For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

Where press releases are breaking news

Sri Lanka: More attacks in progress, Internet off, Curfew ordered: European Union offers support and issues statement

by

The European Union High Representative Vice-President Federica Mogherini issued a statement after the deadly terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka this morning

In the meantime, new attacks are reported. The situation in Sri Lanka is still developing.

A hotel official at the Cinnamon Grand, near the prime minister’s official residence, said the explosion ripped through a restaurant and killed at least one person.

At least 160 people died today in Sri Lanka, among them 35 foreigners are unconfirmed numbers.

A seventh explosion was also reported at a hotel near the zoo in Dehiwala, in southern Colombo, with two deaths. The zoo has been closed. A curfew has been imposed from 18:00 to 06:00 local time (12:30-00:30 GMT).

Sri Lanka has shut down social media and messaging services in the country
While this is happening news is coming in of a possible eighth explosion and exchange of gunfire in the Colombo district of Dematagoda, but this has not yet been confirmed.
A curfew has been imposed from 18:00 to 06:00 local time (12:30-00:30 GMT).
Sri Lanka has shut down social media and messaging services in the country
A series of coordinated attacks hit churches and hotels in Sri Lanka this morning, causing extreme devastation. With men, women and children, from all walks of life and from different nationalities among the victims, this is a truly sad day for the country and for the world.
The European Union offers its most sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have been killed and wishes a speedy recovery to the many wounded.
Easter Sunday is a special moment for Christians around the world. It is a time to give thanks, for remembrance, celebration, and peaceful prayer. Such acts of violence on this Holy Day are acts of violence against all beliefs and denominations, and against all those who value the freedom of religion and the choice to worship.
The European Union stands in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan authorities at this difficult time. The European Union is also ready to offer support.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Date set for the opening of the Vatican secret archives

by

On March 2, 2020, Pope Francis will open the secret archives of the pontificate of Pius XII on the Second World War.

The announcement during the audience to the staff of the Vatican secret archives was, “The Church is not afraid of history, indeed it loves it.” And on the reading of the Pontificate, he said: “In the criticisms against Pius XII prejudices and exaggerations.”

Pope Bergoglio’s Tweet from March 4, 2019 said, “I decided that the opening of the Vatican Archives for the Pontificate of Pius XII will take place on March 2, 2020, exactly one year after the eightieth anniversary of Eugene Pacelli’s election to the Soglio di Pietro.”

Thus the Pope in the audience with his superiors, as well as the employees and collaborators of the Vatican Secret Archives, whose “constant and not slight commitment,” said Francesco, “allows me today, in memory of that significant anniversary, to announce my decision  to open to the consultation of researchers the archival documentation pertaining to the Pontificate of Pius XII, until his death, which took place at Castel Gandolfo on 9 October 1958.

Regarding the Pope’s decision, “I assume this decision,” the Pontiff explained, “having heard the opinion of my closest collaborators, with a serene and confident spirit, confident that the serious and objective historical research will be able to evaluate in its right light, with appropriate criticism, moments of exaltation of that Pontiff and, undoubtedly also moments of grave difficulties, of tormented decisions, of human and Christian prudence, which to some may have seemed reticence, and which instead were attempts, humanly even much fought, to keep on, in the periods of more thick darkness and cruelty, the flame of humanitarian initiatives, of hidden but active diplomacy, of hope in possible good hearts’ openings.

“The Church is not afraid of history, on the contrary, she loves it.”

In explaining his decision, the Pope recalled that “the Church is not afraid of history; indeed, loves it and would like to love it more and better, as God loves it! So, with the same confidence as my predecessors, I open and entrust this documentary heritage to researchers.”

“While I thank you again for the work accomplished,” he added to the staff of the Vatican Secret Archives, “I wish you to continue the commitment to assist researchers – scientific and material assistance – and also in the publication of Pacellian sources that will be deemed important, as you have already been doing for some years.”

The Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI) is good to reconstruct the role of the Church during the Holocaust, stating, “We welcome with great appreciation the decision of Pope Bergoglio to open the secret archive related to the figure of Pius XII. It is positive that we want to make this opening, because it will give way to all those that deal with research to access material of unpublished interest to be able to reconstruct with even more clarity the position of the Church also in the period of the Shoah.”

This was underlined by the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, Noemi Di Segni, and also the president of the Jewish community of Rome, Ruth Dureghello, who commented on the news: “The hope now is that we can clarify the role played by Pius XII during the Second World War.”

“Unfortunately we will have to wait for 2020, in a year and a half,” he underlined. “Better late than never. It is positive news from which we hope to obtain clarity on that historical period and on the role played by the Pope.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

Version CMO London and Club des Femmes de la Diversité CFD, together to help open up better opportunities for women in Cape Verde

by

It is a powerful thing indeed to gather female entrepreneurs to meet from Europe and Africa and around the world to discuss opportunities and to drive change together.

Elizabeth Patricia Traore-Andony, MD, CMO London, and the President of Dina Mendes of Club des Femmes de la Diversité, are together in Cape Verde to engage in questions about gender in companies and the importance of value in female creators and entrepreneurship in small and medium enterprises.

Together they believe that building better business in Cape Verde and primary activity is the key in helping to resolve problems now and for future generations.

Commenting on this initiative, Elizabeth Patricia Traore-Andony says: “I hope that we can embrace the creation of a union for women in business and that we can take further steps towards this aim. We value the role of women in our lives, but we have to value the role of women as entrepreneur.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

Tartan pride celebrated nationwide and in Hawaii, too

by

Tartan Day is a North American celebration of Scottish heritage, observed April 6, the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath (Scottish Declaration of Independence) was submitted to Pope John XXII, in 1320. It was written in Latin, and essentially decreed Scots will choose their own king, and furthermore, Scotsmen rejected the propaganda that God desired the English kings to victimize and abuse them.  Among the signatories of this papal protest was Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, the progenitor of my ancestors, the Stewart Kings of Scotland.  Throughout the North American Continent, Tartan Day was celebrated this past weekend.

There are well over 4,000 tartan designs that are registered. However, there are only about 500 tartans that have ever been woven.  The most exclusive is the Balmoral, worn only by the Royal Family of The United Kingdom.  Queen Victoria made wearing tartans popular; bringing back a tradition that was once banned, following the Battle of Culloden in 1746.  She dressed all her sons in kilts regularly. Prince  Alfred Ernest Albert, Duke of Edinburgh, was the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.  On August 2, 1869, this Duke of Edinburgh (called Affie by his parents) arrived in Honolulu.  The kilted Duke was feted by King Kamehameha V, the future Queen Liliuokalani, and the Queen Dowager Emma, with whom Prince Affie danced at a magnificent ball held in the original Iolani Palace.  The tartan-clad prince was so popular, the city’s leaders named one of Honolulu’s streets for him – Edinburg Street, which was the block of Bishop Street between Queen Street and Ala Moana Boulevard. Of course, Beretania (the Hawaiian word for Britannia) was already taken, for it was the road leading to the British Consul, and the community where Brits lived.  The area where the British consulate stood in 1843 is now Washington Place, the historic home of Queen Liliuokalani.  Before coming to the throne, Princess Lililuokalani along with Queen Kapiolani, attended Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in London in 1887. The Hawaiian Royal family was one of Queen Victoria’s greatest admirers.   Affie started a wave of Brito-mania that endured for decades.

With the rise of kilts, so to speak, Victorian clan chiefs adopted tartans for their respective clans.  Later, individuals, organizations, and governments followed suit. There is even an official tartan for the State of Hawaii. British motifs have been popular in Hawaii for over two centuries – recall that the Union Jack of the British Empire is represented on the Hawaiian flag.

Members of The Saint Andrew’s Society of Hawaii, The Caledonian Society of Hawaii, Hawaiian Scottish Association, Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, and tartan-proud members of the Celtic community gathered at the Hawaii State Capitol to celebrate Tartan Day on April 6. The capitol is across the street from Washington Place, home to the original British community in Honolulu, and location for the formal dinner given to HM The Queen Elizabeth II on her Hawaiian visit.  Although most people associate tartans with Scotland, they are popular in multiple Celtic nations.  Dr. Nancy Smiley, MD, brought a variety of Celtic flags to the Capitol, which were gallantly flown, all day long, to celebrate Tartan Day.

Some of the tartan enthusiasts posed in front of the Father Damien statue, honoring the Catholic priest who gave his life helping Hawaiians afflicted by Hansen’s Disease (leprosy).  The victims suffered the humiliation and injustice of being banished to Kalaupapa, on the island of Molokai, beginning in 1866.  Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson was a friend and guest to King David Kalakaua and Princess Victoria Kaiulani (heiress to the Hawaiian throne). The princess’ father was Archibald Cleghorn, a wealthy Scottish financier who married the king’s sister, Princess Likelike.  Robert Louis Stevenson was the Stephen King or J. K. Rowling of his era, and he took a keen interest in Hawaii and her people. He traveled to Molokai for eight days and seven nights in 1889 to research the work of Father Damien, after which he published a scathing 6,000 word polemic attacking the way these patients were discarded like human garbage. Stevenson targeted Rev. Dr. Charles McEwan Hyde, a Congregationalist “Christian” who placed great importance on fashion and how he looked in public, but was rather hateful toward the Catholic Priest Damien, and, by consequence, Damien’s passionate devotion to the leprosy victims.  At one point, Stevenson said he wanted to stab the good Reverend Hyde to death.  A blood-soaked white shirt wouldn’t look so fabulous on the dapper Reverend Hyde, you know. The Scottish rebuke from Stevenson became the most famous account of Father Damien, featuring the future saint in the role of a European aiding a benighted and maltreated native people.

The famed Father Damien statue was unveiled at the Capitol Rotunda, almost exactly 50 years ago, on April 15, 1969. Damien’s story, as told by Stevenson, is an attestation to fiery Scottish tempers – a people who are resolute in standing against injustice, just like they did at Arbroath in 1320.  And the statue is as hard as a hard-headed Scot  – constructed from bronze. Bronze is generally harder than wrought iron.   Not many craftsmen are able to produce works like this anymore. This piece was cast at a foundry in Viareggio, Italy, an area famous for creating sculptures, dating way back to 1541.

Marco Airaghi, who recently flew to Hawaii from Northern Italy, participated in the Tartan Day gathering. “The general area of Switzerland/Italian Alps/Austria is now accepted by anthropologists as being the aboriginal home of the Celtic peoples,” Airaghi said. “I’m a citizen of Italy, but Celtic passion runs deep in my soul, and these Hawaiian Celts are so much fun!  They exhibit a lot of integrity, they work very hard, and they are highly compassionate. I like that.”

Follow the author at facebook.com/ILoveAnton.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Seychelles represented at first Ministerial Conference on Tourism and Air Transport in Africa

by

The first Ministerial Conference on Tourism and Air Transport in Africa was held in Santa Maria, Sal Island in Cabo Verde, from the March 27 to 29, 2019.

The aim of the conference was to find a balance in maximizing the overall benefits of tourism and air transport in the national economy and to identify the best national aviation institutional frameworks and practices that facilitate and promote tourism.

The conference was attended by various high government officials on behalf of the participating countries and saw the presence of the African Union Commissioner responsible for aviation.

Several technical specialists’ representatives from the aviation and tourism sectors and experts from international and regional organisations were also present.

Seychelles was represented by a delegation from the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine and the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority led by Minister Didier Dogley and included Principal Secretary for Tourism Mrs. Anne Lafortune and Principal Secretary for Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Alan Renaud.

Principal Secretary for Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Alan Renaud represented Seychelles as a panelist during the first technical session on air transport and tourism policies on March 27, 2019.

During his intervention, PS. Renaud presented the country’s experience in relation to the topic and focused on the positive impacts that the liberation of the local air space has had on the tourism arrival figures.

He also pointed out the benefits of a free and visa upon arrival system as one having greatly facilitated the experience of travelers arriving in Seychelles.

Seychelles was also represented in Cabo Verde through Minister Didier Dogley, who sat on the ministerial panel on March 28, 2019.

Speaking during the session the Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine reinforced the points made by Principal Secretary Renaud and further elaborated on the benefits of having in place a set of comprehensive and structured air access policies and a strong institutional framework. He commented on Seychelles as one of the few countries in Africa, where the aviation and tourism departments fall under the same ministry, which greatly enable and facilitate coordination between key authorities and staff.

Minister Dogley also highlighted the importance of direct air access for Small Island Developing states. He explained the dependency of small island nations as Seychelles on an adequate network of airlines serving the country due to their isolation from their tourism markets and trade partners.

In regards to a single African air transport market, he reminded the audience of the need for those responsible for developing regional agreements to take into consideration the special needs of SIDS.

On the sidelines of the conference, Minister Dogley also held talks with the President of the ICAO council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, Secretary General of UNWTO, Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili and other African aviation and tourism ministers attending the meeting.

Travel News | eTurboNews

UNESCO, African Union and Ethiopia Role Model on World Press Freedom?

by

Ethiopian Airlines, has been chosen as the Official Carrier for the 2019 World Press Freedom Day Global Conference to be held in Addis Ababa from May 1-3, 2019.

This conference is not without controversy, however.  According to Journalists without Border, terrorism charges have been systematically used against journalists ever since the 2009 terrorism law took effect. The charges carry long jail sentences and allow the authorities to hold journalists without trial for extended periods. There has been no significant improvement since the purges that led to the closure of six newspapers in 2014 and drove around 30 journalists into exile. On the contrary, another six-month state of emergency was proclaimed in February 2018, which the government could again use to arrest critical journalists and ban the public from watching or listening to certain broadcast media. The Internet and social networks are often disconnected while physical and verbal threats, arbitrary trials, and convictions are all used to silence the media.

The conference is jointly organized by UNESCO, the African Union and the Government of Ethiopia under the theme ‘Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation’.

UNESCO Spokesperson Roni Amerlan said: ” The offer by countries to host World Press Freedom Day marks their recognition of the value of the right to press freedom and freedom of expression.

We have often held World Press Freedom Day celebrations in countries in transition and we do not think that we should restrict our support for the recognition of press freedom and their participation in this awareness-raising event to countries which rank at the top of NGOs’ rankings.

Every year, 3 May is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 following a Recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991. This in turn was a response to a call by African journalists who in 1991 produced the landmark Windhoek Declaration(link is external) on media pluralism and independence.

At the core of UNESCO’s mandate is freedom of the press and freedom of expression. UNESCO believes that these freedoms allow for mutual understanding to build a sustainable peace.

It serves as an occasion to inform citizens of violations of press freedom – a reminder that in dozens of countries around the world, publications are censored, fined, suspended and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered.

It is a date to encourage and develop initiatives in favour of press freedom, and to assess the state of press freedom worldwide.

3 May acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. Just as importantly, World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for media which are targets for the restraint, or abolition, of press freedom. It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the pursuit of a story.

The 26th celebration of World Press Freedom Day is jointly organized by UNESCO, the African Union Commission and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The main event will take place in Addis Ababa, on 1 – 3 May at the African Union Headquarters. This year’s theme“Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation”  discusses current challenges faced by media in elections, along with the media’s potential in supporting peace and reconciliation processes.

World Press Freedom Day will also be celebrated worldwide. Events will be organized in several countries to raise awareness about the importance of press freedom and journalists’  safety. More information of events will be available in the Events Map soon.

As the United Nations agency with a specific mandate to promote “the free flow of ideas by word and image”, UNESCO works to foster a free, independent and pluralistic media and the safety of journalists.

As the official carrier, Ethiopian will provide air transport service to the 1000-1500 participants who will be coming to Addis Ababa from around the globe.

Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, remarked, “We are honored to have been chosen to serve as the official carrier for this year’s World Press Freedom Day Global Conference. We are all the more delighted to be part of this noble cause which seeks to advance press freedom around the world.

Global, regional and national media stakeholders, high-level government officials, and journalists from across the globe will take part in the conference which will be held at the African Union Commission headquarters.

https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/worldpressfreedomday

 

Travel News | eTurboNews

EU and Airbus cite US for inaction that could cost billions

by

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body has rejected every single United States argument whereas it has taken all EU legal points on board. In addition, the WTO highest court has also qualified a number of additional US federal and state programmes as illegal subsidies, and even, as prohibited subsidies as in the case of the Foreign Sales Corporation scheme (FSC), a major win for the EU.

Airbus welcomed the report of the WTO Appellate Body, published today, which confirms that the United States failed to withdraw the subsidies granted by federal, state and local authorities to Boeing, and to remove the harm those subsidies caused to Airbus.

The report requests that further compliance steps are necessary from the United States and Boeing. Failure to do so will provide the European Union the possibility to seek countermeasures on imports of US products.

Airbus General Counsel John Harrison stated: “This is a clear victory for the EU and Airbus.   It vindicates our position that Boeing, while pointing fingers at Airbus, has not taken any action to comply with its WTO obligations, contrary to Airbus and the EU. With this damaging report, continuing to deny they receive massive illegal subsidies from the United States government is no longer an option. Stated differently, absent settlement, the US will pay – in perpetuity – billions in annual sanctions driven by every single flying Boeing program, while the EU would face, in the worst case, only minor issues.

He added: “We hope that these findings will prompt the United States and Boeing to move forward constructively in this long-standing dispute and join us in working towards a fair-trade environment. In the absence of a constructive approach, the EU now has a very strong legal case to move forward to countermeasures.”

Airbus thanks the European Commission and the governments of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain for their continuous support throughout the long dispute process. Their longstanding efforts to restore a fair level playing field are now clearly showing results.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Tel Aviv Mayor hosts delegations from countries participating in 2019 Eurovision Contest

by

Ron Huldai, the Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo hosted the Heads of Delegation of the 41 countries participating in the Eurovision Song Contest.

The Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Ron Huldai, greeted the Heads of Delegation at the dinner that took place at “The Lawrence”, and said: “It’s a great honor for us to host the Heads of Delegation of the countries participating in the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv-Yafo. During the conference, the Heads of Delegation will visit Expo Tel Aviv where the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in two months. The Symbol of Expo Tel Aviv is a Flying Camel that reminds us that everything is possible. When you see the Flying Camel, remember that in Tel Aviv-Yafo we always Dare to Dream. I promise that in two months, we will make another dream come true in our city”.

The Heads of Delegation Conference started with the participation of senior officials from the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) lead by Jon Ola Sand, The Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision, Ron Huldai, the Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Senior officials at KAN, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, Zivit Davidovitch, The Executive Producer of the Eurovision in Israel, Yuval Cohen, Editor In Chief and Lead Director for Eurovision and Tali Katz, the Head of the Israeli Delegation.

During the two-day conference, the Heads of Delegation attended a series of meetings organized by the producers and Board of Directors of the Eurovision and also attended a tour of EXPO Tel Aviv, where the event will take place.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Italy travel: Destination Baia and Latina steps into the video limelight

by

In 2017,  “The Year of the  Borghi” was celebrated in Italy. According to the directive of the former Minister, Dario Franceschini, the initiative was created with the intention of enhancing lesser-known cultural tourist destinations among small towns and cities characterized by a broad historical and cultural heritage, representing ideal destinations for slow  and sustainable tourism.

Among the lesser-known villages is Baia and Latina, a smaller village rich in history and a historical and cultural heritage celebrated by Pliny the Elder for the pure air and the quality of the land. The municipality located between the Trebulani mountains and the course of the Volturno river, a crossroads of goods and cultures between Lazio, Campania, and Sannio, preserves the cultural characteristics of its own tradition favorable to evaluate and insert its presence in the list of the minor Borghi of Italy.

 

Baia and Latina, in the province of Caserta, the ancient belonging to an Etruscan colony has attributed the credit that Enea would have stayed in Latina and his father Latino would have built a temple sacred to Minerva and given the name to the village.

Other versions trace the origins of the borgo back to the Samnite period. The two villages today form a single municipality, a decision dating back to the period of French domination (1806-14) and the subsequent one, during the Bourbon domination.

The houses of the borgo have medieval conformations highlighted in part by the important structures: towers and castles perched to guard its territory. Together with the numerous palaces and archaeological finds dating back to the period of its origins.

 

What remains of the past reflects a historical reality that can be read on the stones of its houses, churches, noble palaces and castles. Structures that climb upwards through alleys and narrow streets that sometimes seem to disappear inside the houses and then re-emerge in an open space or a small square where the sunlight is finally free to radiate.

The doors of the houses maintain characteristics that evoke distant times. And therefore  charm, pleasure of being immersed in the lifestyle unchanged over time. Imagine living in distant ages just 50 km from the nearby metropolis: Naples and 25 from Caserta with its majestic Royal palace.

The Year of Italian Villages met with great interest by Italian municipalities from North to Sicily and developed promotional initiatives with highly encouraging results, creating new sources of tourism that have decreed success: the statistics published at the end of the Borghi year indicate an increase in 7% of national tourism and foreigners in particular from Asian countries – China and Japan.

 

The ambitious plan of the mayor of Baia and Latina, Giuseppe Di Cerbo, in office since June 2016 is to bring his borgo to the attention of an increasingly high number of visitors, more than those who arrived on the occasion of the celebration of ” Living Nativity “celebrated at Christmas 2018, artistically improved under his direction. And, create initiatives to stimulate daily visits, even to the extent of raising the destination slowly to success. Then enter triumphantly in the official catalog of the Italian minor villages.

With a visit to the borgo, the opportunity to get more information from the mayor presented itsel.

eTN: In the area of the ancient village, many houses have been identified in a state of abandonment and decay. Is there a plan for their recovery?

Mayor: The request for subsidies for the restoration was sent to the European Union (UE) without result as the granting of EU funds requires the participation of private capital to the extent of 25% of the total value for the restoration.

The owners of the buildings are unable to invest. But, we have obtained regional funding with an EU contribution to the settlement of water shortage.

eTN: What is your program to improve the life of the borgo?

Mayor: Among the priorities stands  the creation of a receptive system, that is the Bed & Breakfast and the expansion of the sewerage network. For this we are waiting for funds from the region. The redevelopment of the Volturno river, improving aid to buffalo farmers through the Rural Development Program (PSR) [is also a priority].

Baia and Latina the first small town in Italy equipped with video surveillance.

A historical plaque affixed to a building tells: “Here in the tormented years of the new kingdom of Italy, November 10, 1863, the mayor, Antonio Scotti, and his wife, Francesca Lacracchi, after heroic resistance disdaining surrender to the brigaders horde that had set fire to the house perished among the flames.”

eTN: Mayor, is this what motivated your project of video surveillance of the village?

Mayor: The project, in fact, was started by my predecessor as prevention of the national problem on the small delinquency that has also affected our territory. We believed it right to continue and delegated the public works councilor Antonio Brancaccio to finalize it to be active on the 24 hours, round the clock, with great satisfaction of the inhabitants (about 2,400).

The security cameras will be connected to the data reception center of the Carabinieri barracks. My plan includes the Internet system entrusted to the architect Christian Itri.

The village produces dairy products:  mozzarella cheese, salami, and honey. Vegetable production is mainly at the individual level: only private gardens! Visitors can take advantage of small dining options and a larger one in Baglio, the Arco restaurant, whose cuisine offers specialties utilizing local products.

Travel News | eTurboNews

The pulse of Brexit Britain captured by Martin Parr

by

With Britain deeply divided over Brexit, an exhibition by one of the country’s best-known and celebrated photographers, Martin Parr, vividly captures images which help one to understand what makes the country tick. New and previously-unseen photographs revealing Parr’s unique take on the social climate in the aftermath of the EU referendum, have gone on public display for the first time in a major new exhibition of his works at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

“Only Human: Martin Parr” brings together some of the photographer’s best-known works with the focus on one of his favorite subjects – people. Featuring portraits of people from around the world, the exhibition examines national identity today, both in the UK and abroad, with Parr’s characteristically-wry observations of Britishness.

Although best known for his images of ordinary people, Parr has also photographed celebrities throughout his career. For the first time, “Only Human: Martin Parr” reveals a selection of portraits of renowned personalities, most of which have never been exhibited before, including British fashion legends Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith, contemporary artists Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry, and world-renowned football player Pelé.

 

Parr is modest and refreshingly self-deprecating. He does not judge his subjects, letting the photos speak for themselves. His works record the way the British look at themselves before and after the Brexit debate and at other moments of change. At the press preview, Parr explained that his intention was to examine identity and reflect what the British think of themselves and how others see them.

 

The exhibition charts Parr’s changing interests and perspectives as he grows older. As well as Britain in the time of Brexit, the exhibition focuses on the British abroad including photographs of British Army camps overseas, and Parr’s long-term study of the British “Establishment” including recent photographs taken at Christ’s Hospital school in Sussex, Oxford, and Cambridge Universities and the City of London, revealing the obscure rituals and ceremonies of British life.

 

Some of his new works explore the quirks of leisure activities today, a subject Parr has explored since the 1980s. Parr photographs trips to the beach, tennis tournaments – from Wimbledon to the US Open – and a day at the races, to reveal the eccentricities of everyday life. These images take the visitor on a color-saturated journey through places where public and private worlds intersect.

Other photographs capture the infectious joy of dancing, an everyday activity enjoyed by people across the globe. There are photos of men stripping off their shirts along with their inhibitions in hot and sweaty dance clubs and others taken at more formal balls in Oxford and Cambridge.

 

“Only Human: Martin Parr” also features the unforgettable self-portraits Parr has made throughout his career. For over thirty years, Parr has visited studio photographers, street photographers, and photo booths across the globe to have his portrait taken. The resulting Autoportraits raise questions about portraiture and the business of portrait photography, showcasing a range of fascinating and often humorous settings employed by professional portraitists. Works on display include his Photo Escultura, a group of shrine-like carved photo-sculptures, based on Parr’s likeness and commissioned from the last remaining traditional maker in Mexico City, which have never been exhibited in the UK before.

The exhibition also includes a pop-up café inspired by Martin Parr’s iconic food photography and the traditional British “caff.” Visitors can purchase a selection of Great British tea-time treats and beverages such as a “nice cup of tea” and a slice of Battenberg, or an exclusive “Only Human” beer created in collaboration with British craft brewery Lost and Grounded Brewers, Bristol, during the Gallery’s Friday Lates (18.00-21.00).

Dr. Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, said: “We are delighted to be able to display so many new works by one of Britain’s most widely-celebrated photographers in this major new exhibition. Martin Parr’s witty, surprising, and ingenious photographs not only reveal the eccentricities of modern life with affection and insight, they also change the way we look at ourselves, and the way we consider our relationship to the wider world. ‘Only Human’ contributes to an ongoing debate about what it means to be British in an international context and reflects on the shared cultural and social history that defines the United Kingdom during a moment of change.”

Philip Prodger, curator of “Only Human: Martin Parr” says: “Provocative, surprising, and ultimately uplifting, Martin Parr explores the great issues of our time with sensitivity, compassion, and a sense of fun. This is an exhibition that will make you think and leave you with a smile on your face.”

Martin Parr has been able to build his lifelong interest in people-watching into a successful and lucrative professional career. He loves all things British, embracing its diversity but admits to being a Remoaner and finding some extreme attitudes difficult to accept. He observed ruefully, you have to have a sense of mischief or you’ll end up crying. Parr said: “I am very excited to have the opportunity to show my work at such a prestigious gallery. One of the main themes is British identity, and given March 2019 is when we are supposedly leaving the European Union, the timing could not be better.”

Travel News | eTurboNews