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The religious festival of Carnival or Carnivale as it is known in Italian, is taken rather seriously on the predominantly Catholic peninsula. This occasion of joy and celebration occurs some 40 days before Easter and is seen as a final oppurtunity to cut loose, celebrate and indulge oneself before Lent begins. The 40 days leading up to Easter in which Christians prepare for the crucifixion, death and ressurection of Christ by making personal sacrifices themselves. The event is celebrated in many cities, the most well know of which is Venice.

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With its canals and iconic architecture, Venice has been the setting for thousands of romantic breaks over the years. Used as a backdrop in countless movies, books and other works of art, Venice is a superb city for people looking to experience the finer things in life, and anyone in search of a romantic break will find much here to enjoy. Whether a couple is interested in life’s cultural attractions, or is simply looking for a taste of ‘La Dolce Vita’, Venice should provide them with more than enough to stay busy. (more…)

According to Reuters, Italian Tourism Minister Vittoria Brambilla is planning on opening 10 to 15 luxury casinos to boost the Italian tourism sector. These casinos would be housed in five star hotels and form part of a 19 point plan set out by Brambilla to help tourism in Italy, especially in the poorer southern areas. (more…)

To the disappointment of thousands of people (perhaps), Yoko Ono has cancelled her performance at the La Fenice theatre in Venice to commemorate the September 11th attacks. The only reason she gave for the cancellation was that it was a “personal decision”. I’m not a huge Yoko Ono fan, although not as bad as those who blame her for splitting up The Beatles, so I can’t really see the big deal about her pulling out. Apparently she is a “pioneer in performance and conceptual art” and “she remains one of the most influential artists today”. Really?! As far as I’m aware, most people only know who Yoko Ono is because of John Lennon. Or maybe I’m just not in touch with the art world, seeing as some of her works are currently being shown at the Palazzetto Tito in Venice. But I’m sure Italy must have enough artists to fill the gaping (?) hole left by Yoko Ono’s cancellation……

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!

Italy has long been the world’s largest consumer of bottled water, but now Venice is fighting back! According to the NYT, venetian officials have now started a campaign to encourage more people to drink tap water instead of bottled water. They are fed up of the amount of plastic bottles floating around the city and the sheer cost of rubbish collection. Therefore they have come up the brand Acqua Veritas. I think that it is a fabulous idea! Not only because I am fairly eco-conscious but also because I think it will improve the reputation of the city. This is a fairly light-hearted story and so the more publicity it gains, the more people may want to visit Venice. So not only a good environmentally friendly idea, but perhaps also a good tourism marketing campaign.

Today, as some you may already know, is the first day of the annual Venice Film Festival which is now in its 64th year. As a lover of films, I’m extremely excited to see if Brad Pitt will win an award for his performance in the amazing The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford. Seeing as Brad doesn’t tend to win the big award in the film industry (which I don’t need to name), it will be nice to see him win a prize of prestige, such as the Coppa Volpi. But who knows? I don’t tend to find the Venice Film Festival as predictable as the Oscars, so Brad may be in with a chance. So if you’re planning on visiting Venice between now and September 8th you may just see someone famous. Or if you’re unlucky, just a whole load of tourists!