Italy Travel News 04/13/2010

From the article: "Italian winemakers, usually wedded to centuries-old traditions, are slowly embracing Twitter, blogging and Facebook to boost sales that have been hit by the global economic crisis."

A businessman in Italy wants to change city laws in Venice so that his company can supply gondoliers with gondolas made of fiberglass (current law requires certain building materials, colors, etc.). As you might imagine, gondoliers in the city are furious and very much against the proposal.

It's been a year since the devastating earthquake in L'Aquila; this lovely article says that despite some initial rebuilding activity immediately after the quake it now seems like rebuilding the town's vital center will be left to the residents – because they're no longer willing to wait on someone else to do it.

I'm not planning to make my own wine, but it's really fun to read about it – Vince Scordo & his family make their own wine every year.

Blogging pal Arlene talks about a trip to a chocolate shop in Rome that sounds like it's worth seeking out.

Here's the link to my April 2007 article about Home Food. I attended a Home Food dinner in Milan in November 2007, and it remains one of my fondest memories from Italy.

NY Times' Frugal Traveler Matt Gross writes about the Home Food experience in Italy. I'm glad it's getting more publicity, but I'm still amazed at how many people still don't know about it. This NYT article appeared in April 2010 – I wrote about it in April 2007 (http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/home-food-italian-cooking-at-its-best.html) after reading about it in a food magazine.

Hilarious. A road sign near Treviso in northern Italy says "Attenzione Prostitute" under a drawing of a large-breasted woman. Locals are laughing, not sure whether it's indicating a "prostitute crossing zone" or an area where you can pick up a prostitute. (via @thetuscangun on Twitter)

Sad news – train derailment near Merano (close to Austrian border) causes at least 9 deaths & 30 injuries (at least as of this moment). (via @AlexBerger on Twitter)

Is George Clooney killing the traditional Bialetti mokapot with his adorable-ness? Some Italian newspapers are citing the success of the ad campaign featuring Clooney for a rival coffee maker being responsible for Bialetti closing up its Italian shop & moving production to Eastern Europe.

Five favorite Rome iPhone apps from an American expat living in the Eternal City.