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October 20, 2010
Secrets To Getting Married in Positano Italy
October 8, 2010
Discovering Pescara – The Resort City of Abruzzo Italy
Pescara is a coastal city located just a few hours of Rome heading off the Adriatic Sea in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Because of the river after the city received its name, Pescara was an important maritime port of the Roman Empire, nowadays transformed into a populated place with a wealthy economy that encompasses industries such as foods and chemicals, building materials, manufacturing and clothing, but specially the tourism industry.
Just the Aeroporto Internazionale d’Abruzzo moved 3,300 tons cargo and 371,247 passengers during 2007, figures that help you understand why the sandy beaches of Pescara are among the favorite summer destinations in Italy, although the city’s beneficial climate makes it appropriate destination to visit all year round.
Despite its historic background, there are not ancient ruins to visit in this city because it was devastated by Nazis during the World War II, although many buildings and monuments were successfully restored after Pescara’s reconstruction in the 1960s and guided city tours can take you to discover them.
Anyway, walking through the city visitors can enjoy the unique architecture of Pescara admiring its waterfront residences, or finding the historic building that survived the war, including the Church of the Spirito Santo, the Cathedral of San Cetteo, the Church of Sant’Andrea Apostolo, or the Sanctuary of the Madonna dei Sette Dolori that dates from 1757.
When it comes to sightseeing some of the places to visit around Pescara include the Museo Cascella and Museo Ittico and the Palazzo del Governo, where past and present of Pescara have a permanent display along with sheep-raising culture that was the former activity of founder residents.
Pescara has also 21 ski areas that run from the highest region of the Apennines to the Adriatic Sea, so even in winter Pescara boos tourist activities at resorts such as Campo Imperatore, Roccaraso, and Campo Felice. When it comes to mountains, there are many others providing hiking and climbing opportunities, such as the Corno Grande, the Corno Piccolo, the Majella, Ill Calderone, and other smaller peaks.
Throughout the year, the streets of Pescara are also filled by harmonious sounds coming from folk festivals and the bustling activity around the city’s ice-cream shops and its traditional trattories. However, summer is also scenario of the annual International Jazz Festival, and the “Ennio Flaiano” prize that is awarded to the best performers and writers on theater, cinema, television, and literature.
When planning your vacations, do not forget that a large extension of land in Pescara has been designated regional and/or national parkland, including the Sirente Velino Regional Park, Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, Lago di Barrea, the Majella National Park, and the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise.
Close the Pescara, there are several Medieval and Renaissance town within the national park system, including Castel del Monte, Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Pacentro, and Pescasseroli easily accessible as a day trip visit to admire a Medieval castle and two towers that the Nazi never found.
Author is an associate editor for one of the largest travel website servicing India, which offers Low-cost International Air fares, online flight booking, best International Holiday Packages, hotel deals and much more.
September 26, 2010
SPORT and NATURE… the VERY SPORTIVE HOLIDAY in ITALY
A city between seaside tourism and sports, we are in Cesenatico on the Adriatic coast of Italy, town famous for being a destination for many tourists who love the sea but also because birthplace of great champion Marco Pantani and the famous race Nove Colli.
Italy propose a lot of sport hotel: from trekking hotels, to swim hotels but above all cycling hotels.
The sport lovers can choose between a lot of holiday opportunities because Italian geography is suitable for sport and nature vacations. The sport hotel are above all cycling hotels, the cycling tradition of Italy, in fact, is ancient and the cycling tourism was born to answer to the great number of cyclists that want to live a special vacation, between sport and relax.
The Adriatic Coast is suitable for cyclists, above all in Cesenatico that and has a long history begins with the sporting event that represents the city: The “Nove Colli” Race.
The race organized by Fausto Coppi Association was one of the first race in which run the young Marco Pantani in fact the cycling event was then renamed Nove Colli Marco Pantani. The stages of the race are studied for all kind of cyclists: from easier to from easier to more difficult.
The cycling in Cesenatico on the Adriatic Coast, is the most diffused tourism and the hotels in the area were structured in time to accommodate those who loves making healthy sport.
The cycling lovers found in this city a fertile ground for their training:
- Inland routes and routes between the peaks and plains
- Maps of routes
- Cycling guide
- Hotel for cyclists equipped with bicycle storage, expert guides, food for athletes
- Stay packages tailor made for sportsmen
- Energetic food for the training
- Cycling Amateurs and Elite races
The cycling passion meet the typical gastronomy of Romagna and inland walks of Cesenatico, between nature, history and tradition to live a really impressive scenario.
The cycling routes in Cesenatico are particularly suitable for those who love mountain bike: there are many itineraries ideal for those who want to enjoy a ride on a ground not perfect but very fascinating. A lot of MTB races complete the program.
Cesenatico and its hotel for cyclists for years welcome athletes from all over Europe and beyond, precisely because the hills that overlook the sea are the ideal background for lovers of sport immersed in nature.
The active holiday, the term used by industry experts, is spokesman of a new philosophy: relaxation and sport can reconcile on vacation.
The tourist facilities that embrace this type of tourism are turning to the Italians but especially tourists of the Alps accustomed to cycling, arriving in Italy precisely because the geography of our territory is well-suited to the lovers of bike courses knows how to fanatics of mountain bikes.
The Adriatic Coast and Cesenatico were equipped for sports and vacation in Riviera is not only just sea and fun but also training and healthy diet.
Cesenatico Bike, is the site for cylcing lovers: special cycling tour of Italy and holiday packages: Cycling holidays in Italy.
September 14, 2010
Italy Cooking School Tours: How To Choose The Right One For You
Cooking school tours in Italy and around the world have multiplied like zucchinis in a summer garden.
This article tells you how to sift through the overwhelming choice of Italian cooking tours and find the right one for you, so you experience a feast for your senses, heart, mind and soul, a trip of a lifetime and avoid disappointments.
A cooking holiday in Italy can add up to a big investment of time and money.
Maybe you’ve been dreaming for years about a cooking school tour in Italy. Maybe it’s a special trip to celebrate a 40th, 50, 60th birthday or a big anniversary with family and friends you love.
How to choose an Italian cooking school tour that gives you the joy and value you expect? How to protect your investment in your trip?
Ask yourself these 10 questions.
1. What is important to me in my Italian cooking tour?
List what’s important to you in your cooking tour. Read tour itineraries critically with the mind of a detective. If an itinerary seems vague, ask the tour operator detailed questions.
Here are some examples of what may be important to you and what to look for in tour itineraries.
A. Lots of cooking lessons? How many lessons are in the itinerary?
B. Lots of wine visits? How many winery visits and wine tastings are in the itinerary? Where do they take place? In wineries with the producer? In wine shops with a knowledgeable staff member?
C. Lots of stimulating food visits? What kind? Cheese and olive oil producers? Truffle hunting? Make sure the itinerary has visits that make YOUR mouth water.
D. Immersing yourself in Italian life? How many different local people do you meet and how many different towns or locations do you visit?
What kind of Italian cultural experiences delight you? Meeting an artist in his ceramic studio? Cooking in a family’s home and dining with the family? Are these events in your tour?
2. What is my budget?
Prices for a six day Italian cooking tour package vary from about $2000 to 5100 Cdn or $1900 to $4800 U.S. Four day tours go from about $1200 to 3400 Cdn or $1100 to $3200 U.S. at current exchange rates.
3. What kind of accommodation is best for me?
Some people are happy in simple, clean rooms in B & Bs with minimal decor because they’re hardly ever in the room. They prefer to put their money towards special food and wine experiences. Is this you?
Others want beautiful, four star hotels or country properties with magnificent views and rooms oozing with historical charm and designer decor. Is this you?
4. What kind of excursions do I want?
Is this your first time in this particular region so you prefer sightseeing? Are you a foodie hungering for gastronomic adventures or a wine lover thirsting for winery tours? If you’d like a bit of it all, how much sightseeing and how many food and wine visits do you want?
Often cheaper tours offer mostly sightseeing where you explore and shop in medieval towns and admire beautiful country panoramas.
More expensive tours give you exclusive gastronomic visits where you watch artisan producers making cheese or tour wineries with owners who tell you all you ever wanted to know about their wines and give you special tastings.
5. When do I want to travel in Italy?
Are you keen on the wine harvest? Food lovers swarm to Italy for the wine harvest in September and October when you have a large number of cooking tour choices so reserve early.
Is warm weather important? Generally in most parts of Italy, mid May to mid October are warm to hot. July and August in some parts of Italy may be too hot for you.
Would you like a quieter time when chefs and winery owners can give you more personal attention? You’ll find a good choice of cooking tours in May and June.
In steaming mid August most Italian businesses shut for annual summer holidays. Cities empty out. Masses flock to the mountains or beaches, leaving cities like Florence to the tourists. You’ll find less cooking school choice in August.
6. How many people in my cooking class?
Six or eight? You’ll get to prepare the whole lunch or dinner menu.
Ten or more? You’ll join the “eggplant” or “tiramisu” team and not learn how to make the other dishes. But the more the merrier! A larger class also may give you demonstration style, not hands-on lessons. Which do you prefer?
7. What level of cooking teacher and class do I need?
You can savour once in a lifetime experiences with great home cooks on their farms. If you’re a gourmet cook, you may prefer more professional level cooking lessons with restaurant chefs. Check cooking teachers’ qualifications.
Ask about class level. Most classes are geared to food loving tourists, ranging from gourmet cooks to rank beginners. If the thought of cooking with people who can’t separate eggs gives you nightmares, gather your own group of good cooks together for a private cooking tour or classes.
8. What kind of cooking lessons do I like?
Hands-on lessons where you put your hands in the flour, or demonstration style classes where you watch the chef’s expert moves and ask lots of questions?
Many demonstration classes tend to be large from 10 to even 20 people. Julia Childs reportedly had 40 disciples watching her in classes at the five star Hotel Cipriani in Venice and following her in a long line through the Rialto market.
9. Where do I eat on my cooking tour?
Do you want to eat in a variety of local restaurants, so you get a real flavour of different cooking styles and towns and countryside in Italy?
Or do you prefer quieter meals at your country villa or estate, where the chef feels like an Italian family member?
Less expensive cooking tours feature most meals at home, while more expensive ones take you to more restaurants.
10. What is included and not included in the price of my cooking tour?
Some tour itineraries don’t make it crystal clear what’s included. Some say “optional” excursions or lunch “on your own” which mean you pay extra. Some say “evening at leisure” which means free time and dining on your own.
11. Ask for references
If you want to feel reassured you’ve chosen the right Italian cooking tour, ask the tour operator for names of past tour clients and their e-mails. Contact them to find out first hand if the itinerary delivers on what you want to experience.
For many food and wine lovers, taking a cooking tour in Italy means a long time dream is coming true and represents a big investment of time and money.
Make sure your dream becomes a fabulous real experience. When you have a short list of tours that appeal to you, read the itineraries critically and ask yourself these 10 questions.
Buon viaggio! Buon appetito!
Margaret Cowan wrote “Your Guide to 133 Decadent Cooking Holidays in Italy”, owns Mama Margaret Italian Cooking Holidays company, has run cooking tours since 1995 & has traveled to Italy for 30 years.
For more questions to ask, click “Free Report” at http://www.italycookingschools.com
September 2, 2010
Who Else Wants to Visit Italy This Easter?
For the citizens of Italy, largely a Roman Catholic people, Easter – “Pasqua” – is a very special time of year. It is, by far, the most sacred of all Christian holidays and, for most Italians, truly a reason to rejoice.
Many of the individual towns in Italy have their own unique Easter celebrations on Easter Sunday and during the days of Holy Week, including Good Friday. Easter Monday, also known as “la Pasquetta,” is also a notable holiday throughout the country, with schools and businesses closed and people taking to the streets to continue the celebration that began with the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ the day before.
Holy Week
In Italy, the most typical way to mark Good Friday was the day that Jesus was crucified – is by an elaborate procession, Passion play, or similar event. Again, the commemoration of this solemn day on the Christian calendar varies from town to town.
In Chieti, in the Abruzzi region of Italy, the Good Friday procession is said to be the oldest in the country and is certainly one of the most moving. Men and children parade through the torch-lit streets of the town, each wearing the colors of their home parish. They carry symbols that characterize the Stations of the Cross and one individual carries a large wooden cross. The entire procession is accompanied by the haunting sounds of about 150 violins playing Miserere by Italian composer Savario Selecchy.
In Taormina, one woman is chosen to portray Mary, the mother of Jesus. She wanders through the dark streets in search of her lost son, assisted by black-robed locals who attempt to help her find Jesus.
In Calitri, men in white hoods topped by crowns of thorns make their way through the streets carrying crosses on their shoulders. Church choirs follow them, singing hymns, psalms, and folksongs of the region.
In the Sicilian town of Enna, Good Friday traditions go all the way back to the period of Spanish domination in Italy, around the 15th to 17th centuries. About 2,000 hooded men travel through the main streets holding Vare, religious statues of the dead Christ and his mother, Mary. Others carry symbols of the crucifixion, including the thirty denarii paid to Peter to betray Christ, as well as nails and a crown of thorns.
Easter Sunday and Monday
Marking a joyous day after a very solemn week, Easter celebrations in Italy are spectacular and generally last two days, as Easter Monday is a designated national holiday for Italians.
The most notable Easter celebration is in Florence and is called Scoppio del Carro, the explosion of the cart. This tradition includes an ornate cart, dragged through the streets of the city by several white oxen. Following mass at the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, a dove-shaped rocket is aimed at the cart, igniting the fireworks within, which then explode accompanied by much fanfare and shouts of joy. A gala parade follows.
In Palermo, women dress in the elegant costumes of the 15th century Byzantine era and make their way through the streets of the town, handing out red Easter eggs to outstretched hands. In Chieti, a pageant is staged that represents the reuniting of mother and son, Mary and Jesus.
Easter Monday is a day of much merriment, characterized by events such as the wacky “cheese roll” in the Umbrian town of Panicale. Quite simply, participants roll their large wheel of cheese around a course set up on the streets of this quaint village. Whoever is able to get their cheese through the course with the fewest number of strokes wins the game. There is also free music, free wine, and lots of free hard-boiled eggs!
Dominic Siano is president of Tour Italy Now (http://www.touritalynow.com), the largest online travel tour operator. A lover of all things Italian, Dominic has worked extensively in the Italian tourism industry. To learn more about Dominic visit his blog at http://www.domsiano.com.