Our website may use both cookies that do not require your consent to be downloaded to your device and cookies that can only be downloaded with your prior consent. Cookies are also distinguished based on the domain that places them, namely first-party cookies (cookies placed by us) and third-party cookies (cookies placed by third parties).

• A. Necessary cookies (do NOT require your prior consent): These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information. These cookies will have a validity period (no longer than 2 years) after which they will be automatically deactivated. These cookies and the information included in them will not be used for purposes other than those described above.
• B. Optional cookies (require your prior CONSENT): Our website also uses optional cookies, which can only be installed with your prior consent. Our website may also set third-party cookies, provided that you always express your prior consent regarding such installation. These third parties may access the information collected through their cookies. Such third parties are, for example: Google Inc. (through its Google Analytics and Google Doubleclick services and, as applicable, through the Google Plus plug-in), Facebook (through plug-ins), Twitter (through plug-ins).

Optional cookies may include:

• Performance cookies: These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
• Marketing cookies, which may include:
  • Profiling cookies for advertising purposes: these create user profiles aimed at delivering advertisements that correspond to the preferences manifested by users during web browsing;
  • Retargeting cookies: these are used to serve ads regarding products that are similar to those in which you showed interest (e.g., displaying pages regarding products you visited on our website when browsing affiliated websites) or measuring the effectiveness of marketing campaigns (conducted by us or third parties);
  • Analytics cookies: these record your choices and activity on our website to perform a statistical analysis, for us or for third parties, by tracking your preferences and browsing behavior, and to serve ads personalized for you;
  • Social media cookies: furthermore, our website allows certain social networks (e.g., Facebook, Youtube) to install their own cookies through their plug-ins. These cookies are managed directly by third parties and can also be used to serve ads that conform to your preferences when browsing other websites.

All these cookies are installed only taking into account your options. For this reason, when you access our website, a special banner is displayed giving you the opportunity to express your option regarding the categories of cookies that our website installs on your devices.
After expressing your option, the cookie banner will disappear. We will track your option/consent (if applicable) through a specific technical cookie. As a consequence, the cookie banner will no longer be displayed if you visit our website again in the future. In case you decide to delete the technical cookies, please note that we will lose track of your options/consent and, as such, the cookie banner will be presented to you again upon your next visit to our website. You may decide at any time, at your free choice, to block profiling cookie settings or withdraw your previously expressed consent without this affecting your ability to visit the website and benefit from relevant content.

4. Your cookie preferences

You can change your data protection settings in your browser to block all cookies; however, this may affect your browsing experience as many websites may not function properly. Your browser may allow you to delete all cookies upon closing the browser. However, this option results in the deletion of persistent cookies that may store your preferences and customized settings on regularly visited websites. Nevertheless, it is possible to keep desired cookies, as your browser may allow you to indicate which websites can use cookies always or never.

More details on how to delete cookies or manage cookies in different internet browsers can be found by accessing the links below:

• Cookie settings in Internet Explorer
• Cookie settings in Mozilla Firefox
• Cookie settings in Google Chrome
• Cookie settings in Safari Web and iOS.
• To opt out of tracking by Google Analytics, please visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

More general information on how cookies work is available at: www.allaboutcookies.org.