Good Things From Italy - Le Cose Buone d'Italia

Look down and you will discover an elaborate patchwork of geometric mosaics worked in a style called Cosmatesque after the Cosmati family in Rome. The Cosmati worked for four generations in the 13th century perfecting the of opus sectile — or cut work — technique, in which inlays of delicate triangles and rectangles of colored stone and glass mosaics are set into stone matrices or encrusted onto stone bases. The resulting work alternates bands and blocks of intricate mosaic with contrasting bands, guilloches (a repetitive architectural pattern), and simple geometric shapes of unadorned white marble. [...]

Every year in the quaint and historic town of Spoleto, located in the Umbria region, one of the most important artistic festivals in the world takes place during the summer months: the “Festival dei Due Mondi," or Festival of the Two Worlds. This exuberant event was first started in 1958 by composer Gian Carlo Menotti.

Menotti hoped to fuse the artistic contributions of both the old world, Europe, and the new world, America, and generate mutual appreciation for both

Anyone who has an affinity for artistic forms of expression such as ballet, opera, painting, literature, music, theater, sculpture and every other form of contemporary art will enjoy this incredible festival.
As the festival expanded and grew in popularity year after year, the Festival dei Due Mondi became one of the premier cultural events in Italy, with a three-week schedule of music, theater and dance performances featuring a global assortment of artists and an extensive range of artistic exhibitions and displays.
There are two other mirrored events inspired by the festival in Spoleto, Italy: the Spoleto Festival USA in Spoleto's twin city of Charleston, SC was started in 1977, and the Melbourne International Arts Festival, held in Australia, began in 1986.
If you have the chance to visit the Italian city of Spoleto during the festival months, do not forget to stop by and enjoy one of the several free performances!