8/13/2019 – As summer begins to wane, fans of southern Italy can look forward to a September holiday destination. DIANA MIHAJLOVA offers a pictoral report with annotated games about the Amantea Chess Festival in Calabria, Italy, which was won last year by GM Pier Luigi Basso. It is meant to introduce a little known but rich chess destination that is Calabria. The actual Amantea Chess Festival will resume its activities, as usual, from the next year, but for now, during its traditional term, 9- 15 September, another Calabrese chess historical town, Cutro, in the Amantea’s vicinity, will celebrate a jubilee 25 year of the International Chess Festival ‘Leonardo di Bona’. | Pictured: The rocky Tyrrhenian coast at a sunset: On the outskirts of Amantea lie the enchanting Isca rocks, supposedly described by Homer in the ‘Odyssey’. All photos: Diana Mihajlova

9/4/2018 – Presolana is a mountain located in northern Italy, about 35 kilometres north of Bergamo. Bratto, a small village in this region, has been hosting the "Conca della Presolana" Chess Festival the last 38 years. GM JAN WERLE reports on the latest edition of the tournament, where IM Vladimir Sveshnikov — son of the legendary Evgeny Sveshnikov — finished first on tiebreaks in the main section. In the A-group, 11-year-old Brando Pavesi surprised all-comers with his clear win. | Photo: Ms. Pakleza