tourism-italia.com

According to an article in yesterdays Los Angeles Times, there is a humongous gap between the most popular tourist attractions in Italy and the least. The lowest-ranking museum was the National Royal Palace Museum in Pisa, with only 299 visitors in a year! Considering the Leaning Tower of Pisa is in the same town, it is a great travesty that the museum can not capitalise on its fame. There needs to be less shuttling in of tourists and instead they should be allowed to walk around and enjoy the other attractions that Pisa has to offer. I would not be surprised if there were many more museums and tourist attractions suffering a similar fate all over Italy. But how can we change the way that travel firms operate their businesses? Maybe if more people knew that the National Royal Palace Museum was in Pisa, then they would want to visit it. However, I doubt many people are aware that there is anything in Pisa but the Leaning Tower.

Three more Italian sites have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List after a meeting in Canada. This means that Mantova, Sabbioneta and the Retica Railway have now been added to the list of 43 sites which are protected in Italy. Another 19 sites worldwide were also added, including the Temple of Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Stari Grad Plain in Croatia. I’m sure there are many more sites in Italy which need to be protected, but at least it’s a step in the right direction!

The continually poor conditions at the ruins of Pompeii are finally being addressed by Silvio Berlusconi’s new government. It is a great shame that one of the worlds most important cultural sites has been so badly maintained over the years. For such a well-known tourist attraction, there are currently no restaurants and only 3 toilets, with so-called ‘parking wardens’ running loose and unregulated. Berlusconi will appoint a special commissioner to resolve the issues at the Pompeii site, which in recent years has suffered from falling visitor numbers. I congratulate Mr. Berlusconi on being the person to stand up and finally do something to preserve the cultural experience of such an important heritage site.

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.