Italy Travel News 04/11/2012

Here’s a roundup of the latest news from Italy on April 11-12:

• Italian wedding invitations and customs
  This month's Italy Roundtable topic was INVITATIONS, and Alexandra took that as her cue to share her love of weddings. Specifically, in this post she covers some of the traditions around Italian wedding invitations, which are far more formal than the invitations I'm accustomed to in the U.S.
• Italy Roundtable: Invitation to Dario Fo Exhibit in Milan
  Melanie's Italy Roundtable post shows us what happens when being a Nobel Laureate for literature isn't enough for one artistic Italian – he's also an accomplished painter, with a special exhibit in Milan running through early June.
• When saying "no" might be a good idea
  Accepting an invitation may seem like the polite thing to do, but Gloria's Italy Roundtable post reminds us of some times in Italy when saying "no" is really the best course of action.
• Italy Roundtable: An Invitation
  Rebecca's Italy Roundtable post is a virtual tour of an abandoned Umbrian village, set to a Shel Silverstein poem. In other words, it's completely delightful, and the perfect antidote to whatever doldrums you're trying to escape.
• Love Letter: Al Moro
  My friend Erica lives in Rome, and she loves this restaurant near the Trevi Fountain. Handy when you're feeling peckish after all that coin-tossing. (via @Moscerina on Twitter)
• Naples’ ‘Savile Alley’ preserves bespoke tailoring
  London has "Savile Row," and Naples has "Savile Alley" – where you can still get a suit made specifically for you.
• Bacaro Tour of Venice
  Eating on a budget in Venice usually means hitting up the city's cicchetti bars. In this post, you'll find a tour of several cicchetti bars worth checking out.
• Woman arrested for pension fraud
  Coming on the heels of the story about the woman who leaped to her death recently after having her monthly pension cut, this is particularly galling.
• Rimini jeweler ‘didn’t declare income since 2005′
  And we wonder why Italy's in an economic crisis… (Wait, no we don't.)
• The best democracy that money can buy
  "Italy's, costly, in all senses, political rot. Interesting, if depressing, reading." So says @newsfromitaly on Twitter, who pointed me toward this article.