I want to say up front here that I’m not a tech expert. For instance, I’m finally learning some HTML, only to discover that it’s an almost entirely outmoded form of writing code for these here internets (you know, that series of tubes)… But even though I’m not especially tech-savvy, I can read reports on the traffic the Italy Logue is getting. So I know how many of you are out there, reading what I’m writing about traveling in Italy - and we figured, “Hey, maybe all those Italy-lovin’ people might want to talk to each other now and then! Let’s make a forum for them!”
So, here you are, folks - a brand new Italy Logue Forum just for you. You’ll see a few Italophiles I know have helped me seed the forum with a few questions and answers here and there, so that you can see how it looks when it’s working, but there’s obviously lots of room for more topics and wisdom. And before you click over eagerly and start posting (which I encourage you to do!), let me give you the grand tour.
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I’m happy to announce that I’ll be spending just over a month in Italy, starting at the end of February. The husband will continue his job-hunting, and I’ll be traveling around taking pictures and gathering tidbits of information to share with you when I return. But don’t think you’ll have a month off from my witticisms, oh no! I’ll be posting from Italy as well, telling you how my trip is going and sharing at least a little of what I’m doing and seeing.
We’ll be based in Milan, so we’ll be seeing even more of the city than we did on our week-long trip in November, and we’ll be able to re-connect with the people we met on that trip. I’m really looking forward to having more than just a week in what I found to be an exciting and vibrant city, even if it still is going to be cold! I’m hoping to spend some time in Southern Italy, Tuscany, Venice, and the Italian Lakes region - but nothing is yet decided. All I know at this point is that I’m going. And for now, that’s pretty good. (And although I’m usually guilty of overpacking, that will not be what I look like as I head off for this trip. I mean, for one thing, I’m a girl.)
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Some Italian news for your Sunday reading pleasure:
Some knucklehead has actually proposed moving “David” out of Florence to relieve tourist congestion. WTF?!?
Finally, finally, finally - the scourge of pigeons in St. Mark’s Square may be over. Venice’s city hall has banned the birdseed sellers from hawking (no pun intended) any more of the stuff, which attracts the flying rats by the thousands.
Remember when someone turned the Trevi Fountain red? Well, a second act of what might be called performance art saw a half-million brightly colored plastic balls tumbling down the …
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Traveling isn’t the most eco-friendly thing we can do, so it’s a good idea to try to lessen your environmental impact when we do travel. Thankfully, more and more tourist destinations are making it easy to do just that. One way to do it is to support the economies of smaller communities, helping them to maintain more of their traditions without resorting to bigger industries which could damage the environment.
For instance, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia, eco-travelers can stay in cozy Alpine cabins which were slated to be demolished not so long ago. These rustic chalets were once homes for locals, but as the traditional means of making a living have gone out of fashion (things like farming), there are fewer people left who live in these Alpine villages year-round. While some people keep their chalets for summertime use, many families are abandoning their old homes altogether in search of work in the cities.
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This is just a quick post, because I wanted to get it up here before the contest I’m about to introduce you to ends this Friday. I was remiss in not telling you about it earlier, and I feel badly about that - especially because it’s a subject near and dear to my heart: Italian candy.
My friend Sara over at Ms. Adventures in Italy has written what she’s calling “An Introduction to Italian Candy,” but it seems way more than a simple introduction. She’s given you everything you need to authoritatively browse
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The cradle of the Renaissance, Florence attracts countless visitors all year round. There are, clearly, things that everyone wants to see when they visit. These are likely to be the same things you’ve got on your list, too, so the first thing to realize is that a little planning can help you avoid at least the worst of the crowds. No one wants to spend their vacation waiting in lines to see art, even if it’s great art. Your time is more valuable than that. Of course, there’s more to Florence than just art, but visiting this city without at
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Usually, with the Italy Travel Guide here, I just write stuff because I like writing about Italy. The fact that people are reading what I’m writing is, well, a bonus. So I don’t often think about what others might think of this here site - until, that is, I see that someone has reviewed it.
I just came across the site Blogged because another Italy blog I read got a review on it. So, I thought I’d search for the Italy Logue and see what came up. Much to my surprise, it’s been reviewed already! I don’t know who submitted it or how it was found, or even who reviewed it. All I know is that it’s already on the site with a 7.5 rating (which equals “very good” apparently).
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Well, it’s official. The 61st Italian government since World War II has finally collapsed. Prime Minister Romano Prodi lost a vote of confidence on Thursday, and former PM Silvio Berlusconi is calling for a new election. Italy’s President, Giorgio Napolitano, has said he won’t call new elections until the election law is reformed. The current law (which I don’t understand, so don’t ask) was put into place by Berlusconi back before the last elections in 2006, and it apparently makes it nigh to impossible to create and keep a solid majority in the Senate. People on all sides of politics in Italy seem to agree that change is needed in the law, and some reformers are even encouraging the Italian people to boycott a vote if one is held before the law is changed.
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For anyone who thinks that Italy is over-traveled and you can’t find any place in the boot-shaped country that hasn’t been covered extensively by Lonely Planet or Rick Steves, think again. Much of Southern Italy is as-yet undiscovered by the tourist masses, and although some make the trip to Sicily (often in search of relatives), even that famous island remains largely un-visited by most tourists.
Sicily has just shown up on the BootsnAll list of Top 10 Independent Travel Destinations for 2008 - ranked at #4 - noted especially for its beautiful beaches, “exotic and simple” seafood, and plentiful ruins (both Greek and Roman). Sicily is also home to Europe’s “largest active volcano,” Mt. Etna, which either provides a great place to ski or hike (depending on the season), or it’s a cause of much worry when the ground shakes and lava spews out the top. Either way, it’s bound to make your trip memorable.
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No three-and-a-half minute video can give you even the quickest taste of all the things there are to do and see in Rome. Still, sometimes it’s really nice to see places in moving pictures as opposed to just reading about them or looking at photos when you’re preparing for your trip to Rome. So, here’s a little video on Rome:
And be sure to check out our information about what to do in Rome!
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