its texture is more akin to a paté–thus making ciauscolo distinct from the well-known, dryer salumis synonymous with Italian fare. However, for those who aren’t so keen on gnawing raw, you can also get ciauscolo that has been seasoned for a few weeks longer, and find yourself the more familiar, dryer, sausage texture. Both are worthy additions to your charc’t board; but the former, more so.
I would suggest a wine, but, why not follow the juniper theme and bring out a decent gin? It’s 2013! Let’s get modern!

Macerata was rebuilt in the Medieval Ages (12th Century) on the top of the hill between the Potenza and Chienti rivers, after the desctruction of the Roman downstream city called Helvia Recina. You can see the ruins of Helvia Recina in the archeological area called Villa Potenza.
Piazza della Libertà, built in the Reinassance, is the main square of Macerata. It hosts the Theatre Lauro Rossi, the Town Hall, the University and the Loggetta dei Mercanti, that is to say a graceful two-tier arcades loggia. The Loggetta was commissioned by the cardinal Alessandro Farnese when he was in Macerata at the beginning of the 16th Century (later Farnese became Pope Paul III).
The guided tour includes the Cathedral of St. Julian the Hospitalier, the art gallery in Palazzo Buonaccorsi and the open-air theatre Arena Sferisterio. [...]

Un palazzo come il settecentesco Buonaccorsi, alle porte del centro storico, proprietà del Comune dal 1967 e sede dell’Accademia di Belle Arti fino al 1997. Oggi ospita il Museo della Carrozza (aperto a dicembre 2009) e la raccolta d’arte antica e moderna.
Il piano nobile propone la raccolta di arte antica attraverso un percorso ordinato cronologicamente, a partire dalle testimonianze artistiche quattrocentesche, tra cui l’opera più nota della collezione, la Madonna con bambino di Carlo Crivelli. Le sale ospitano altre opere di grande pregio, tra cui quelle di Giovanbattista Salvi, Michele Rocca detto il Parmigiano, Domenico Corvi, Alessandro Turchi l’Orbetto, Federico Zuccari e molti altri. [...]

Macerata, It’s a much larger city than I remembered. Like most Italian cities there is a centro storico (historic center). In this case it was another of those old cities built at the top of a hill so everything was up and down. I stopped at the tourist office as I tend to do and got a map and asked for advice on a place to eat.  [...]

A hilltop gem built entirely of a soft-coloured brick, the little-known provincial capital of MACERATA is one of the region’s most attractive and historically well-endowed towns. The comparisons with Urbino are inevitable but what Macerata lacks in Renaissance splendour it more than makes up for with its livelier atmosphere, especially on market day (Wed) when the streets and squares are clogged with stalls and punters. Easy paced and with a large student population, it’s an ideal place to wind down in the evenings after exploring the province. For fans of opera and ballet, the annual Sferisterio Opera Festival from mid-July to mid-August, held in Italy’s best open-air venue outside Verona, is a must.

Videomapping it’s a video projection technique that transforms a surface in a display. Using suitable software you create animations of the surface which are then projected. The final effect is an illusion in 3D, in practice it is the projection of a video.
Luca Agnani is s Digital lighting, 3d & Visual Mapping Artist born in Macerata in 1976.
Luca works for advertising agencies, organization of events, associations, municipalities and individuals, creating artworks for celebration of a place of worship or a monument, at the opening of a shopping center, or the opening night of a nightclub.
He was selected to lead his performances at major italian festivals including the Lpm of Rome, the Kernel Festival in Milan, Dancity of Foligno, the Robot in Bologna, Acusmatiq of Ancona and Barrakuda Festival in Croatia. Outstanding are his works on the front of the Arena Sferisterio during the week of culture, on the Duomo of Catania on the feast of St.Agatha, on the Mole Vanvitelliana of Ancona for the opening concert of Yann Tiersen and on the Sanctuary of San Michele on the occasion of receiving the UNESCO award. His works are mainly characterized by the absence of elements and closely related to architecture and its history.