RomaPolacchi

The annual Rome Marathon (Maratona di Roma) will take place on March 22. The entire city center is cordoned off for this event and entertainment abounds on every street. The course takes in every major site in Rome from the Basilica of San Paolo to St. Peter's and beyond. If you'd like to participate in the marathon, they are still taking registration for runners. The fee is 50 Euros and can be submitted on-line or via fax . If you'd like to run through Rome but aren't quite up for a marathon, there is a fun run of 4 kilometers that takes place at the same time. Diverti te!!!

Every summer the hilltop town of Ravello celebrates its long association with some of the most famous artists in the world. Richard Wagner , Greta Garbo and Giovanni Boccaccio are just a few of the illustrious artists who at one time made Ravello their home. The Ravello Festival lasts from the end of June to the end of October and includes music, films and other cultural events. Each section is dedicated to a particular artist who was inspired by Ravello. The Visual Arts section is dedicated to M.C. Escher and the Musical Promenades section is dedicated to E.M. Forster . The film section (dedicated to Greta Garbo) is perhaps one of the most charming aspects of the festival, as the movies are projected on a big screen in the middle of the main piazza. So very Cinema Paradiso -and so very Italian.

Rome's International Film Festival is happening right now. Stars from all over the world, like Al Pacino (who received the Marc'Aurelio Acting Award ) and Willem Defoe have descended upon Rome to premier new films and participate in what has been a major cinematic event in the past. This year's festivities are a little subdued, as Rome's mayor tried to withdraw funding (La Notte Bianca suffered a similar fate this year). You can attend the films as well-in fact, the festival offers a great deal- three movies for 12 Euros. The celebration continues through October 31st.

On June 7th and 8th of this year, the town of Nemi (named for the volcanic lake upon which it is perched) celebrates the Sagra delle Fragole , or Festival of Strawberries. The weekend will feature all kinds of events surrounding the folklore of the wild strawberry in the region, with music, parades and free strawberries in the piazza for all who come. The town is located southeast of Rome in the Alban Hills and is not only known for its strawberries but also as the location of an ancient shrine to Diana, the goddess of the forest. Lake Nemi was home to a luxurious floating temple of Diana built by the emperor Caligula. This floating temple was discovered by archaeologists and enshrined in a museum in the 1930s. Unfortunately, when the Nazis left Rome they burned the museum and the ancient ship. The museum was rebuilt and many of the preserved artifacts can be visited today.