Italian Culture, DaVinci to Michelangelo

Italian Culture

When one thinks of Italy it is hard not to think of its many cultural facets. As a country that has been the home of birthplace of great artists and artworks, from DaVinci to Michelangelo, Italian Culture is not only reflective of the past, but of the present and future. For Italian Culture lives on today, and today's visitor to Italy will see evidence of renaissance works next to new and exciting displays of culture.
St. Peter's Basilica - Michelangelo's Pieta

Most outsiders consider Florence the heart of Italian Culture. This is where the great thinkers, artists, engineers, composers and other cultural icons made their name and created their greatest works. This is not even to mention the famous foods from this part of Italy. For example, Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo, Vivaldi, Puccini, and others came from this great center of Italian culture.
Another famous cultural spot in Italy is Milan, long considered one of the true fashion capitals of the world. Milan, unlike it's older sister Florence, is a thriving metropolis immersed in modern Italian Culture. This hip and fast-paced city, as such a fashion center, also has a surprising array of old world culture as well; with museums, famous cinema houses, and, of course, amazing food. Milan is easy to visit since so many airlines fly into Milan directly from other cities around the world; take advantage of this opportunity by taking time while in Milan; you will be overwhelmed with Italian Culture at its best – the old and the new, side by side.
Although many of us are familiar with great icons of Italian Culture, there are so many famous, and famously talented individuals that, themselves, reflect the variety of culture found from Italy. For example, Antonio Vivaldi, the great baroque composer, hailed from Italy. Maria Montessori, the founder of the Montessori educational philosophy, was born and lived in Italy. More modern Italian cultural icons include the great movie maker, Federico Fellini, the incomparable opera star, Luciano Pavarotti and the more contemporary Andrea Bocelli.
Italy is the epitome of culture and class, both old and new, and all can be found in today's Italy.
Photo by David Paul Ohmer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-o/

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Italian Movies, Simply the Best

Italian Movies, Simply the Best!

Known for it's beautiful countryside, world-class cities, rich arts and culture, and of course its food and wine, Italy can also be considered a mecca of movies.

Ever since movies have been made for popular viewing, Italy has been involved either as a setting or as the subject itself. Many well known and talented movie makers, directors and producers have come from this beautiful land, and today Italy holds a warm place in the hearts of many because of scenes and stories filmed in and about Italy.

Some of the great movies to catch that feature Italy include “Malena;” set in this small Sicilian coastal hamlet, the movie tells about the towns local beauty, and her whims a life choices, as narrated by a small villager boy. Another classic (almost instant from the moment of its release) is “A Room With a View” starring Helena Bonham Carter and Daniel Day Lewis (currently married to each other) the movie wraps itself around the main character who has requested the title 'room with a view,' and to her dismay doesn't receive one. She changes her room at the hotel, and her life changes as well. A fascinating tale of love and where one of the characters is Italy herself.

Italian movies have been made by some well known directors, more recently and notably Roberto Benigni for his “Life is Beautiful/La Vita e Bella” tale of an Italian commoner, his beautiful wife and loved son through the joys and perils of life during the second world war. Other notable Italian movie directors include Vittorio De Sica (“The Bicycle Thief,” and “Today and Tomorrow”), Massimo Troisi (“Il Postino”), and Federico Fellini (“La Dolce Vita,” and “Nights of Caribia” among many others).

Take in the sights and sounds of Italy through its wonderful Italian movies.

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Tuscany Tourism 2010

Tuscany Tourism 2010

Located in north-central, Tuscany is perhaps one of Italy's most famous regions, and Tuscany tourism opportunities are profound. You may be considering a trip to this area for a variety of reasons. Some come to Tuscany to explore the amazing countryside, while others are more interested in the experience of seeing world famous, beautiful artwork. Still others want to feel the sensation of living in cultural rich cities like Florence. Tuscany has so much to offer, that you can do it all.

Of course, another reason that people are drawn to this region is, not surprisingly, the food and wine. Its reputation as a world class food and wine region is no mistake. You might want to study Italian cooking while in Italy, and learn about the unique flavors and dishes of this region, like pappa al pomodoro (a rich, hearty bread thickened soup), risotto (a creamy, herbed rice), and tiramisu (Tuscany's famous dessert cake made with Mascarpone cheese, coffee, lady fingers, cocoa and liquor – yum!) Of course, the Tuscany region also boasts world class wineries .

The city of Florence is the best known city in Tuscany, and for many reasons. Home of architectural wonders such as the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Baptistery. Of course, you must also visit Pisa, and the well known Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Pisa Cathedral. Visit Chianti, namesake for the sparky red wine famous around the world as the perfect vin for northern Italian eating.

In addition to its cities, the Tuscany region is also known for its gorgeous countryside. Between the heights of the Apuan Alps, rolling valleys and grotto like nooks, the Tuscany region has an extremely wide variety of vistas and experiences. And, you can experience this region by car, plane, train, bicycle, horseback and hiking.

As the most famous region of Italy, Tuscany is one of the treasures of Mediterranean Europe.

Photo by Alaskan Dude http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/2776361245_91461bfc76_b.jpg

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Italian Spas - Spend Vacation in Italy

Italian Spas - Spend Vacation in Italy

Have you ever dreamed of a vacation to Italy? With its world renown food and wine, ancient cultural sites and beautiful countryside from valleys to the tallest mountains, Italy is a vacationers dream. Did you know, however, that Italy has rich and beautiful spas to visit, making this country an all encompassing vacation destination.

From the very top of the country, and even down to the tip of Italy's 'boot,' spas pepper the land. And, of course, with the thousands of miles of shoreline, there are dozens of seaside spas to escape the stresses of every day life. No matter if your preference is the beautiful countryside, quaint villages, bustling cities or quiet hamlets, Italy has spas in every area of the country to please your every whim.

For centuries, Italians have known the benefits of therapeutic body work, and some of these therapies are exclusive to an Italian spa experience. For example, there are hundreds of thermal and mineral-rich springs known throughout the world for their healing properties. The waters in these life giving springs help to lesson the symptoms of many ailments, including skin problems, arthritis and related stiffness, vascular abnormalities and more.

Fitness and sports are a part of many Italian spas, including spas that specialize in yoga practice, Pilates, hiking in the countryside, and other fitness activities. You can build your strength and your level of relaxation at these types of spas.

Italian spas are also known for their use of Fango mud. (Actually a redundant term since “fango” means mud in Italian.) The use of this type of treatment using the mud that is found within the natural springs of Italy is helpful for many conditions such as arthritis, skin health, and as a general relaxant. To take part in a Fango treatment is truly an exclusive Italian spa indulgence.

Italy has so much to offer, and its spas are top-of-the-line, and can be found to fit every buget, preference and personal need.

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Southern Italy - The Amalfi Coast

Southern Italy - The Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy with its amazing towns and beautiful panoramas, looks really stunning, check out the video report.

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Cyber Café's in Italy

Cyber Café's in Italy

Holidays are simply indispensable for professionals as this is the best way to shred the stress from the life. But those who have their own business or are serving at a responsible post in an organization cannot afford to stay away from their offices for a long time. Now the solution is to carry a laptop on the trip but this can be inconvenient at times, especially on International tours. Now if you have chosen Italy as the destination for vacationing, you will not need to carry any extra gadgets with you. Internet cafes are set up at various places in the urban areas of Italy and they aim to serve the travelers who are away from their home town but need to communicate with the workplaces. These cyber cafes are equipped with all modern amenities. There are quite a number of seats available so that more than one customer can surf the Internet through these cafes.

Old School Internet

These cyber cafes are open 24x7 which especially in the big cities of Italy. In fact the visitors who come up with the laptops need not worry about the servicing and technical problems. There are quite a number of large cyber cafes which offer the technical servicing facilities to the out station customers. You can also get the additional services which include designing graphics and programming software. You need not worry about the language barrier at the Internet cafes because they have interpreters who help the customers. You can also consider these cafes as a good place to pass time as they offer television and magazines inside the lounges. Some of them have arrangements for food and beverages as an additional facility. The busy professionals no more need to worry about their scheduled work as Italian tourist places feature quite a number of cyber cafes with multiple facilities.

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Rachel Ray In Siena, Italy

Rachel Ray In Siena, Italy

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Italy - Best Time To Visit

Know The Season To Visit Italy

Italy is one of the finest countries of Western Europe which makes it a popular favorite tourist spot across the world. Like rest of the parts of Western Europe, two of the best seasons to explore Italy are autumn and early part of spring. The renowned cities of Italy, Milan, Venice, Verona and Bologna are situated in the Northern part of Italy. These places can be seen at its panoramic best in the spring time. The summers are quite hot and the humidity level increases in Italy. The cold winters never reach extremity though fog causes little problem in few of the winter days. The mystical fog creates a reverie on the entire city. But the climate condition is different in the southern part of Italy. The crowd reduces in the month of September. The weather becomes warm and hotter during this part of the year.

The climate in the months of august and July gradually becomes unpleasant and warmer. But there are certain parts where you can feel much better on a vacation. The hilly areas feature soothing climate and the dense forests are humid and pleasant. November and March are the two months when you can readily visit the nice cities like Naples, Rome and Florence. The festive times pull large volume of crowd to Italy and its tourist places. Italy gets congested with crowd at the time of Christmas and Easter. You can enjoy skiing at the alpine region starting from December till April. Italy keeps really busy in the summers when all the shops and restaurants keep open. In fact the price of various stuffs increase in this particular season. But if you are looking for some discounts, always visit Italy in the off seasons.
Mild weather, lovely seasons and beautiful Italy make a perfect combination for the visitors who wish to spend a memorable holiday in Italy.

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Driving Down the Roads of Italy

Driving Down the Roads of Italy

Italy being a lovely tourist destination, communication and conveyance needs to be simply superb so that the visitors can explore this exotic place thoroughly. The Italian roadways are known as “Autostradas”.

These are highways which are in excellent condition and feature multiple lanes so that the visitors do not face ant problem related to the traffic system. The high ways cover about 5600 kilometers. The roads are open to the commercial as well as individually owned vehicles. Every arrangement for easy navigation and safe driving is included in the road ways in order to reduce the number of fatal accidents. The speed limit is fixed for the roads and toll is collected for the maintenance. You can always pay for this fee with credit cards or cash. In fact they also offer great facilities in order make things much more convenient for the car owners. The pre-paid cards are made available by the authority so that you need not spend much time on the way.

Though the main roads are in great shape, the same cannot be conferred about the secondary roads. The facilities are comparatively less and the surface is not equally smooth everywhere. The alleys and streets inside the historical cities often get jammed when the crowd is heavy in the seasons. The speed limit reduces down to 50 km ph. Drunk driving is not allowed in Italy as the alcohol limit in blood is fixed up to 0.05%. In order to ensure the security of the drivers, breath checking tests are conducted every now and then. There are high penalties for rash and drunk driving. If you are a visitor or a local resident, you need to hold a valid license in order to drive down the roads of Italy. Now that you know almost all details about the Italian driving systems, you can explore the cities with a rented car as well.

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Italy for Disabled Travelers

Facts about Italy for Disabled Travelers

This is a true fact that traveling is not just a hobby but also a great way to de-stress the soul. Italy is a beautiful place to be visited during the festive seasons and also in the vacations. The disabled people who often spend their life inside a limited periphery will feel simply great if the family members take them for a vacation to the lovely place of Italy. But this is seriously not easy to explore the alleys of the historically and culturally rich land of Italy when the visitor has certain physical disabilities. Now there are some of the places which can be traveled easily as there are many modes of conveyance made available for the disabled people.

Facts about Italy

The city of Venice is known for the water ways which connect various parts of the city. Gondolas are the only mode of communication within the city. This is little difficult for the disabled tourists. Keeping this problem in mind the government has designed special trips for disabled travelers which aid them explore the city without any compromises. Though Rome is the capital of Italy, there are certain regions which hilly topography and uneven roads. This is why the disabled people cannot walk down the roadways. The buses are available which include wheelchair facilities that make the journey much comfortable for them.

Facts about Italy

The airlines also have special facilities available for the disabled passengers. They offer emergency as well as regular services so that they do not face any trouble in the middle of the journeys.

Facts about Italy

Those who wish to travel by the railways will experience special treatment and additional comforting amenities in many of the railways stations. In fact the special wagons also feature wheelchairs for disabled tourists. Italy is quite compassionate for the disabled visitors and this is why more number of people is choosing it as their vacation destination.

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About Sicily - All You Need to Know

Facts About Sicily, All You Need to Know

Sicily is one of the most exotic locations of the Mediterranean region. It is segregated from the peninsula of Italy with the “Strait of Messina”. The panoramic landscape of Sicily makes it a popular tourist attraction. It consists of a bunch of tiny but magnificent islands strewn alongside the coastline. The geographical wonder Etna is situated here which happens to be the most active volcano of the entire European continent.

Map of Sicily

The capital city of Sicily is Palermo. The overall Sicilian region comprises of Messina, Catania, Trapani, Ragusa and townships of Corleone, Taormina, Bronte and many other provinces. The district of Palermo features a number of monuments and ancient buildings that bear fine architectural designs. These splendid monuments are considered to be important tourist attractions of Sicily.

Cattedrale-S.Maria Assunta

Some of the well-known must-visit spots at Sicily are “Cattedrale-S.Maria Assunta”, “Cappella Palatina”, the chapel decorated with mosaic designs and the churches bearing the Norman designs. These mixed styles depicted in these constructions often attract the tourists who are in love with ancient history. The cosmopolitan cultural effect has enhanced the beauty of these architectures.

Palermo

Art has always been the treasure of Sicily. It is the birth place of many popular artists and talented poets. Giovanni Verga, Gesualdo Bufalino, Luigi Pirandello, Ignazio Buttitta, the poet and composer Vincenzo Bellini and Sigismondo d'India are all from Sicily which accounts for the cultural heritage of this place.
If you are visiting Sicily for a pleasure trip do not miss the lovely town at the mountain regions of Sicily known as Caltagirone. Hand-made ceramic items are the specialty of this town. The town also celebrates a colorful festival in the month of July. During this festival multi-colored images are create with lamination which is a must see for every tourist. Explore this beautiful destination and gather an experience for the lifetime.

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Leaning Tower Of Pisa

Leaning Tower Of Pisa

Leaning Tower Of Pisa is one of the worlds most famous monuments that stirs the imagination of every single person, from kids to adults.
The TORRE PENDENTE DI PISA (Italian name for this tower) is famous because of the settling of the towers foundations, which resulted in leaning to 5.5. degrees which make it about 4.5 meters or 15 feet. Here are some basic facts about the Leaning Tower Of Pisa, and also don't miss a video.



Official Name of the Tower: TORRE PENDENTE DI PISA
Original Function: Bell Tower
The Architect: Bonanno Pisano
Date of construction: 1173-1350
Year in which the leaning became obvious : 1178
Height at the time when the lean looked obvious: 10.6 meters, 35 ft
Height: 55.863 meters, 185 feet, 8 stories
Weight: 14700 tons

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