Monocle Weekend
Edition: Saturday

Italy’s new populist coalition government has been in office for little more than two months but has already made its stance clear on issues ranging from immigration to economic austerity. Now the country’s new culture minister, Alberto Bonisoli, has drawn a line when it comes to, well, culture too. He plans to end free entry to museums and archaeological sites, including Pompeii and the Colosseum, on the first Sunday of every month. Free entrance is indisputably popular with first-time visitors but Bonisoli believes that the reversal could inject about €52m into the Italian economy. Whichever way you look at it, Sunday fees would be one in the eye for cultural inclusivity.

August is usually a quiet month for galleries – but not for those in attendance at the fourth annual Seattle Art Fair (SAF) this weekend. As more high-profile fairs, including Frieze, expand westward to tap into the technology industry’s wealth, SAF finds itself in a lucrative spot, even though it is miles from Silicon Valley. It’s not surprising then that SAF’s new artistic director, Nato Thompson, has chosen to highlight the intersection between art and technology this year. Among the 106 gallerists showcasing their wares at the bay-side CenturyLink Field stadium this weekend, you can see works such as Trevor Paglen’s Mylar inflatable satellite (later to be launched into space) and Chris Burden’s 1983 “Scale Model of the Solar System”; there will also be performances by machines courtesy of California-based robot-maker and performance artist Mark Pauline. SAF runs until Sunday.

The World Cup’s over, Wimbledon’s come to an end and the Tour de France has run its course. However, sport fans who feel that their weekend-watching schedules have suddenly emptied will be relieved that the inaugural European Championships have begun in joint host cities Glasgow and Berlin. Bringing together an eclectic series of disciplines – including rowing, cycling, track-and-field and gymnastics – the games are being hailed as a mini-Olympics. More than 4,500 athletes from 52 nations are competing during the 10-day event. At a time when Europe is at its most politically discordant for many years, any initiative that proudly encourages a continent-wide get-together is to be welcomed. As for the weekend’s highlights, tune in to the swimming, synchronised swimming and track-cycling contests, the finals for which all take place today.

It has become common practice for incoming creative directors at luxury houses to overhaul their brand’s logo before doing anything else. We saw it with Jonathan Anderson at Loewe and Raf Simons at Calvin Klein – and now Riccardo Tisci has done it at Burberry. The Italian, who will hold his first runway show for the label in September, has worked with graphic designer Peter Saville to conjure a new logo and monogram for the UK heritage brand. The recognisable knight icon is gone and a modern sans-serif typeface has been introduced. It’s the first revamp of the logo in 20 years and a telling signal of the brand’s shifting market position. Burberry is trying to establish itself as a “super luxury” label akin to Hermès, a process that has controversially included burning unsold items to prevent them from being copied or resold cheaply. Burberry’s sleek new logo is a powerful indication that change is afoot.

Australia is the world’s second-largest producer of truffles. Monocle correspondent Aarti Betigeri goes searching for these delicious delicacies in districts around Canberra, where some of the country’s best examples are found.

Vancouver Island might not be famous for growing tea but its lush soil has proved perfect for starting an idyllic farm.