tourism-italia.com

I love skiing in the Aosta Valley and now others will also get the chance to see what the region has to offer as there will be a display at the British Ski & Board Show. In addition to the display, Leo Gerbore, one of the region’s best chefs, will be at the show to prepare traditional dishes which visitors will be able to sample. There will also be a selection of cheeses, meats, preserves and fine wines to test. For those of who don’t know where the Aosta Valley is, it’s between France and Switzerland in the north of Italy and is surrounded by the Matterhorn, the Monte Rosa and the Monte Bianco peaks. As well as the Aosta Valley showcase there will be displays of the latest skiing and snowboarding equipment. It starts on October 1^st at the NEC in Birmingham and finishes on November 1^st. Hopefully lots of people will go and get the skiing bug!!

Tags: Aosta Valley, Birmingham

Now let this be a lesson to all of you who tend to find yourself answering the call of nature in obscure places. On Monday night, the Mayor of Venice Massimo Cacciari caught a Portuguese man relieving himself into one of the city’s famous canals. The man was told off by the Mayor and the police were called. According to what Cacciari told reporters on Tuesday, he “saw a gentleman peeing in a canal and took the liberty of telling him that he probably wouldn’t do so in his living room”. The Portuguese tourist was fined 50 euros for his deed and sent on his way. However, this all seems a bit fishy to me considering Cacciari is facing criticism over the up-keep of Venice. The regional governor of Veneto, Giancarlo Galan, and Civil Service Minister Renato Brunetta have accused the Mayor of not doing enough to rid the city of rats and pigeons and that he has sold out to major companies, such as Coca Cola. But the moral of this story is, next time you are caught short in Venice, don’t pee in a canal or you face a fine!

Tags: canals, mayor, Portugal, Venice

So, we’re still waiting for the creation of the new Italian tourism website. According to the Wall Street Journal, the website has already taken five years to create and more than €45 million has been set aside and what we are left with is… nothing. When the website was first launched in February 2007, the number of errors on it was embarrassing. Don’t try looking at italia.it because I already have and there is nothing there. The government is currently trying to yet again design the website. So we must wait until next spring to see the next thrilling installment of the tourism website and find out whether Italy will ever have one.

Tags: government, launch, online

Forecasts predict that Silvio Berlusconi has won his third term in office. Now what will this one-man powerhouse do to encourage growth in our economy? As I have previously pointed out, there are less Italians willing to part with their cash as local tourists so something has to be done to improve the situation. Seeing as Berlusconi runs media, insurance and marketing companies, among others, can he lead the way and encourage more Italians to enjoy the delights of their own country? Berlusconi has promised tax cuts and handouts so maybe these will help. We will not always be able to rely on foreign tourists to boost the tourism trade.

Tags: domestic holiday, economy

The production of one of Italy’s best known exports may be substantially down this year with news that up to 32,000 water buffalo will have to be slaughtered. Around 30 % of the herds of water buffalo which graze in Campania near Naples are infected with Brucellosis which leads to abortion, infertility and reduced milk production in livestock. This could cost the Italian government up to 66m euros and mean a reduced production of mozzarella di bufala. However, will this outbreak affect Italian tourism in the same way that foot and mouth did in the UK in 2001? Although foot and mouth did not directly affect any events, its potential spread led to the postponement of the general election and the Isle of Man TT. We will have to wait and see!

Tags: Brucellosis, Campania, Naples

Go Lewis Hamilton! Ok so if I was being completely neutral I would be saying congratulations to Fernando Alonso on his win at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza but as I’m a Brit and I’m not, I am saying congratulations to Lewis Hamilton for coming second. Could we have in our midst a new future British Formula 1 in the form of Lewis Hamilton? Or will he be another Jenson Button and be promising in his first season and then fade away……

Tags: Formula 1, sports

I have just heard the sad news that the great man himself Luciano Pavarotti has died. He had only just been awarded the ‘Premio per l’Esccellenza nella Cultura Italiana’ for his contribution to Italian culture and it is a great shame. I am sure that many people visit the shores of Italy due to him and he will be sorely missed by people across the nation.

Tags: culture