Delicious Italy

Social Rural Tourism

There are many formal and public funded courses and initiatives on offer throughout the year in Italy, many aimed at stimulating self employment. 

The 'Progetto ReMIGiugno 2008 is typical.

Free, the course is aimed at 'developing useful competencies for planning initatives finalised at promoting the new rurality'.

Financed by the Regione Lazio, the overall objective is to prepare mainly unemployed women aged 30-50 for entrepreneurial activity in the field of social tourism, by providing them with the necessary background and skills in 'cultural, social, educational and tourism for the territory". 

Cutting to the quick, having done the course the participants will then be in a position to open up companies in the sector of social rural tourism; hotels, agriturismi etc

As always with these sort of projects short practical work experiences are built into the course at 'importanti organizzazioni attive sul territorio' or 'important organizations active in the territory'..

Our opinion is that it is one thing benefiting from short familiarization courses in a business sector, and another opening a company with all the associated risks, pressures and obligations. 

As one radio journalist commented, 'how can an unemployed disadvantaged middle aged person possibly be in a financial position to buy or open a rural activity such as a hotel, holiday farm or other'.

The answer was that the graduates of the project will have sufficient knowledge and capacity to apply for further State and European funds to open their activity, with the ongoing support and expertise of the said organizers.

www.netform.net

A little bit of Po

What does the visitor to Italy know about the River Po? Next to nothing probably. 

Apart from alternate mass floodings and low water non navigability, this mightiest of Italy's rivers is overlooked.

Fortunately, film maker Giacomo De Stefano is currently making a boat journey from the  source to the Delta to document the river today.

The aim is to highlight the state of the river and to make us aware of how we have turned our backs on this fundamental natural resource.

His journey is being done by traditional river sail boat and can be followed everyday on Radio 24 and also on the dedicated blog - http://unaltropo.com.

Un Altro Po is also a wonderful play on words and means both 'another side to the River Po' and 'just a little further', obvious reference to his fabulous but tiring journey.

La Passione - si sente

'La passione si sente' is the popular tag being used by the increasingly popular Radio 24 here in Italy.

Translated that's 'the passion, you can feel it' and T-Shirts are available for purchase. 

But it's a good moment for Italian passions. Not least for fans of cycling and vintage sports cars, both at the two ends of the same scale.   

Both the Giro d'Italia cycle race is well underway as is the Mille Miglia. The former began in Palermo and finishes in Milan, while the latter does Brescia-Rome-Brescia. 

What fabulous events and who would not want to follow both from start to finish, ideally by bike or in an Alfa Romeo Spider.

www.radio24.ilsole24ore.com
www.gazzetta.it

Savvy Venice - you must be joking!

We received an email from SavvyTravel based in London asking to swap links. 

A very precise request as the website wanted a link from a food tour related page in return for a link to their Venice shopping page.

All we can say is that when we read the SavvyTravel Venice comments on eating out in the lagoon city, we naturally declined.

Their page begins 'Venice is a great city - pity about the food'.

From their point of view the reference is strictly to the well beaten track around Saint Marks and there is some truth here.

But the overall tone is to suggest it's not even worth trying to discover the rich cuisine of the city because, in effect, it does not exist anymore.

And even if you do you'll be massively out of pocket.

According to SavvyTravel Venice, and the all too clear image in the left column of the page, you'd be better off at Burger King!

How ungenerous.

What is the scope of this website and on whose experience are these opinions based.

We want names.

www.travelsavvy-venice.com/eatingout

FAI - 16th Spring Event

The XVI Edition of the FAI Spring Days takes place on the 5th and 6th April 2008.

FAI or 'Fondo Per L'Ambiente Italiano' is a non profit organization who do good work highlighting and protecting the artistic and natural heritage or patrimony of the country and regions.

An equivalent would be the National Trust based in the UK.

The doors will be open in all 550 FAI locations in 240 Italian cities during the weekend.

An dedicated area in the FAI website is worth a visit to find out where.

www.fondoambiente.it

Best September Day out near Rome with no car

This summer more Italian citizens stayed at home than went on holiday.

A combination of a general lack of purchasing power and, just perhaps, a boom in things to do in the cities.

Not least Rome, especially along the River Tiber as part of Roma Estate.

Also a chance to catch up with friends and generally hang about in the capital, not so easy to do at other times of the year.

So, if people did go away it was for a number of short breaks, long weekends or majestic days out.

For one more fine day out from the Eternal City, as September cools but the sea remains warm, we suggest Nettuno. 

Your day would be something like this:

- Train from Termini Station early morning.
- Short walk through the centre of Nettuno to enjoy a quick coffee before paying entrance to one of the managed beaches.
- Swim and final top up tan. 
- Sandwich for lunch and checking out along the front the old Spanish fortress and Santuario della Madonna delle Grazie dedicated to Saint Maria Goretti.
- Back to the beach. As the onshore breezes die away, fresh water shower.
- Walk to the new marina to gawp at the sail boats, then enter from the port into the splendid old walled Nettuno.    
- Fried fish supper with a bottle of local white wine.
- Last train home. 

Miracle Salads

There are some great lines from knock about toga comedy films over the years, most of them unintentional.

The ones that get us giggling most are 'Infamy, Infamy, why have they always got it in for me!' uttered by Kenneth Williams in Carry on Cleo, and, 'Thrace thrice', we think by Phil Silvers as Marcus Lycus from the Richard Lester film 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'. Both, funnily enough, made within two years of each other.

Wind on almost 40 years to the real Forum in Rome and you can enjoy 'Caesar - more than just a salad!', a new offering by the Miracle Players who take over the cobbles around the Mamertine Prison every summer.

A non-profit organization and under the patronage of the Ufficio Spettacolo of the Rome City Council, the Miracle Players have been been performing their 40 minute improv. style street theatre for a few years now, with clear influences being the Comedy Store Players of the 1980's and Reduced Shakespeare productions to give you an idea of what it's all about.

Gallic King Vercingetorix might not have been splitting his sides here 2000 years ago, but you just might after a hard days summer slog around the capital.

So rest you feet and get there for 7.30pm any Friday evening from June 22 until August 10, 2007.

And best of all, its absolutely free.