Posts filed under 'Italy'
If you are bored with Spain, Turkey, Italy, France or the USA why not try the latest adventure to hit planet earth? Space Travel – No really, space travel is now a reality! On July 24th the first spaceflight was arranged for a paying tourist by an agency that prides themselves as specialists in Space Adventures. You can zoom off to space and meander around in space for a mere $15 million dollars. Well that’s the latest and apparently much cheaper than the $35 million quoted earlier this year. (source = BBC)
Now it looks like Russia is considering the possibility of people walking around the international space station, as long as they have a months training prior to the trip and they have the psychological and physical ability.
Well I know I won’t be spacing out! I don’t have the cash, the guts and the inclination.
How about you?
by Doreen B.
August 3rd, 2006
Spring is nearing and travel is sure to be on your mind. If its not then you are working to hard. Drop everything and do something about organising a weekend away over Easter.
I have been thinking about Italy because I have friends who visited Italy and found this lovely little village about 3.5 miles from Florence called Fiesole. When they had their first child, they named her Fiesole after this quaint little village. That was many moons ago because little Fiesole turns eighteen on the 13th of April 2006. Isn’t that so sweet.
Happy birthday Lass - hope you have many more! Actually Fiesole lives in New Zealand and has never visited the country or village that inspired her name. I hope she gets to visit one day.
I took a peak at Fiesole and it seems to be worth visiting if you are spending time in Florence. It is a beautiful village high on a hill overlooking Florence. To get there you can take the number 7 bus from the railway station in Florence. Some of the most important buildings to visit: The Palazzo Vescovile (Bishop’s Palace), The town’s Cathedral, The Cattedrale San Romolo, Palazzo Pretorio, and the early Chiesa di Santa Maria Primerana. For more information contact the Tourist Information Office or visit them on Via Portigiani, just past the archaeological area.
Fiesole is also a great place to stay during the summer because it is markedly cooler than Florence. There is plenty of accommodation and Florence is very accessible from Fiesole.
An idea for Easter - Italy offers interesting an diverse celebrations over the Easter period with both Pagan and Christian influences coming into the picture. Italy is also well geared up for the throngs of people due to hit the city streets during Easter so why not visit Itally and Fiesole in particular?
Fiesole is host to an Easter event called ‘The Cart of Fire’ which is held on the 16th April. This tradition has been taking place for over 6 centuries and originated from the medieval custom of taking the holy fire into Florentine houses the day before Easter Sunday. If you want to know more just check out the ‘Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore‘ site.
Have fun and if you visit, get back and tell us about it.
by Doreen B
April 11th, 2006
I have happened across a really cool magazine. It is mostly about telling the truth or conspiracy theories. One of the articles I read is about UFOs being part of history as far back as medieval times and are evident in Christian religious paintings. I thought I would share this with you. When you find yourself near some of these places go take a look and spot the UFOs!
Check these out:
ITALLY, ‘The Miracle of the Snow’ painted by Masolino Da Panicale (1383 - 1436), can be found in Florence at the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, showing Jesus and Mary on what seems like lenticular clouds (stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes).
LONDON, at the the National Gallery hangs a painting by Carlo Crivelli (1430 - 1495) called ‘The Annunciation’ shows a disc shaped object shinning a beam of light down onto the crown of Mary’s head.
ITALLY, Palazzo Vecchio in Florence has a painting of ‘The Madonna with Saint Giovannino’ (in the Loeser Collection) showing a disc shaped object behind Mary’s shoulder and a man and his dog looking up at the object in the sky.
YUGOSLAVIA, at the Visoki Decani Monestary in Kosovo there is a fresco painting (dated 1350) called ‘The Crucifixion’ which shows two objects in the sky in the background with figures inside.
Some of these images (and loads more) can be seen on this sight www.xfacts.com.
Like this blog? Don’t like it? Tell us what you want to see.
by Doreen B
March 29th, 2006
Turin winter Olympics are now over but the action in Italy goes on. The World Pizza Championships are being held in Salsomaggiore (North West of Parma) in April 2006.
Actually I never gave it any thought before but have you ever wondered how much food gets consumed during an event like that? I have no idea but it must be huge. Think about it, there were roughly 2,500 athletes in Torino who came from 85 different countries. Then you have to consider all the spectators and partners or families of the athletes as well as the usual tourists visiting at the time. Also, imagine the variety of food that is needed to satisfy such a diverse crowd of visitors! At least Italy can offer two dishes that are world famous and eaten by most – Pizza and Pasta oh and chocolate.
Did you know that chocolate was being made in Torino, Italy long before Switzerland started making chocolate? If you want to know more about food in Italy check out our website Indigo Guide for some interesting facts.
Doreen B.
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February 27th, 2006
My 13 year old son watches the Olympic Games every night now (he has recently got heavily into skiing), so I can’t help but blog about it. I read up on Turin and discovered that it is an often overlooked travel destination (we certainly did not cover Turin in our website) but I recon that the Olympic Games will change that. If you are going to do some touristy things while you are in Italy, it might be worth your while to visit the shroud of Turin. If you are into motoring, then you might be interested to know that Turin is home to both the Fiat and Pirelli plants.
If you are at the games this month why not make the most of your holiday and snap up the opportunity to explore Milan? Milan, Italy’s business, finance, industrial and fashion city is within easy access from Turin, or Torino.
The Olympic events in Turin are a unique opportunity to enjoy the games by day and Milan by night or visa verse. Milan is an exciting city that offers a variety like few others. It is Italy’s fashion capital but also offers art, history, tons of fashionable clubs including gay and lesbian clubs and naturally the opportunity to visit the Opera. There are trains and buses running between the two cities (train takes about 1.5 hours) everyday.
For the culture vultures a few must see things in Milan are: Palazzo Ducale in Mantua, Lombardy. In Milan, Lombardy: IL Duomo - the worlds largest Gothic cathedral. The Last Supper - one of Leonardo’s most powerful works. La Scala Opera House - the worlds favourite Opera house and for the shoppers don’t miss ‘The Milanese Experience‘ .
If art and history don’t appeal to you then maybe you would be interested in going to a concert. During February 2006 Depeche Mode are playing in Milan on the 18th and 19th. The Venue is: Forum, and the address is: 6, Via G di Vittoria, Assago, Milan, Milano, Lombardy. Call +39 02 5810344 for more details.
The other event you can enjoy is the Antique Fair. This takes place on the last Sunday of every month (except during July and August). So this year it will be the 26th of Feb. Find your way to the Naviglio canal and make sure you wear good walking shoes because it is a really big fair.
OK so not everyone can be at the Olympics and you may be planning a visit later on in the year or you may be going to a different region, so let me know if you want other info.
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by Doreen B.
February 14th, 2006
The medieval city of Padua is sadly missing from our section on Italy (we really need to redo this section – the author was very lazy). Padua has caught my attention because of all the amazing places of interest in one little spot. The nearest city of interest to Padua on our site is Venice or Verona.
Padua is about an hour away travelling west across the plain from Venice and you would do well to pay it a visit. There are some great walking and cycling tours you could go on through the Euganean hills. While you are in Padua, visit the Basilica of St. Anthony and the University of Padua. Amongst many famous people who taught at the University, you are sure to recognise the name of Galileo.
Besides the villas, castles and monasteries you can frolic amongst the poppy fields and colorful meadows. You can also enjoy the cherry and melon festivals not to mention the zillions of vineyards affording you the tasting opportunities that dreams are made of. That’s why I suggested a walking or cycling tour for this region by the way.
My daughter visited Padua with her school tour and fell in love with Italy. She is convinced that if we visit Italy (which we have not yet done), we will sell our spot in Spain and move to the boot shaped land.
Who agrees with her?
January 6th, 2006
Some advice for those less travelled - if you need to use a taxi while in Rome, remember use only the officially licensed taxis - just like you would at home. These are the cars that have a taxi sign on the roof and don’t forget to check that the meter in the taxi must be restarted before you leave.
For useful information on getting around Italy check out:
http://www.indigoguide.com/italy/getting-around.htm
If you are going to Italy in the next few weeks it might be handy to know that you may encounter some travel delays due to unannounced wildcat strikes by transport workers in cities across Italy. The pre-planned strikes are taking place on the following dates: 12 December 2005: 9am - 5pm Rail services, 6 December 2005: 12pm- 4pm air traffic control, 8 January 2006: 12pm - 4pm Air traffic control, 16 January 2006: 10am - 2pm Alitalia pilots, 19 January 2006: 24 hours Alitalia flight assistants, 27 January 2006: 10am - 2pm Alitalia technical staff and finally 30 January 2006: 12pm - 4pm air traffic control. If you have any useful comments …..
December 12th, 2005
A great idea for a birthday party is a masked ball……My daughter had her 21st birthday party with the theme ‘decadence’ attached to it. Her guests arrived dressed really really decadent but absolutely no one wore a mask to her disappointment. The ball was held at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire and the setting was fantastic! Pity about the lack of masks.
Centuries ago when the Mask of Venice was popularly used to protect the wearer’s identity during the so called promiscuous and decadent times. If you ask me, I think that today’s society has a lot more to hide. Today masks are worn mostly at Carnival’s. If you are into masks and Carnivals, plan your trip to Italy when the Venice Carnival is in full swing. Its on between the 17th and 28th February 2006. St Marks square is good place to start. Read more about Venice at:
http://www.indigoguide.com/italy/highlights.htm
Tell me what else you want to know about Venice?
December 11th, 2005
I recently watched Under the Tuscan Sun and really enjoyed it. I cant believe it came out in 2003 and I have only just seen it. I think its a must see if you are a romantic. One of the places I never got to while in Europe was Italy. Now Italy and in particular Tuscany is on my to do list. If you are keen to explore more, I found this website informative and user friendly:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuscany
Talk to me?
December 7th, 2005
Get there before this beautiful city sinks below sea level. Flooding and polution are two main enemies of Venice. Just yesterday the city experienced wide spead flooding caused by high tides due to early downpours. The best time to visit Venice is June to August but Christmas is also very popular so if you are planning a trip, my advice will be to book accomodation early because December month is also a very popular time for tourists. Need to know more, let me know.
December 6th, 2005
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