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Written by Larry Aiello
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Saturday, 29 October 2011 16:25 |
Italy was hit with some flash-flooding earlier this week as over 20 inches of rain poured down in a 24-hour time frame. Hit hard were the regions of Tuscany and Liguria, a region on the northwest coast of the Italian riviera near Genoa (its capital) and the Cinque Terre, a series of 5 absolutely gorgeous towns with stunning ocean views. Monterosso, one of the 5 towns was very hard-hit.
"Monterosso does not exist anymore," Mayor Angelo Betta
According to the RAI televison network last evening about 6 million Italians are in the affected regions, and that part of Italy has been declared a national disaster area. Damages are estimated so far at 70 million Euros, or close to 100 million US Dollars. The storms have been blamed on approximately 9 deaths, and more are still missing.
The mayor continues: “We have lost electricty, gas, telephone lines and we have people missing. Everything is flooded. We need help quickly. It is just a sea of mud everywhere.”
Look at this amazing video below! Our thoughts and prayers go out to these people, hopefully they can pick up the pieces and recover.
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Written by Larry Aiello
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Tuesday, 25 October 2011 02:23 |
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Underneath the busy and chaotic streets of central Naples, you can find Naples Underground, a series of tufa-stone caves and caverns that trace back many thousands of years. Every day, there is a tour (Englsh) that lasts about an hour and a half, and talks about the history of the caves from when they were used as Roman aqueducts to the Second World War, when they were used as bomb shelters and air-raid shelters.
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Written by Larry Aiello
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Sunday, 23 October 2011 15:41 |
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Even though Halloween in Italy is not as big of a festival as it is in the United States or Canada, there are some small towns in Italy that celebrate the spirt of Halloween. One of them is the town of Venzone, in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Every year for the past 20+ years, they put up an amazing pumpkin festival [Italian lesson: Festa della Zucca] along the streets of the old medieval town.
You can sample pumpkin pizza and other various items made from pumpkin including various breads, pies, cakes and biscuits from the "bancarelle" or stalls in the old town. They also feature musicians, jugglers, entertainers, etc.
The festival takes place this weekend - below is a video from last year's celebration:
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Embedded in Italian culture in an iconic way is the Vespa, an Italian brand of moped (scooter) invented by Enrico Piaggio in Florence.
"A completely Italian product, such as we have not seen since the Roman chariot" The Times (1946)
 As Italy was coming out of the second world war, Piaggio envisioned a modern and economical form of transportation for the masses, and the rest is history, so they say.
Today the moped is a major means of transportation for many Italians. And it has been that way for many years.
What about for the tourist? Is it a practical means of transportation to get around and see the sights on your Italian vacation?
Does it make sense to rent a moped in Italy?
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Written by Larry Aiello
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Friday, 21 October 2011 14:14 |
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If you have been a regular reader to this blog, you know that I do not typically recommend driving in Italy. However, if you are planning to a trip to Italy from November 8th through the 10th, you should be aware that the gasoline stations are planning a strike. That means you won't be able to buy gasoline during that time frame. Over the next 3 months, there will be a total of 15 strike-days.
[Italian lesson: unleaded gasoline = benzina senza piomba | diesel = gasolio]
Here is an example of something that can really be a detriment to the Italian economy and the citizens of Italy. Can't the government step in and avoid something like this? Especially when it could be a matter of public safety.
Rent a car in Italy
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