Rome Festivities

The festivities of the city of Rome in Italy. Not only Roman Catholic celebrations, but also Jewish and folkloric ones, for a tradition that has been going on for thousands of years.

Miniaturize Yourself in Italy!

Italia in Miniatura, or Miniature Italy, is a fun theme park for all ages that will miniaturize you!

Palio of Siena Tragedy

Should the Palio of Siena be suppressed? And what should happen to hippodromes?

Sicilian Cassata Recipe

A classic from Italian culinary tradition, a Sicilian dessert to prepare at home.

Italian Eco Friendly Aperitif

Sugheritivo is the eco friendly aperitif en-vogue in Italy since 2011. Bring a cork in, get a free glass of wine!

Wonderful Ischia Thermal Spas

Ischia has it all, and its thermal baths are a gift from the gods since ancient times.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Venice: Fun, Romantic, Inimitable


Elegant, precious, unique, fun, romantic: this is Venice, jewel of the Italian tourist scene. Here churches, palaces, ancient bridges, monuments and squares, tell the tale of great artistic and cultural vibrancy that marked and still marks the history of this city.

The heart of Venice is the beautiful Piazza San Marco, the most elegant drawing room of Europe, surrounded by works of unquestionable value: the imposing bell tower and the Basilica with its five portals decorated with marble and mosaics anticipate the luxury and richness of the interiors. The Palazzo Ducale, symbol of the golden times of the Serenissima, as Venice used to be called, the Mori Tower, better known as the Clock Tower, a masterpiece of engineering that has been keeping the time in Venice for centuries. Nearby is Campo Santo Stefano with the homonymous church, one of the largest in Venice.
From the square the island of San Giorgio Maggiore is visible together with the high bell tower that rises from the monumental complex of the former Benedictine Monastery, a masterpiece of the great architects of the period including the famous Andrea Palladio.

A true open-air museum, visited by boat or gondola along the Grand Canal, the main "road" of Venice, which starts at the Punta della Dogana, the ancient port of Venice with its distinctive triangular shape, today used, together with Palazzo Grassi, as Center for Contemporary Art. Do not miss the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Palazzo Venier de'Leoni, the most prestigious collection of works of art of the Twentieth century.
Further along are other important museums: the Accademia Galleries, hosted by the School of the majestic Grand Charity of the same name, that includes the church and the monastery and the Ca' Rezzonico, one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings housing the Museum of the Venetian Eighteenth century.

On the right side of the Grand Canal, also accessible through the Rialto Bridge, you arrive in the area of ​​the districts of San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsoduro where some of the most famous "campi" of Venice can be found surrounded by beautiful religious buildings and palaces: San Rocco, where there is one of the great schools of ancient Venice and the church dedicated to the same saint; the famous Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, one of the most important Franciscan buildings; San Polo and San Giacomo dall'Orio with the homonymous church in the center decorated with beautiful works of Renaissance Venice; San Sebastian masterfully decorated by Paolo Veronese; San Pantalon and San Nicolo dei Mendicoli with one of the oldest churches in the city and Santa Maria della Salute.

From Piazza San Marco, across the famous Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri), which offers wonderful views of the lagoon, you arrive in the Castello district, rich in architectural and artistic masterpieces. It is known that the "campi" of Venice are the historic squares, often adorned by important monuments in the center and dominated by the imposing and magnificent religious buildings from which they are named. In this district there are very interesting examples: the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, where state funerals are carried out; the church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, a splendid example of Renaissance architecture; the church of San Zaccaria and the church of San Giovanni in Bragora, considered by many one of the most beautiful churches in the city, and the church of Santa Maria Formosa born from a project of Codussi.

Continuing to walk through the streets of Venice, do not miss a visit to the largest Arsenal in the world, built in the Twelfth century and later enlarged by the great political and commercial development at the School of Venice and San Giorgio degli Schiavoni with some of the finest works of Carpaccio.
Cannaregio is located the Campo della Madonna dell'Orto, one of the few remaining examples of ancient flooring in a herringbone pattern, on which the homonymous church decorated by the great Tintoretto and the Scuola dei Mercanti are located.
Another magnificent example of Renaissance architecture is the Church of St. John Chrysostom, the last work of Mauro Codussi. In the ancient mansion Ca' d'Oro houses is a valuable art collection with works from the Venetian school.

Around Venice there is a corollary of islands: Burano, famous for the production of lace, Murano for its glass, Pellestrina characterized by sand dunes and tall reeds, Torcello, one of the oldest human settlements in the area.
Beautiful scenery can be found at the north side of the lagoon, characterized by sand of many shades of color changing with the light of the sun. The same effect can be found on the Dolomiti mountains, that have created this coast along the course of millennia. This is where you will find some of the tourist pearls of the Province of Venice; Caorle, with its narrow Calli (lanes), which are interwoven among the pretty pastel houses; Jesolo, with entertainment and nightlife; Bibione and its pine forest that stretches down to the beach; and Cavallino, the leading European location for "open air" tourism.
Along the banks of the Brenta are scattered many of the aristocratic Venetian luxury villas, built between 1500 and 1700, a symbol of wealth and prosperity of the Venetian time. Some of the best architects and painters of the time, such as Palladio and the Pilgrims, were the architects of these wonderful works of architecture.
The same we find in the magnificent surroundings of Mirano, in the Terra of Tiepolo, named in honor of the famous family of artists. During the Venetian rule these territories had a period of cultural development during which were built mansions and manor houses that can still be admired in all their glory.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Sardinia Beaches near Nuoro


The coastal area of Ogliastra is located in the central-eastern part of Sardinia in the province of Nuoro. Departing from Olbia you can reach it driving along the scenic ss125 ss131 or the highway to Nuoro, built in 1997. Other access points are Tortoli airport, which connects the island to the main seasonally national and European airports, and the port of Arbatax.
To the north of this area is the magnificent Sisine Coast, which with its nearly two thousand feet of cliffs is considered the highest in the Mediterranean. Impressive cliffs of bare stone suddenly appear, covered with luxuriant vegetation. Hidden and mysterious fractures and cracks in the coast are frequently populated by twisted, ancient junipers.

The limestone cliffs continue up to Capo di Monte Santu, which closes to the south the Gulf of Orosei. A limestone section leading south starts here and slowly changes into splendid red porphyry, reaching its maximum charm with the famous Red Cliffs, unique in the world, next to the port of Arbatax.

Along all this stretch of coast the landscape is ever changing. Always different and unique charming beaches display granite and porphyry shapes of a special beauty. The peaceful surroundings, crystal clear sea water and sand of magnificent colors are the accents that will make you fall in love with the beaches of Sardinia.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Thermal Waters of Ischia to Relax


Ischia is a small island of Campania, in southern Italy. It sits in the Gulf of Naples, and is very famous for its tremendous scenic impact, natural environment, clean waters, good fish and cooking, characteristic towns, and lastly, but most importantly, its thermal baths.

The thermal waters of Ischia are well known and used since ancient times. The first Euboeans settlers in the Eighth century BC appreciated and used hot springs waters on the island. The Greeks used the thermal waters to restore the spirit and the body and as a remedy for healing the aftereffects of war wounds. They attributed supernatural powers to the waters and vapors that flowed from the bowels of the Earth. It is not a chance by each spa resort temples dedicated to gods like Apollo at Delphi were built. Strabo, a Greek historian and geographer, mentioned the island of Ischia and the virtues of its hot springs.

If the Greeks were the first people to know the powers of the thermal waters, the Romans brought them to be a means of healing and relaxation through the creation of profitable public baths by the numerous springs of the island. However, no lavish bath establishments were ever built, as opposed to Rome and other ancient thermal baths centers.This was probably due to frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that often violently shook the island.

The decline of Rome coincided with the abandonment of the use of bathing even in Ischia. There are indeed no traces of thermal spas usage during the middle ages. A strong impulse to spa usage was given during the Renaissance by Giulio Iasolino, professor at the University of Naples, who realized the therapeutic potential of thermal waters. He cataloged all the baths of Ischia and the beneficial effects of each one, bringing more and more people to cure ailments with success. If you want to read more on this, get his book "De Rimedi Naturali che sono nell'Isola di Pithecusa; oggi detta Ischia". Iasolino freed the thermal waters of Ischia from its magical aura and the success of these treatments brought a group of noble Neapolitan philanthropists to build in Casamicciola the "Pio Monte della Misericordia", the largest spa in Europe during those years, allowing less wealthy people to enjoy the therapeutic qualities of the local hot springs.

Famous historic people like Garibaldi, Cavour and Toscanini visited the baths for their therapeutic properties, making Ischia even more renown internationally.
Thermal tourism started in the Sixties when people from all over the world started arriving to Ischia mostly seeking a healthy relax in a beautiful Mediterranean setting.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Puglia, Apulia, and the Fabulous Gargano Region


A set of rocky mountains on a promontory extends into the southern Adriatic sea, forms one of the four subregions of Apulia, the Gargano.

The highest peak is Mount Calvo with its 1056 meters. The promontory is bordered by the Gulf of Manfredonia, Vieste, Peschici, Rodi Garganico to the south and the Adriatic Islands of Tremiti to the north.
The Gargano, is occupied almost entirely by mountains and large plateaus, the most famous of all is the Umbra Forest. But the Gargano is not just mountains, indeed it is certainly best known for its nearly two hundred kilometers of coastline. The coast is made of beaches, pine forests, creeks, cliffs, dunes, fjords and caves.

The Gargano region in Apulia extends from Vieste to San Menaio, Peschici to Mattinata and from Rodi Garganico to the Gulf of Manfredonia and Margherita di Savoia up to the gorgeous Tremiti Islands.

In Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano is the Basilica of San Giovanni Rotondo and San Michele Arcangelo, a new church dedicated to Padre Pio, who was sanctified a few years back.

A holiday in Gargano and Puglia also means you have the chance to admire the beauty of the Gargano National Park. The Gargano National Park, with 120.000 hectares of lagoons, mountains, sandy beaches, marine reserves, villages and forests is among the most beautiful in Italy, but also sadly threatened by the irresponsible behavior of unscrupulous people.
The area also offers its visitors a rich calendar of events such as Peschijazz, the Piano Festival of Gargano, Gargano motorbike rally for bike lovers, and many culinary events.

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