Do as the locals do by enjoying three of Lombardia’s upcoming regional events:

SALVADOR DALI: IL SOGNO SI AVVICINA

(SALVADOR DALI: THE DREAM GETS CLOSER)

Location: Palazzo Reale di Milano (Royal Palace of Milan)

Dates: September 22nd, 2010 thru January 30th, 2011

Why You Should Go: Take a surreal voyage through the mind and musings of Salvador Dali with this extraordinary exhibit featuring some of the artist’s greatest works. A playground for the psyche, the exhibit is configured thematically according to the psychological motifs of Dali’s masterpieces. A room dedicated to “memory” explores Dali’s relationship to the past with works on loan from the Museum Boymansum Beunigen of Rotterdam, while another room explores Dali’s interpretation of contemporary issues of war and social change with “The Melancholy Atomic” from the Reina Sofia museum of Madrid. Other segments of the collection include “Imagination”, “Desires” and “Mae West”, which focus on master works from Dali’s surrealist period. The “Silence” and “Emptiness” rooms explore the themes of absence and solitude metaphorically represented through the abandonment of humanity as thematically culminated in Dali’s masterpiece, “The Road of the Enigma.” The final portion of the exhibit is dedicated to showcasing the period in which Dali formed a creative bond with Walt Disney and other pop icons. With its inspiring array of paintings on loan from such institutions as the Dali Museum of Figueres and the Dali Museum of St. Petersburg, Florida, the exhibit is an extraordinary opportunity to experience Dali’s work in an unprecedented format, allowing visitors to partake in the dreamscapes that personify  one of modern art’s greatest geniuses.

LE ARMI E LE MACCHINE DA GUERRA DI LEONARDO DA VINCI

(THE WEAPONS AND WAR MACHINES OF LEONARDO DA VINCI)

Location: Biblioteca Pinacoteca Accademia Ambrosiana, Milan (Ambrosiana Academy Art Library, Milan)

Dates: September 7th, 2010 thru December 5th, 2010

Why You Should Go: One of the world’s most comprehensive examinations of Leonardo da Vinci’s penchant for engineering and design, the exhibit showcases da Vinci’s most fascinating drafts for weaponry and war machinery. The Ambrosiana Academy Art Library is home to the 1,119 page Codex Atlanticus that dates back to 1478, from which specific sketches have been chosen for display. The sketches exemplify the impressive military knowledge of the artist and how this knowledge translated into visionary depictions of weaponry. Drawings of gigantic crossbows and catapults pre-date the era in which they were designed, while precise attention to the functionality of each machine transcends the aesthetic qualities of da Vinci’s creations. Be amazed by the museum’s prolific collection of the artist’s renderings and ponder how such creations could have changed the face of warfare through the ages. Ominous? Definitely. Compelling? Undoubtedly.

FESTA DEL TORRONE

(TORRONE FESTIVAL)

Location: Cremona

Dates: November 19th, 20th and 21st, 2010

Why You Should Go: Satisfy your sweet tooth while enjoying the festive atmosphere of Cremona during this beloved annual festival dedicated to the quintessential Cremonese treat, torrone. Sugar fiends and history buffs alike will revel in this three day, city-wide event where Cremona’s fine tradition of torrone and violin making come together through special events, unique musical performances and decadent tastings. Local producers and torrone mavens from all over Italy, including those from as far as Spain, join together to celebrate the chewy goodness that is torrone. Other Cremonese delicacies including its regional wines and variations on mostarda are served throughout the city’s romantic piazzas and cobblestone streets, while crowds happily pay homage to the awesome display  that is nougat serenaded by violin.