Italy Travel News 05/23/2010

Frankly, I don't think the article requires any further explanation after that title, except I will say I find it even more amusing that a Vatican official flew to Scotland to ask the "Britain's Got Talent" surprise superstar face to face.

It's another click-through slideshow, which I don't love, but if you've ever heard the name Palladio in Italy you might be interested to know how influential this Italian architect has been on design throughout the world – including on major American landmarks you know. (via @italofileblog on Twitter)

Inter isn't my team, but I'll tip my hat to their accomplishments this year – they won the Italian cup, the Italian national championship, and topped it off with the Champions League title on Saturday. They're the first Italian team to win the so-called "treble."

My friend Christine who writes our sister site, WhyGo France, sent me this today. It made me giggle, so I wanted to share it with you. I prefer this to all the Jesus-face-in-burnt-toast stuff.

The Eye On Italy podcast got all into gelato this week, with special guest David Lebovitz – he's the author of several cookbooks (including a fantastic ice cream cookbook) and will be running some gelato tours in Rome this summer. Oh, and we also discussed pizza places in Naples possibly using the wood from dug-up coffins in their ovens. Yummy, huh?

Personally, I've had mixed results when it comes to contacting a tourism board in Italy and getting a response, but sometimes the websites of a city's or region's tourism board has good enough information on it or can point you in the right direction. So here's a handy list of many of the tourism boards around the country.

You may remember the "3 travel secrets" post I did on WhyGo Italy awhile ago – it was part of a bigger project, and that project is finally public. All the travel secrets posts were collected into a series of eBooks and for every download, Tripbase will donate $1 to Charity:Water. You can download just the Italy one, or all 7 eBooks. It's a great collection of travel tips, and it benefits a good cause!

Fiorentina's coach, Cesare Prandelli, is reported to be talking with the Italian national team about coaching when current national coach Marcello Lippi steps down after this year's World Cup.

I tell you, I never get enough of stories like this – where sharing a meal with people who were strangers before you sat down with them turns them into warm, friendly characters in a pleasant travel memory. The fact that this one is in Italy makes it even more lovely, in my opinion.

For the second year in a row, underground archaeological sites all over Rome that are normally closed to the public will be open and visitors can get guided tours from May 28-June 6. It's called "Roma Nascosta," and the site's only in Italian. You can get the PDF of places included in the program by clicking the "Programma" link on the translated page. It's in Italian, too, but should help you get an idea of what sites have tours and what days they're open. Many require reservations, which you'll make by phone. (via @katieparla on Twitter)