Italyfiles.net

Why Puglia is the choice for sun-seeking foodies

Dylan — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:00:31 +0000

Italy’s got a great reputation for so many things: art, architecture, stunning landscapes, cuisine, great weather – I could go on. If you’re after a foodie break with some sun thrown in for good measure, Puglia is your best choice.

The Two Sisters off the coast of Puglia

Situated in Italy’s ‘heel’, Puglia really is a fantastic region to explore. It’s one of the best places to go if you’re keen to spend some time on the coast, and the food is unbelievable – considering Italy’s a nation renowned for its food, that’s really saying something. It’s also among the top spots to experience the country’s authentic rural side.

Which foods to try

Puglia has a fantastic reputation for its food, which is particularly interesting given its traditional fare is cucina povera – or ‘poor cuisine’. When you come here, you can expect lots of fish, vegetables and offal – but there are some things that are particularly worth keeping an eye out for.

Of course, Puglia is famous for its wine, so no matter what dishes you pick when you’re eating out, choose a regional bottle to go with it (waiting staff should be happy to help if you’re unsure what would work best with your food). Patriglione is generally regarded among the top local reds.

Burrata cheese is another thing to look out for. This unusual cheese has a sort of outer shell, which is made of mozzarella, and is filled with a combination of cream and mozzarella. And, if you’re looking for something to go with your cheese, grab some local bread. Puglia bread is said to be the best in Italy – and there are a couple of types it pays to look out for.

These include Pane di Altamura, which is made using flour from a mixture of different types of durum wheat, and taralli. Resembling a pretzel, the latter is fairly soft and topped with chopped tomatoes.

Burrata Cheese

The coastline: where to go

Now you’ve got an idea of what to eat on your Italy holidays, you can start thinking about where to relax with a full tummy. The heel of Italy is home to a pretty staggering amount of coastline – 800 km, give or take – which means two things. Firstly, you’ve got plenty of places to choose from. Secondly, it’s easy to be confused about where to go.

Finding the top scenery isn’t tricky if you head to the Parco Nazionale del Gargono, though – a protected area that’s known for its beauty. This is where the region’s best beaches are, and there are some spots that are particularly treasured. You’ll come to one of these in the regional capital of Vieste – which is a medieval town well worth exploring in itself.

What’s really charming about the beach here is that it looks out on to a huge monolith that juts out of the water, not too far from the shoreline. It’s called Scoglio di Pizzomunno, and it’s got a great story behind it. Legend has it that the rock is Pizzomunno, a fisherman who fell in love with a beautiful girl and resisted the temptations of the sirens that plagued him. Furious at his resistance, the sirens turned him into the rock you see today and banished his beloved to the bottom of the sea. The two are said to be reunited for a single night every 100 years.

While this is definitely the top place to look out for, it’s well worth exploring some more of the Parco Nazionale del Gargono’s coast. What’s interesting about it is that you can come across pretty grottoes and limestone cliffs, all of which actually have more in common with Dalmatia than the rest of Italy – which is because the two areas were once a single landmass.

Renaissance Rome

Dylan — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:26:46 +0000

So last time we focused on Roman Rome, but what happened after? A lot, of course, to make it the intriguing city that it is today. Antiquity was a grim time in Rome and so were the middle ages. The Renaissance on the other hand, brought forth the ‘Renaissance man.’ Leonardo da Vinci for one may have been an artist, but he was also a scientist, an inventor, a botanist amongst many other talents. Rome during the middle ages was not a place you would want to be. Abandoned by the Pope for Avignon, the population sunk to its lowest ever after having hit an economic crisis causing many of them to pack up and leave. At this point the city was a ruins, left to the cows and the sheep to graze. A new Pope, Martin V, finally moved the Holy See back to Rome in 1418 and the rebirth of Rome as a capital of the world was set into movement, and by the end of the 15th Century, Rome came back with a boom. Some say it was because of Papal patronage, that all this was possible. Here are a few ideas of places to see that were built under Papal patronage.

The Sistine Chapel, one of the most famous attractions in Rome was built around this time. It was initially decorated with extraordinary frescoes, which are still to be seen along the walls of the chapel, by artists such as Botticelli, Perugino and Ghirlando. Only later did Michelangelo add his beautiful frescoes to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which is what made it so famous and the attraction it is today. If you plan to visit Rome, this is definitely not something you should miss, and no tour you partake in will miss this one out! The famous artist Raphael added his touches to a series of rooms in the Vatican too. If you want to see more of this, you should visit the Vatican museum, which boasts examples if Renaissance architecture, Michelangelo’s dome, and of course the actual church itself, which Michelangelo executed, but which was actually designed by Bramante. You can also see frescoes by Peruzzi and Raphael at the Church of Santa Maria della Pace. The Piazza Farnese, which lies just off the Via Guilia, is laid out like a giant drawing room. It was built by Sangallo, and the central window was decorated by Michelangelo, as well as the cornice and the third floor court. And lat but not least, the Villa Chigi is an architectural masterpiece by Baldassare Peruzzi. It was built in the 16th Century for a rich Sienese banker called Agostino Chigi, and this too features frescoes by Peruzzi and Raphael.

Roman Rome

Dylan — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:42:41 +0000

You will never be able to see all there is to see in one trip to Rome. Over two millenia of history has shaped the eternal city into a labyrinth of attractions. First and foremost, we come face to face with the realities of the Roman empire. Dotted around the city are relics of the might of the empire, and this seems like a good place to start your exploring. Here are my 5 suggestions on what you should go to see.

The most famous and one of the most impressive sites is the Collosseum. This monolith structure held up to 55,000 people and was built by Emperor Vespasion in 80AD, when it hosted gory gladiator fights and wild animal shows. I’m glad we moved on to football. Nowadays within the Colosseum you can have your picture taken with men dressed in Roman uniform. My next suggestion would be the Roman Forum, which is a gigantic complex of temples, basilicas and arches that have withstood the test of time. It used to serve as Rome’s center for social purposes, legal purposes, ceremonial purposes and business. This is definitely worth visiting, just make sure you give yourself the time to explore! Next on the list is the Pantheon. The Pantheon was built in 118-125 AD by Emperor Hadrian as a temple of the Gods. In the 7th century it was turned into a church. It has an amazing dome which you can view from the inside, the best thing being that admission is free. It is probably the best preserved building in Rome from the Roman era. At number 4 we have the Piazza Navona, which was originally built to host athletic events and chariot races. Now it is a beautiful square with 3 baroque fountains and surrounded by luxury cafes, where you can sit back and enjoy a coffee to enjoy the view. Last, but definitely not least I would like to recommend the Baths of Diocletan. They were the largest public baths in ancient Rome, once 32 acres in size. Now much of that has been destroyed, but the remains of the site are part of the Roman National Museum.

Verona Highlights

Dylan — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:02:42 +0000

This is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited in Italy. Located in the Veneto region in Northern Italy and 70 mile west of Venice, Verona enjoys the beautiful sunshine of the Mediterranean without the humid closeness usually associated with those areas. It is a few hours bus ride away from the beautiful Lake Garda, which is surrounded by mountainous country and resort towns. Other towns worth visiting in the area are Cremona, Brescia, and Vincenza.

Clod79/flickr

Within the city itself there are countless activities and attractions to give you a good, all round experience. The best places to visit in my opinion would be the Arena di Verona, a 2000 year old Roman Arena, which, despite its old old age still hosts Operas and other such events in the summer months, and is actually the largest Opera stage in the world. Another one to visit would be ‘Two Bridges’, the Ponte Scaligero and the Ponte Pietra. They are from the Roman era and the views of Verona whilst standing on either of them are breathtaking. Juliet’s House or Casa de Giulietta, is a highly popular attraction. Even though it is doubtful that Shakespeare ever visited Verona, you can follow in the footsteps of many other visitors and rub the right breast of Juliet’s statue for luck. The Castelvecchio is also well worth a visit, it is a beautiful old castle with an amazing art collection on the inside.

Of course there is a lot more to see and do if you’re ever in Verona. And these were only the highlights. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Thoughts on Florence

Dylan — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:36:31 +0000

I have been writing about Florence a lot recently and thought that it would be a good idea to sum up all the best things there are to do there. First of all there is so much to see in relation to the fact that Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance. Artists flooded over to Florence and contributed to one of the most influential artistic, architectural, scientific, philosophical movements that the world had ever seen back in that time. Great places to visit to see what was created would be the Uffizi Gallery or the Accademia Gallery. First things first, the Uffizi Gallery is one of the oldest and best known art galleries of the western world, featuring works from artists of the Middle Ages tomasterpieces of the great names of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Titian and many more famous names. The Accedemia Gallery boasts works such as Michelangelo’s world famous and much parodied Statue of David alongside its own musical instrument museum as well as many other artists. They are the 2 most popular art galleries in Italy and well worth taking the time to visit. If architecture interests you more, then you must definitely see the Dome of Brunelleschi, not that it would be easy for you to miss when in Florence.

This dome is over 600 years old and was built as part of the Santa Maria del Fiore or the Dome of Florence. The amazing thing about it is, is that it is still the largest dome built of stone and mortar in the world, even though it is so old. I like to imagine what that dome may have witnessed in those 600 years, and what it would be able to tell us if only it could speak! The city is a work of art in itself. Discover the squares with the churches and the frescoes scattered throughout. Discover the Ponte Vecchio bridge and the small shops clustered at its edges. Florence is your oyster!

Thoughts on Learning New Languages

Dylan — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:23:40 +0000

It makes sense that the first language a person learns affects the way he or she thinks about and processes information. Linguists have theorized for decades that primary language influences our perceptions. For example, Western languages are written from left to right and top to bottom and therefore, when looking at a photograph, a Westerner will begin at the top left corner and end at the bottom right. In contrast, those who read Chinese, will process the visual differently since they read from right to left. Similar to visuals, language influences speed. Native Italian language speakers can read and process information faster, even when reading words from other languages.

flickr: kladcat

Some people are scared to learn Italian because they think that they will not be able to roll their R’s. In fact, there are very many different regional dialects within Italy and some of these locals also incur “problems” with their R’s. Traditionally associated with a regional accent (Northern Italy) or upper class speech, the soft R or the “la erre moscia” is an integral part of the speech variation in Italy. For those that want to roll their R’s, imagine that you are trying to rev up an engine!

Another excuse many people use to avoid learning a new language such as Italian is that they are too old. However, people of all ages learn Italian everyday, although it is harder for adults to learn a language well compared to youngsters.

Every language presents its own particular challenges. For native English speakers, the particular challenges of Italian grammar are the correct use of the subjunctive and of object pronouns. Learning a new language, just like learning all new skills is a matter of determination and dedication.

On tour to Lago Maggiore in Italy – A great place to visit

Dylan — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:15:37 +0000

Did you ever think about going on tour in Italy? If you are planning to travel there, you really should visit the most famous Lago Maggiore, a pittoresque lake in northern Italy, sourrounded by the beautyful mountains of the Italian Alps. Nice cities lay along its shores, and there are many interessting places and things to visit. The lake is stretched over two countries: Switzerland in the north and the bigger part in the South, Italy.

Are there places of interesst? What else can I do there?

When accompanied, you can do some mountain climbing, go fishing or swimming.
You even can make trips with the boat over the sea. There are a lot of wellknown islands that lay in the lake, some of them hosting abbeys, others small villages or beaches.
Famous cities are for example Locarno, Cannobio and Luino with its lovely market, which is open weekly, to name only these three of them. If You were looking for accomodation in Hotels Lago Maggiore, you wil l have to pick your choice, as all the hotels render a service which is good and of high quality. You will also have to make your choice when you will dine out in an restaurant: There are Italian restaurants as well as German or French cuisine. Go ahead and be inspired by the richness of what is offered to you.

As You can see, the Lake with all of its stunning countryside is worth a trip, wether you want to enjoy bathing in its blue waters or to go on tour around the seaside views. If you want to relax at Lago Maggiore, you should think about visiting one of Hotels Lago Maggiore and have a really unforgetable Holiday here.

Milan – the Fashion Capital

Dylan — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:15:13 +0000

Milan is the fashion capital of Europe – 365 days a year. However, when it comes to fashion weeks, as gorgeous male and female models fill Milan hotels and pour into the subway stations with their portfolio books, the city is transformed, and the thrill of fashion business permeates it completely.

After the catwalk fashion shows held in September and February, spring and summer collections are just starting to hit stores and showrooms in Milan now, for the pleasure of tourists and fashionistas. The heart and soul of this, is Milan’s Fashion District, that little piece of the city closed between Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga, Via Manzoni and Corso Venezia.

A fashion show on the streets of Milan

In the lovely streets within the quadrilateral of fashion, fashion victims from all over the world find their happiness. All the best clothing brands, the most exclusive accessories brands, the most prestigious jewelers, have their windows and exhibition spaces here. Always crowded with Japanese, Arab, and German tourists.

But Milan is not only a high-level fashion capital for wealthy tourists. Milan’s Camera della Moda, is justly proud even of the collections proposed in the shop windows of Corso Buenos Aires, the fashion stores in Via Torino, the teenage clothing stores in the Navigli area and Corso Garibaldi.

Because everyone can find in Milan the best outfit for any clothing style … and wallet.

Guided tours to Venice

Dylan — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:28:47 +0000

Venice is one of Italy’s most popular destinations. Thousands of individual tourists and groups discover its many tourist attractions every day, enjoying a stroll over Saint Mark’s Square, a visit to the Doge’s Palace or to Saint Mark’s Basilica, a boat trip on the Grand Canal or a look at the Bridge of Sighs. Most of these travellers follow their own paths through the narrow streets of Venice, always at risk to get lost, to miss interesting sights and informations or to stumble into one of the many tourist traps set up by ruthless tricksters on Venice’s sideways.

The smarter ones among Venice’s visitors choose a different way: by hiring the services of a professional local tour guide, they make sure not to miss out on anything important, to find their way without losing precious holiday time and to avoid all the many dangers others are exposed to during their stay in Venice. Their local tour guide furthermore enriches their exploration of Venice with interesting facts about Venice’s history and amusing anecdotes about its inhabitants and visitors.

Possible guided tours in Venice

A guided tour in Venice can be held in many different ways. Be it a general introductory city walk with a duration of two hours, a guided tour to the inside of Saint Mark’s Basilica or a private boat tour on the canals of Venice: the professional venetian tour guides are always ready to show you their city with knowledge and enthusiasm. Additionally, many tourguides have specialized in certain fields. For instance, there are tour guides offering guided city walks on the footsteps of Casanova, guided tours about the criminal history of Venice, guided tours to Venice’s cimeteries or even city walks through the less popular quarters of Venice such as San Polo, Dorsoduro, Castello and Cannaregio. The exact program of your guided tour to Venice depends entirely upon your personal interests and preferences, and any guided tour held by a professional venetian tourguide will always be a unique, individual, enriching and unforgettable experience.

How to find the right tour guide in Venice

Thanks to the professional tour guides of Venezia Guides, a tourguide agency operated by the pan-european tour operator City Tours, hiring the best possible tourguide for your trip to Venice is as easy as it can be: simply send your request to Venezia Guides and let them know as much as possible about your group’s composure and interests. Venezia Guides knows the strengths and flaws of all available professional tour guides in Venice and chooses the best suitable guide for every customer.

For instance, wouldn’t it be strange to hire a 90 year old tour guide for a group of professional sportsmen? Or a guide specializing in art history for a group desiring to learn more about the criminal history of Venice? These and many more errors in the choice of your tour guide can be avoided if you decide to rely upon the professional tourguide booking service of Venezia Guides. Furthermore, you will also avoid any communication problems: thanks to its co-operation with the central reservation office of City Tours in Vienna, Venezia Guides can be reached anytime and will answer you in English or in many other languages of your choice.

Learning Italian

Dylan — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:01:00 +0000

There is no better country to learn Italian than in Italy itself. Learning Italian abroad is the best way to improve your language skills and become fluent in the best possible environment. Italian is a beautiful language and one that is quite easy to learn if you already speak French, Spanish or Portuguese. The case for this stems from the fact that Italian, along with the above listed languages, is one of the Romance languages that are derived from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome. Modern Italian today is based on the Tuscan dialect, but one can also still come across various other dialects if you travel widely in Italy.

An ancient Roman forum near the Colosseum

Beginning the task of learning a new language may be difficult but with the increase of online language courses, the world is now your oyster! Excellent websites such as Italian Language has excellent resources to learning Italian. It is a comprehensive guide that navigates you through everything; from the history of the language to pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. It certainly is the right website to learn Italian, especially if you’re starting from scratch.

Italian is a widely spoken language within the European Union with an estimate of 65 million people speaking it which is approximately 13% of the EU population. Outside of the EU, Italian is also an official language of San Marino, Switzerland and Albania.

Italian sheet music

Italian is also the language of operas and poems. The most famous poems of the 14th and 15th centuries were written in Italian, such as Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy and Giovanni Boccacio’s Decameron. In opera, the household names that spring to mind are Italian, such as Luciano Pavarotti and Maria Callas