Two on a scooter: finally legal…

Surprisingly, considering the high number of deaths involving scooters yearly (about 14,000), the Italian government recently passed a law making it legal for two people to ride on a motorino together.

This has long been the practice in Italy.  In fact, it’s not uncommon to see the motorino used as a ‘station wagon,’ with mom, dad, and kid (or kids), plus bags, all crammed onto the small seat of the scooter.

Feeling too blue? Go celebrate love during La Notte Rosa.

On the coast of Emiglia Romagna this weekend all you need is love. And they’re going to have plenty of it.

Take a white t-shirt, toss it in the love washing machine, and it’ll come out tinted pink.

Go for a ten kilometer walk with your sweetie, in the gentle glow of ‘love lights.’

Hairdressers are on hand to give your hair a pink tint for the evening.

And if you’re worried about missing the world cup, relax. The ‘world cup village’ awaits you, complete with enormous screen so you can catch the games.

There are also concerts, makeovers, poetry reading, theater, and an enormous fireworks show to light up the whole coast.

Not surprisingly, this big love fest coincides with the biggest singles reunion in Italy. So if you don’t have a sweetie quite yet head to Rimini or one of its sister cities tomorrow.

You can learn more at www.lanotterosa.it, which has an hour-by-hour schedule of events for each city involved.

Sales start tomorrow in Milan and Turin

In Italy, stores don’t get to choose their own sale days.  In fact, their are legistlated days which everybody has sales.  The summer sale season begins in the northern regions tomorrow, and later on in July for other areas of the country.

The store keepers are optimistic this season.  There is expectation that every family will spend approximately 260 euro on sale purchases.

A little vocab:

sconto=discount

saldi=sales

negozio=shop

commesso/a=store clerk

Link (Italian)

Little Italy in Eritrea

Reuters is carrying an interesting little (alas, all too short) article on the lingering influence of Italian culture in Asmara, Eritrea. After being brutally “colonized” during the rule of Mussolini, the region that now includes both Ethiopia and Eritrea gained its freedom, only to fall into a civil war as Eritrea sought independence from its neighbor.

After chatting in Italian to an elderly gent in an immaculate dark suit and carrying a cane, wander off to an outside terrace and lunch on spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams).

A few hours later, drop into a peaceful gelateria with views over wooded hills for a delicious coffee ice cream.

A hill town in Tuscany? Or maybe the palms mark it as one of Sicily’s cities?

Far from it. This is Asmara, capital of Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. No wonder a few days there can leave a former correspondent in Italy somewhat confused. (Link)

40th annual EuroVespa party–Vespa Club celebrates 60 years of Vespas

The biggest reunion of Vespa lovers took place this past week in Torino. And how big is it? They say that if you lined up all the Vespas belonging to the attendees, you'd get a line almost 4 miles long. That's a lot of scooters.

The three days of the festival were packed with shows, tours, and general drooling over or vaunting of Vespas.

To find out a little more about Vespa clubs, Eurovespa, or the world of the fantastic and legendary Vespa, you can visit www.eurovespa2006.it , www.vespaworldclub.com , or www.vespa.com. Or visit one of over 10,000 Piaggio dealers in the world and eat your heart out.

Here's one of the original vespas from 1943.

And one from 1965.

And a brand new one.

And, of course, the Piaggio Mp3.

Something to love . . . Pocket Coffee

We love chocolate. We love espresso. And somehow coffee-flavored-chocolate just doesn’t quite do either one justice.

Then we moved to Italy. And then we discovered Pocket Coffee. One of Ferrero Rocher’s beloved creations, Pocket coffee is a delicious chocolate shell filled with liquid (yes, liquid) sugared espresso.

You have to eat it carefully, preferably in one bite, because it will spill. The result? A perfect marriage of coffee and chocolate, and a delicious on-the-go pick-me-up.

Ferrero Rocher also makes fabulous Happy Hippos, which we’ll have to talk about another time.

Another toasty summer predicted

Anyone who travelled in Italy in 2003 may remember the horrific temperatures of July and August.

If you’re planning a trip this summer, better brace yourself for a repeat and bring your own air conditioning.

Those in the weather world are predicting a summer with temperatures decidedly above average. However, because of Italy’s position, there is talk that Sicily and Sardegna may escape this heatwave and experience summer temperatures below or at their average (though Sicily’s summer average isn’t all that cool either. . .).

Link (Italian)

Italy second in Europe for cleanest sea

The FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education) yearly chooses the cleanest and best beaches in all of Europe and awards them with a blue flag, to be flown for the year at that beach.
This year, Italy won 90 flags, putting it second only to Spain, which took 104 flags. It barely beats France (89 flags) and Greece (82 flags).
Of the regions in Italy, Tuscany won with a whopping 14 flags.
For a complete list of the best and brightest beaches in Italy, visit this link (Italian).

Gas prices–think you have it bad? Think again!

The rising gas prices aren't confined to the US.

If you were filling up in Italy you'd probably be pleased when you saw the price sign. 1.37. You'd even get excited. But then you'd remember that's in euro. And then you'd remember that in Italy they sell gas by the liter, and not by the gallon.

In fact, by the time you did the calculations you'd find out you'd be paying a whopping $6.55 a gallon.

Makes $3 a gallon seem a real bargain!

Something to love: our favorite Italian chocolate cookie

Next time you're at the supermercato grab a package of Mulino Bianco's cookies. These disc-shaped, dark chocolate delights are from their gran cereale line, which is supposed to be healthy-ish (plus, they're vegan–no eggs or milk). Our favorite of the varieties of this fabulous snack cookie is fave di cacao which means 'cocoa beans.' Yes folks, there are honest-to-goodness cocoa beans chopped finely and put in this tasty, crunchy cookie. For true chocolate lovers everywhere this is a special treat.

Google Maps now cover Europe!

As reported over at the Google Maps Mania blog, Google Maps and driving directions now cover much of Europe, though the level of detail appears to be uneven in less-traveled countries. Coverage in Italy looks pretty good; here’s the city center of Perugia, where we used to live.

1 million tourists in Italian countryside for Easter

Despite the uncertain weather for this weekend, over 1 million travelers (both Italian and foreigners) will visit the countryside for the Easter holiday, including those staying at hotels, second homes, B&Bs, and 15000-odd agriturismi. Easter is a big holiday in this country, somewhat comparable to Thanksgiving in the US, when families are expected to get together and enjoy a fine meal. Link (it)
Some related vocabulary: the word for Easter is Pasqua, which is related to the English theological term paschal, which refers to both Passover and Easter. (In Christian theology, Easter is the new Passover.)

Agriturismo is a phenomenon in which small farms have converted themselves for tourism purposes, often allowing guests to experience work on the farm, in combination with lessons in cooking and wine (turismo enogastronomico). It is also common for farms to increase revenue with gift shops that feature local products and specialties. The trend has become increasingly important for the survival of small (often organic) farms worldwide, especially in areas known for a diverse range of local products.

Thrills on the bus

One of many often-broken laws in Italy is one of tickets. Bus tickets must be purchased from small stores called Tabbachi (though they may be purchased for exact change–and a higher fare–from the driver upon boarding). As soon as you get on the bus–and are able to squeeze your way through the crowds–the ticket must be stamped by one of two machines which print the time your boarded on the ticket. These machines emit a loud Tac tac sound as they effectively make your ticket useless for another journey. Controllers–in special uniforms with ID badges–board the busses at random stops and check tickets. Anyone who is not holding a cancelled ticket for the ride is issued a ticket with a very steep fine.

Regardless, there is a culture of thrilling evasion as almost every bus-rider wants to avoid punching their ticket at all costs. Some evaders will ride close to the back door, leaping off at the first threat of a control check. Other evaders will stand next to the ticket-punching machine, poised to stamp their ticket before the conductor disables the machine if the controllers are seen at the coming stop. Both of these groups are foiled when the controllers board the bus undercover, only pulling out their badges once the bus has started again and the driver has disabled the machine. Still others will try any number of excuses (especially the foreigners) to get out of the fine.

This popular practice gave rise to this Italian joke, which has many variations:

A man gets on the bus in Rome and stamps his ticket in the machine—Tac tac. The driver turns quickly around and calls sharply, "What was that sound??"

 

Wish you were there: Fiesole

Call in sick and take a day-trip to Fiesole, a small town about a ten-minute bus ride from Florence. The bus to Fiesole is notorious for pick-pockets, so only take enough cash for a gelato.

Fiesole was founded sometime around the 9th century BC by the Etruscans and was taken by the Florentines in 1125. Besides offering breathtaking views of Florence, there are several stellar sites to see and some great gelato.

After arriving at the bus stop, check the return schedule so you can time your sightseeing accordingly. Then head up the hill to your left. We won't lie to you, it's quite a walk up the strangely proportioned stairs–but fortunately it's only April so if you're lucky you won't break a sweat. The first stopping point you come to is the fantastic overlook of the city of Florence. Take a seat, if you can steal a bench from the kissing couples, and take in the view.

Once you feel ready to go on (just keep thinking of gelato at the end of your trip), continue up the steps. At the top is an old church/monastery, the Convent of San Domenico, where you can visit a small basement museum of church artifacts or see some of the 'rooms' where various monks lived. In some rooms you can see where the monks slept (or spent the night trying to get comfortable). It makes even a dorm room seem spacious.

When you've had your fill of San D's, head back down the stairs. If you're in the mood you can check out the church below, or just head to the gelato shop across the road near the bus stop. Get a cone with cioccolato and cannella (cinnamon) and we will envy you as you relax on the edge of the fountain.

See you next week . . .