Food Tours
Food Tours
Food Tours (Rome): since many travelers are in Rome and elsewhere to Italy to savor the country’s cuisine, there are now tours that let visitors conduct food tastings and learn more about the country’s various delicacies. Such tour groups include: www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com; www.parlafood.com; www.foodtoursofrome.com; www.deliciousitaly.com; http://flavorofitaly.com
Cinecittà
Cinecitta
Cinecitta (Rome) –– known as The Dream Factory, Cinecitta film studios offer us a fantastic journey through the history of filmography. Located just 9 km from the center of Rome, it is the most important European film industry: a wonderland of 400 thousand square meters in more than seventy years has seen the birth of the masterpieces of Italian and world cinema.
In fact within the walls of Cinecitta, more than 3000 films have been shot (of those films, 90 were nominated for an Oscar and 47 won the Oscar). Films made here include the blockbuster Quo Vadis, Ben Hur (which still holds the record of 11 Oscars won) Cleopatra, Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, The English patient (winner of 9 Academy Awards); Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, the musical Nine, and Mission Impossible 3. The HBO series “Rome” was also filmed at Cinecitta.
Admission: €10 (exhibition only), €20 (outdor set visit). Hours: 9.30 am to 6.30 pm (exhibition). Visits to permanent sets: every day (except for Tuesday) 10.00am (Italian), 11.30 am (English), 1.00pm (Italian), 2.30pm, 4.00pm (English), 5.30pm (Italian). Closed on Tuesdays. Note: schedule may be subject to change depending on the movies in production in the studios.
Cefalù
Cefalu
Cefalu (beach)(Sicily) – this golden sand beach is an hour east of Palermo (on the island’s north central coast) – reachable via car (or bus) via Autostrada A19, or via Regional Veloce or Intercity train ride from Palermo (50 minutes).
Cefalu is reputed to have one of the most beautiful in Sicily. Some areas of the beach offer lifeguards and watchtowers that make this the ideal Palermo beach for families with children. For history buffs, Cefalu’s nearby mountain is the site of ruins from a large fortress and an ancient Greek temple (Temple of Diana). FYI: “Cefalu” is the ancient Greek word for “cape”.
Carnaval de Venecia
Carnaval de Venecia
Carnival of Venice — established by the local oligarchy to offer the public a time for entertainment, its dominant feature was the masquerade – a moment to break social barriers. These days, the Carnival of Venice is a tourist-friendly folk festival filled with history, atmosphere and masks. During the two weeks of Carnival in this lagoon city, you can see numerous parades, displays and events of all kinds. Furthermore, as in the past, impressive private parties and masked balls are still held in the great Venetian palaces.
Among the highlights of the Venice Carnival is unforgettable Flight of the Angel, a long-held tradition (dating back to the year 1500): an artist, secured to a metal cable, makes a dramatic descent on the rope from St. Mark’s Bell Tower to the Doge’s Palace.
Bioparco
Bioparco
Bioparco (Piazzale del Giardino Zoologico 1, Rome) – this is Rome’s zoo, located in Villa Borghese Park towards the northern part of the city. Opened in 1911, this is one of the oldest zoos in Europe. It currently houses over 1,000 animals from over 200 species. There is also a playground and petting zoo for schoolchildren. Given Ancient Rome’s history with wild animals (especially the lions & tigers who ended up at the Colosseum), the animals here are much more fortunate. Admission: €14 (adult), €12 (children under 12 and seniors). Hours vary according to season. See the zoo’s website for more details: www.bioparco.it
Anti-Mafia Tour
Anti-Mafia Tour
Anti-Mafia Tour (Palermo) – the Addiopizzo Travel agency specializes in showing tourists Palermo area sites associated with the island’s long-time struggle against the Mafia. In particular, it conducts “ethical tours” of Sicily, encouraging both locals and visitors to patronize businesses that refuse to pay protection money (known locally as “pizzo”) to organized crime outfits. It also conducts more extensive tours beyond Palermo, going into the legendary town of Corleone. See its website for more info: www.addiopizzotravel.it
Via del Governo Vecchio
Via del Governo Vecchio
Via del Governo Vecchio (Via del Governo Vecchio, Rome) – this area has a number of retailers carrying apparel from many of Italy’s well-known designers. This area may be worth a visit, since one can find items not yet available elsewhere. This shopping strip has even more history than Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, since this area goes back to the 18th century when it was part of the Pope’s transportation link between the Vatican and Palazzo Laterano in San Giovanni.
Via del Corso
Via del Corso
Via del Corso (Rome) – with the Vatican City on the left side of the Tiber River, this shopping corridor, Via del Corso, stands east of the river. Known for being one of the few avenues in Rome that goes on a straight north-south direction (in a city notorious for its winding snake-like streets), Via del Corso boasts a variety of (mainly apparel) retailers, such as Zara, Diesel, Miss Sixty, Energie, Footlocker, Lacoste, Puma, Adidas, Nike, Frette, Disney, and Segue.
Within this corridor is the indoor shopping mall Galleria Alberto Sordi (Piazza Colonna), which not only has some of the aforementioned retailers (as well as others like Calvin Klein, Massimo Dutti, Trussardi Jeans, Florsheim, and Guess) but also restaurants, cafes, and spaces for musical events.
The Mall
The Mall
The Mall (Via Europa 8, Leccio Reggello) – this mall is located 30 minutes east of Florence (via car on Autostrada A1, Incisa exit), in the Tuscan hills. The retailers present here include: Alexander McQueen, Armani Jeans, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Emanuel Ungaro, Ermenegildo Zegna, Fendi, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, La Perla, Loro Piana, Pucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Sergio Rossi, Stella McCartney, Tod’s, Valentino, Yohji Yamamoto, Yves Saint Laurent.
Noventa Di Piave Designer Outlet
Noventa Di Piave Designer Outlet
Noventa Di Piave Designer Outlet (Via Marco Polo 1, Noventa di Piave) — owned by the London-based shopping center chain McArthur Glen Designer Outlets, and located 40 km northeast of Venice (30 minute drive) (via Austostrada A4), this is a more upscale shopping experience, for both locals and visitors, offering discounts (of as much as 70%) for much of the merchandise sold here. Retailers present here include: Armani Outlet, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Diesel, Fendi, Ferrari Store, Fossil, Frette, Geox, Guess, Hugo Boss, L’Occitane, La Perla, Lacoste, Lee, Levi’s Lotto, Missoni, Michael Kors, Miss Sixty, New Balance, Puma, Salvatore Ferragamo, Samsonite, Stuart Weitzman, Swarovski, Tommy Hilfiger, Valentino, and Versace.
Along with the shopping, this shopping center also offers entertainment, particularly during the Summer, when it holds its “Summer Music Festival”, with live appearances by Italian and international pop singers.
