Italy plays a leading role on the global music scene, and listening to Italian music can actually help you learn Italian. So it is worth searching out the best Italian music of all time, if for no other reason than the fact that a really good song has the power to turn your day around and make it a happy one.

There are certain songs that are so memorable it is impossible to get them out of your head and your heart, but creating such a selection is certainly challenging given the vast array of fantastic Italian music from which to choose. Still, most people can agree that certain songs are enduring classics, including the following: Lucio Dalla's "Caruso", Adriano Celentano's "Azzurro", Umberto Tozzi's "Ti Amo", Emilio Pericoli's "Al Di La", and Jula de Palma's "Tua".

When Italian food critic Marc Berarducci moved to Northern Michigan in January to be close to family, he brought along his passion for authentic Italian cuisine.
Berarducci spent most of his life living in Italy where he founded and owned an arts school in Florence, worked as a food critic for Italian cuisine and was a marketing consultant for coffee shops.
"I just fell in love with this part of Michigan," Berarducci said. "There are great people and there just seems to be a love of Italian cuisine so I'm trying to ride that wave."

For the last few months, Berarducci has been hosting Italian cuisine culinary workshops and working as a personal chef. He said working as a chef and teaching others about authentic Italian cuisine allows him to get back to what he really loves — food.
Berarducci focuses his dishes on simple, yet fresh and flavorful ingredients which are the cornerstone of Italian cuisine. Fresh vegetables, herbs and spices, along with high quality items such as cheese and olive oils are what drive his Italian dishes.

© David Ortez

Ozpetek's production of 'Aida' was noted as the first ever opera directed by a Turk at Italian music festival even all the tickets were sold out days before the performance took place. Ozepetek produced the opera in collaboration with Indian music wizard Zubin Mehta
Many guests from turkey attended the Italian music festival; the guest list included Turkish Ambassador to Rome Hakki Akil along with his wife Inci Akil, they viewed the opera in company of the Italian Culture Minister Giancarlo Galan, city mayor Matteo Renzi and Florence Gov. Paolo Padoin.