It’s not often that I can say I sat in a conference room with the mayor of a medieval Italian town to talk about my blog. (Yes, this blog.) A few days ago, the BlogVille crew met the fine folks running Pennabilli, a hilltop town in Emilia-Romagna. They welcomed us to their wonderful home prior to the start of perhaps their largest celebration.

The name of the city derives from two formal rivals, those living in the castles at Penna and those at Billi. In the 16th century, they joined together to form the city now known as Pennabilli. Today, the city houses notable art installations by poet and intellectual Tonino Guerra, as well as attractions like meditation gardens and Tibetan bells donated from the Dalai Lama. More relevant to this post, Pennabilli hosts an annual three-day festival known as Artisti in Piazza – Festival Internazionale dell’Arte in Strada (“Artists in the Piazza – The International Festival of Street Art”), drawing innovative entertainers from around the world to their cobblestone streets.

If you should ever find yourself in Emilia-Romagna during the time of this festival, do yourself a favor and join in on the fun. It’s full of good people, great shows and really delicious food. Even without Artisti in Piazza, Pennabilli is a beautiful place to visit, as evidenced by the videos and photos below.

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