Umbria: a journey through olive oil and gastronomic traditions: Opening House at the oil-mills, discovering the territory around Trevi!

October 23^rd 2011
Finally the event that everyone was waiting for: the 14^th Edition of “Frantoi Aperti” (opening house at the oil-mills)! Come to enjoy these 10 days (from October 29^th to November 11^th) entirely devoted to the PDO extra virgin olive oil! This event takes place every year in Trevi and surroundings, offering several performances, cultural activities, and, of course, gastronomic specialties! The first week-end of this year edition (Saturday October 29^th and Sunday October the 30^th) is called “Festivol”: two days totally devoted to the oil and its properties.

It’s also interesting to know that Trevi is one of the most beautiful small town in Umbria (along with Spoleto and Gubbio), also known for its “black” fennel, with extraordinary natural resources both in the valley and the hill.

During “Frantoi Aperti” it will be possible to taste the so-called “new oil” (the new season first oil), to cross all the small shops and markets which offer a free taste of the delicious “bruschette” (a typical Italian dish: toasted bread with oil above!), and to visit the old oil-mills in order to experience the oil production from the olive to the bottle.

There will be a lot of activities at your disposal to help turning your holiday into a special journey: visits to the oil-mill with ad accurate explanation of the oil-making-process, horse rides, picnics, urban trekking itineraries, tours of the old buildings, and even cooking courses to learn how to use the oil with the proper food. For further information click here.

There will be also exhibitions (by Mario Consiglio and Yonel Hidalgo Perez, just to name a few) and music performances.

The nearest place to spend the night? With no doubt the Albornoz Palace Hotel (only 15 minutes away)! Here you can find a highly skilled team which will provide you with a heaven of relaxation and a complete care of the body and the mind. Moreover the hotel in thought to be not only a place to spend the night but also a contemporary art museum, with works of art all over!

Come and experience the green heart of Italy, we are waiting for you!

Contact us for further information!

Albornoz Palace Hotel
Address: 16 Viale G. Matteotti
06049 Spoleto (PG)
Italy
Phone number: +39-0743-221-221
Fax: +39-0743-221-600
e-mail: info@albornozpalace.com
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Art, culture, food tradition, and sport… Umbria, finally the trip you were looking for!

There is nothing better than a trip where art, history, local tradition and culture mix together creating a perfect balance… Well, you can find that in Spoleto, an ancient town which has its roots in the Bronze Age. The perfect place to spend the night? The Albornoz Palace Hotel, of course! It lies close to the ancient wall of the city and it can offer not only a relaxing environment for the guests to enjoy but also a cultural place thanks to the fact that it is a hotel and a contemporary art museum at the same time. The idea of putting works of art all over the hotel began when Sol LeWitt painted the magnificent wall drawing on the walls of the lobby and it went on thanks to the same purpose of several artists who helped decorating the hotel indoor and outdoor spaces with their works of art. From that time on the facility became the focus of attention of the people walking by.

Located in the middle of Umbria and Italy, the Albornoz Palace Hotel is also within a short distance from the most popular destinations such as Assisi, only 35 km away, Perugia and the airport, only 60 km away, Rome, only 120 km away, and Firenze and Rimini only two hours away by car.

The hotel is also working to provide its guests with a haven of relaxation and a complete care of body and mind by a highly skilled team, offering the chance of using the brand new Massage Center THESAN and the Physiotherapic Center under special conditions. But there is more: by 2012 an indoor swimming-pool and a driving range (Golf) will be open. The hotel provides also other services such as: an outdoor swimming pool (free of charge – summertime only), a private garage and parking lot (free of charge), internet access and satellite TV in rooms, hairdryer, safe deposit box and frigobar.

As the winter comes, several activities occur in Umbra such as: the grape picking or the truffle hunt. But winter is not the only suitable time to do the latter. During wintertime (from mid-November till mid-March) in fact the hunt to the so called “precious” truffle take place while during summer (from May till November) there is the “scorzone” one (less precious but still really tasty truffle). Since the request for these kind of activities is growing so much, the Albornoz Palace Hotel wants to provide its customers with such services, giving them the chance to experience the “real” life of the region (contact us for further information!).

In the area of Gualdo Tadino, for example, guests may experience the ancient practice of pig processing. An event during which guests will have the chance to see with their own eyes the process used to turn the pig into sausages, ham, and so on. A wild experience which is growing in interest, especially among tourists.

We also recommend one route among the several itineraries which the region offers: “La Strada dell’Olio” (The olive oil path). Spoleto is related to this rout thanks to the “Frantoi Aperti” event (open oil-mill) from October the 29^th till December the 11^th. While for those who loves wine, there is the famous “Cantine Aperte” event (open winery) in the area of Montefalco. Here guests will have the chance to see how the wine is made, from the grape picking till the bottling of the precious beverage.

Something was thought for the adventure lovers as well! In Umbria there is in fact the possibility of going rafting through the “Nera” river which crosses the beautiful valley “Valnerina”, hiking, mountain biking and even cycling! For further information do not hesitate to contact us, our team will be at your disposal!

Friday, October the 14^th 2011

Albornoz Palace Hotel

Address: 16 Viale G. Matteotti

06049 Spoleto (PG)

Italy

Phone number: +39-0743-221-221

Fax: +39-0743-221-600

e-mail: info@albornozpalace.com

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EUROCHOCOLATE - Perugia: from October the 14th till the 23rd! If you can’t help but being guilty of the sin of gluttony, don’t miss these delicious 9 days!

We know that chocolate is a byword for good mood! We learned that as children, thanks to the reaction of our taste buds to the taste of chocolate and then we understood the scientific mechanism as adults: chocolate consumption stimulates the release mechanism of the endorphin, the substance responsible for good mood. But there is more: according to a study carried out by the British Medical Journal, eating chocolate reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases by a third.

It also imperative to remember how life can be stressful, leaving no time for the ”sweet side” of it! To avoid this trend, Perugia has been organizing this amazing “chocolate” event for 18 years: the program is rich in events, attracting people from all over the world! That is why it is becoming more important year by year, almost as important as Valentine’s day or Easter!

It is interesting to know that the organization introduced a “card” with which people can benefit from discounts on prices among several businesses that take part in the event. The card costs 6 Euros and a small gift is included.

On Sunday, October the 16^th four sculptors on behalf of Nestlè will work on enormous chocolate blocks (5 cubic meter weighing 11 quintal each), showing their artistic creativity! The topic of this year is: “living not only through memories”.

The Chocolate Show presents tons of chocolate products (gluten free as well): here you can find a list of all the exhibitors. If you want to enjoy the event and relax at the same time in a hotel with all the modern comforts but also a touch of style, we recommend you the Albornoz Palace Hotel of Spoleto, which is only 40 minutes away by car from Perugia. Albornoz Palace Hotel an oasis for unforgettable stays in Umbria!!

Friday, October 7^th 2011

Albornoz Palace Hotel

Address: 16 Viale G. Matteotti

06049 Spoleto (PG)

Italy

Phone number: +39-0743-221-221

Fax: +39-0743-221-600

e-mail: info@albornozpalace.com

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The Albornoz Palace Hotel takes part in a movie about Sol LeWitt



The mural painted on the walls of the lobby of the Albornoz Palace Hotel by Sol LeWitt, a famous American artist, will be on a movie, which is a documentary on the artist’s life made by the Dutch director Chris Teerink. The wall drawing of which we are talking about is “Archi da un angolo” – 1992.

This painting was born by coincidence: the owner of the Hotel wasn’t happy with the former walls colors (pink and grey), so he asked to the artist if he could thought about something more vivid and lively. After a first refusal, Sol LeWitt came back with 4 sketches (now hung on the restaurant walls). Once the ultimate painting was defined, it was realized in a short period of time and finally opened in 1992.

The wall drawing was painted on two opposing walls in order “to contain” the space in-between: pure and bright colors, which form lines framed by four black squares.  A magnificent mural, which has a strong impact on the arriving guests, identifying once again the artistic vocation of the Hotel.

Since 1992 the Sol LeWitt’s wall drawing is delighting guests and it is right with this work of art that the “Progetto Atelier” (Atelier Poject) was born, the new artistic philosophy created in order to involve artist, art lovers and guests of the Hotel in an ever-innovating environment.

Wednesday, March 30^th 2011

Albornoz Palace Hotel

Address: 16 Viale G. Matteotti

06049 Spoleto (PG)

Italy

Phone number: +39-0743-221-221

Fax: +39-0743-221-600

e-mail: info@albornozpalace.com

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http://www.albornozpalace.com/eng/index.html

Franco Summa decorated a room of the Albornoz Palace Hotel: “La vita è sogno – La vita è segno”

“La vita è sogno – La vita è segno”. That means more or less: life is a dream – life is leaving your mark.

What an unusual name for a four star hotel room in Umbria. However guests can’t help but being charmed by the atmosphere of this room: light-blue lights, ultramarine blue walls and cerulean blue curtains. The ceiling is plenty of words, where the “o” letters become parts of a sky covered with polychromic stars. It comes naturally to start reading and thinking. It is clear to the guest the recall to Calderon de la Barca’s book “La vita è sogno” (life is a dream). So life is dreaming but also leaving a mark: our dreams, thoughts and plans become marks, that we are living behind us for the world, the descendents, the eternity to see. The artist creates through lights and colors an atmosphere, which surround the guest with a dimension where the dream dominates the reality: a reality made of dreams and marks chasing each other. This is a new perspective for Spoleto and for the entire Italy.

An intense emotion for a weekend or a working-trip in Umbria that will be more pleasant thanks to the philosophy of the Hotel: a special wellness sensation.

The sculptor is Franco Summa (1938), a worldwide famous artist, who changed the art conception and its expression forms during his career. At the end of the ’60s he started to develop a new art form defined “democratic”, which was meant to involve the whole public in an active, direct and creative way.

So his art is meant to be opened to the guests of the Albornoz Palace Hotel as well, who will find his philosophy all through the room, which was expressly decorated to reflect this idea.

We must also say that Franco Summa is a strong supporter of the so called “environmental art”, which is meant to interact with the space used for the sculpture and to connect with the surrounding panorama.

The room “La vita è sogno – La vita è segno” of the Albornoz Palace Hotel was created with this philosophy: in the exterior wall in fact a red lines was painted, that serve as a frame for the romantic San Pietro Extra Moenia church, one of the oldest church in town.

Thursday, March 24^th 2011

Albornoz Palace Hotel

Address: 16 Viale G. Matteotti

06049 Spoleto (PG)

Italy

Phone number: +39-0743-221-221

Fax: +39-0743-221-600

e-mail: info@albornozpalace.com

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ALBORNOZ JEWELLERY: a new challenge for the “Progetto Atelier” (Atelier Project)



A new idea has been developed for the “Progetto Atelier”: Albornoz Jewellery. This is the result of a partnership between the artists, the Albornoz Palace Hotel and the goldsmiths of Spoleto. This collaboration was thought to create unique pieces of jewellery designed by artists of the “Progetto Atelier”. This is an important step for the Albornoz Palace Hotel. We are in fact exploring an art field that is new for us and that is why we asked for the help of one of the most famous artist worldwide: Ettore Consolazione.

Ettore Consolazione has already made a sculpture for the Hotel, “Sciame” (Cluster), placed outside. He is a sculptor, who can count in his career a lot of exhibitions (the “Biennale” of Venezia and the “Sculpture Center” of New York just to name a few). Now, for this project only, Ettore Consolazione turned itself into a jewellery designer opening this new adventure.

Yesterday the first meeting took place to decide which work of art, among several artist’s sketches (one of them is the picture above), will be realized.

The production of the first piece of jewellery is on the go and several numbered copies will follow in order to enrich the high recognition of the Atelier Project Collection. That is a perfect marriage between the art and the exclusivity of gold. Finally we had the change of putting into execute a project carefully thought, showing to our guests another peculiarity of the Albornoz Palace Hotel. Our aim is in fact to create a unique jewellery collection, as unique as the Albornoz Palace Hotel.

Albornoz Palace Hotel

Address: 16 Viale G. Matteotti

06049 Spoleto (PG)

Italy

Phone number: +39-0743-221-221

Fax: +39-0743-221-600

e-mail: info@albornozpalace.com

Follow us on facebook too!

http://www.albornozpalace.com/eng/index.html