The FAI Spring Days, or Giornate FAI di Primavera, is a cultural initiative by FAI, the Italian Environmental Fund, which allows the public to visit hundreds of monuments and places of interest throughout Italy for free. With a similar format to that of European Heritage Days, Spring FAI Days has met with enormous success, largely because many of the monuments - whether palaces, gardens or archaeological sites - have restricted access for the rest of the year.

With the initiative 150 luoghi per 150 anni Spring Open Days is now officially part of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Italy Unification. 150 sites that were the stage for events leading to the Unification, or are however related to Italian Risorgimento, were included in the Giornate FAI di Primavera's list in order to emphasise the role that these places play in Italian history and culture.

Moreover, the 19th edition of Giornate FAI di Primavera launches the contest "Garibaldi ti scrivo ...". Participants will compete in the writing of a 150-character long letter addressed to the "Hero of Two Worlds" summarising an own project to preserve the Country's cultural heritage. Winners will be rewarded with free trips to New York and the European capitals. Registration can be done online at the Fai website.

Similarly to Britain's National Trust, FAI works to preserve and promote Italy's cultural heritage through education, restoration and annual open days. On 26 and 27 March libraries, stately homes, archaeological sites and religious buildings all over the country are open to the public free of charge for the 19th annual Spring Open Day. This is, in many cases, a unique opportunity, as - as mentioned above - many of the involved sites are not normally accessible to the public.

The event has totalled over six million people over the past editions. This year 660 sites and 260 towns throughout the country are involved. Anyone interested in taking part can register at any FAI office where cultural events take place. The programme also includes free guided tours for foreign visitors - interrupted after the edition 2008 - in 36 Italian cities. 40% of the open sites are accessible to disabled persons.

Please visit the FAI (Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano) website for full details.

www.fondoambiente.it