A point of embarkation for emigrants in the past, Naples now has a large traffic of merchandise (petroleum, carbon, cereals) and passengers. In the vast urban area one can distinguish many different neighborhoods: the old center, characterized by buildings closely crowded together, is bordered on the west by the new administrative district and on the east by the business district, into which flows almost all the road and rail traffic. Other neighborhoods, with narrow climbing streets, rise around the base of the San Martino and Capodimonte hills. These neighborhoods have experienced intense development, typically of the simpler kind, in contrast to that of the residential neighborhoods that stretch out comfortably along the Vomero and Posillipo hills.

All Rights Reserved - Trey Ratcliff - From Stuck In Customs

Today Naples is a filthy, large, overbearing and crime-infested city - but in all these things lies the city’s charm. Although the living circumstances for most of Naples’ inhabitants are low, they know how to survive and to enjoy the joys of live.

Naples is a surprisingly large city, and a sprawling one, with a centre that has many different focuses. The area between Piazza Garibaldi and Via Toledo, roughly corresponding to the old Roman Neapolis (much of which is still unexcavated below the ground), makes up the old part of the city - the centro storico - the main streets still following the path of the old Roman roads. This is much the liveliest, most teeming part of town, an open-air kasbah of hawking, yelling humanity that makes up in energy what it lacks in grace. Buildings rise high on either side of the narrow, crowded streets, cobwebbed with washing; there’s little light, not even much sense of the rest of the city outside - certainly not of the proximity of the sea.

But the insularity of the centro storico is deceptive, and in reality there’s another, quite different side to Naples, one that’s much more like the sunwashed Bay of Naples murals you’ve seen in cheap restaurants back home. Via Toledo , the main street of the city, edges the old centre from the Palazzo Reale up to the Museo Nazionale Archeologico and the heights of Capodimonte ; to the left rises the Vómero , with its fancy housing and museums, and the smug neighbourhood of Chiaia , beyond which lies the long green boulevard of Riviera de Chiara , stretching around to the districts of Mergellina and Posillipo : all neighbourhoods that exert quite a different kind of pull - that of an airy waterfront city, with views, seafood eaten al fresco and peace and quiet.

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Holiday Parks are slowly becoming one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe and some of the best holiday parks in the world are located in the European continent. These are one-stop tourist centers that offer their guests a chance to relax and have fun. These parks offer lodging, adventure activities and resort facilities. Listed below are some of the most popular and successful holiday parks in Europe.

1. Cliff House Park - This park offers its guests accommodations in Thorpeness, Aldeburgh, Southwold, Dunwich and Suffolk. They have something for everyone and visitors can enjoy great meals, caravan holidays and affordable home rentals. Here, visitors get a chance to enjoy a great luxury outdoors vacation.

2. Ruda Holiday Park - Ruda Holiday Park is located in West country, England. This is a beachside park that offers their guests timbre lodges, camping, touring, caravan holidays, beachside cottages and many more beach activities. They also have a swimming pool complex that boasts of a 230-foot flume.

3. John Fowler Holiday Park - This park is the best holiday park in the vicinity of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. Guests to the park are treated to breathtaking scenery of the English countryside. They also have beautiful beaches and offer many beachside amenities and luxury facilities for visitors.

4. Broad Haven Park - Broad Haven Park offers its guests excellent camping grounds and caravan holiday services. They are known for their excellent food and top-notch park services.

5. Le Val de Cantobre - This park is located in Aveyron, France. Visitors to the park can enjoy some of the best sceneries that France has to offer. They can also take advantage of the campsite and cottages for lodging. The park is also home to a medieval farmhouse where guests can experience a sample of medieval farm life.

6. Baia Domizia Park - This park is located in Naples, Italy. It is one of the most popular holiday parks in Italy and guests can enjoy the beautiful sights, pristine beaches and fantastic views of the nearby mountain ranges.

7. Trevornick Holiday Park - Located in Cornwall, England, Trevornick Holiday Park is a great destination for families and groups of tourists. The park is conveniently situated near the Hollywell Beach, where guests can partake in swimming, surfing and other water related activities. A mini golf course and funfair is also located in close proximity to the park.

8. Playa Montroig Camping Resort - This is one of the best holiday parks in Spain. The Playa Montroig Camping Resort is located in Tarragona and it allows visitors to camp amidst lush tropical gardens. The Tam-Tam Eco-park is also located close by.

9. Ferienparadies Natterer See - Located near the Alps, Ferienparadies Natterer See is one of the best holiday parks Austria has to offer. Guests can participate in activities like tobogganing, curling, and langlauf.

10. Troytown Farm - This holiday park is situated in St Agnes, Sicily. One of the finest Italian parks, Troytown Farm provides visitors the chance to enjoy activities like camping and hiking in a beautiful scenic setting.

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Steeped in antiquity yet bursting with all that’s fashionably modern, Italy is the birthplace of La Dolce Vita - the sweet life that celebrates beauty and happiness.

Climate Winters are long and cold in the northern alps; the summers can be rainy with frequent storms. The far south is warm but often lashed by the sirocco - the hot and humid African wind that brings weeks of stifling heat to the areas south of Rome. Pleasant temperatures make spring and autumn the best times to visit Italy.

Accommodation:from cheap stays to luxury resorts
Check on the internet for the range, location and cost of hotels in Italy

Milan:cutting edge design and fine shopping

Milan’s drab facade belies the fact that it’s the innovation capital of Europe.

transport: getting there and getting around

Malpensa airport, located about 31 miles northwest of Milan, handles most international flights. For domestic and some European flights, Linate airport is used. Stazione Central, which as the name suggests is in the city centre offers an extensive rail network.

Milan has an efficient public transport system is efficient. It includes four underground lines, buses and trams.

climate

Other than the odd heat wave, the climate in Milan is mostly temperate.

accommodation:from cheap stays to luxury resorts Check on the internet for the range, location and cost of Milan hotels

events:what’s on and what’s hot

For all its consumer-driven culture, Milan celebrates the spiritual as well as the worldly.

*The first ten days of June celebrate the Festa del Naviglio, a potpourri of parades, music and various performances.

*The Milan Jazz Festival gets the city swinging in November.

*The Festa di Sant’Ambrogio, on 7 December is celebrated with services, offerings and fairs around the Fiera di Milano. This is also the day that Milan’s renowned opera house La Scala opens its season.

Rome:the eternal city

Drenched in history and weighted with monuments famous the world over - the Vatican and the Colosseum, Rome stands as the epitome of history and culture.

transport:getting there and getting away

Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino) airport is 16 miles southwest of the city with the Stazione Termini direct train running hourly into the city. The main bus station is located outside the Stazione Termini. The Rome Metro service has two lines, both of which go through Termini. It runs from 5:30 a.m to 11.30 p.m. and 0:30 on Saturdays.

climate

The climate is mild with sunny skies and pleasant temperatures. However July and August can be oppressively hot, November is often rainy, and December to February can be chill.

accommodation:from cheap stays to luxury resorts Check on the internet for the range, location and cost of Rome hotels

Events: what’s on and what’s hot

*Holy Week (Easter) is time when Catholics from all over the world arrive on pilgrimages to visit the city’s churches and to hear the Pope at the Vatican. On Good Friday a procession of the Cross goes from the Colosseum to Capitoline Hill.

The Estate Romana (Roman Summer), is at the heart of Roman social life from June to September. It’s a time when the city reverberates to free concerts, street theatre and outdoor cinema.

In September museums, galleries and shops stay open all night from 20:00-08:00 on the occasion called Notte Bianca (white night). It’s also a time of free concerts and other happenings all over the city.

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Spaghetti: a simple Italian-American staple. Also, probably the first image that comes to your mind when you hear “Italian food.” For some, pasta and spicy meatballs may be the extent of their knowledge of cuisine from the Mediterranean nation. Frankly, it’s easy to oversimplify traditional courses when you’re in the melting pot of the world. But what then is authentic Italian food? For starters, Italians don’t eat pasta all day. No spaghetti in the cereal bowl, thank you. Breakfast is typically a cold meal; most start out with espresso and a pastry, both available from eateries at the local piazza, a square that functions as the social center for the entire town. Espresso, as you will find, is actually a vital part of the Italian way of life. It can be quite bitter, so traditionally a little bit of chocolate is used as a complement. After this light meal, Italians are ready for something more substantial. Lunch is usually warm and can consist of two or three courses along with wine. It’s a crime to drink water while you are eating Italian food, so you should drink at least a glass of wine. This is an eating culture, so lunch is not hurried as in other places. People take their time, enjoy the food and talk to each other. In America, it’s the opposite: you have a warm breakfast like eggs, sausages and a very fast lunch, usually cold, like a sandwich or salad. Dinner is the grand finale, with varieties of courses and dishes intermingling to create the perfect meal. There are, however, two key elements that set authentic Italian apart from imitators: its freshness and its simplicity. That’s the difference between a meal that is merely so-so and wonderful. You could have the same pasta dish, but it would be the fresh tomatoes that make the experience wonderful. Fresh means not frozen, canned or jarred in any way; just picked fresh from the market. This offers a full sensory experience. Even when the ingredients are combined, you can taste each element. You can taste the tomato. You can taste the olive oil. You can taste the basil. When you eat it, it’s all very genuine, not sauce that has been boiled and had many items added to it over the hours to take away the acidity. Canned sauces tend to contain a lot of sugar which make the meal solid and heavy. Instead, you can feel satisfied when you’ve had something fresh and know exactly what you’ve eaten, without feeling overfull. The Italian likes to taste each element, not cover it up. That’s the art in Italian cooking. A good Italian chef can put together five or six ingredients and you really appreciate the fact that you can taste each of them.

Piero Caramella is an award-winning, veteran restaurateur with a 30-year history of opening and managing successful restaurants and cocktail lounges in Europe. With a passion for food and people, Caramella has spent decades perfecting the craft of creating restaurants that turn dining into a pleasurable and memorable event. He is now opening Divino, an authentic Italian fine dining experience in historic downtown Clearwater, FL., modeled after an Italian piazza and offers a unique dining experience that cannot be found anywhere else in the Tampa Bay area. From the cafe-style style dining around the fountain to the fine dining balconies overlooking the restaurant, Divino transports the diner to Italy where you can enjoy fine dining, coffee with friends, pizza, Panini or salad before indulging in homemade pastries. Visit www.divinorestaurant.com

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It is presented in a very quick and simple way – enjoy and try it at home.

Buon appetito!

Select the “Ancient Rome 3D” layer under Gallery in Google Earth. Download Google Earth at http://earth.google.com/rome/

And here is a preview:

If you want to learn to cook authentic Italian food and are willing to take a little vacation at the same time, there are a number of great cooking schools in Italy that are designed for the culinary traveler. Think about it, what an experience it would be working learning Italian cuisine in Italy. And don’t forget the style of cooking you’re interested, since the regions of Italy have different cuisines.

The Awaiting Table in Leece Italy has week long classes that go for 1895 EURO, which includes lodging at a bed and breakfast. Talk about getting immersed in a cuisine. Or, they have one day classes for 350 EURO. The day class covers lunch and dinner and trips to multiple markets, coffee, all wines and handmade liqueurs. Dinner is served in the old wine cellar!

International Cooking School of Italian Food and Wine has a week long basic Italian cooking courses in Bologna, Italy. Taste of Emilia-Romagna course includes some cooking instruction but also includes tours of the region to artisan cheese, balsamic vinegars and prosciutto. Prices include logging. They have other courses and tours including one at an October Truffle Festival with a private truffle hunt.

Of course going to Italy might be a bit much to learn authentic Italian cooking, an alternative is Anna Teresa Callen Italian Cooking School, it is in Manhattan. None other than Mario Batali recommends her. The cookbook author has been teaching people for over two decades.

Whether you want to take a trip to Italy to learn to cook or do it near home, there are many options available for you. Including many cooking vacations in Italy that include meals and lodging at a bed and breakfast.

Cucina Della Rosa Cooking School is outside Chicago and owned by Mary Rose Hoover. Hoover has a number of cooking classes each month with an emphasis on Italian cuisine.

If you want to learn more about Italian Cooking Classes stop by our website at CulinarySchoolNewYorkNY.com and have a look around.

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If you are in the mood for touring Europe, you should really consider the island of Sicily, a region of southern Italy. Depending on your interests, this beautiful area can be an ideal vacation spot. You can get classic Italian food, and wash it down with fine local wine. And many parts of Sicily haven’t yet been discovered by tourists. This short article presents eastern Sicily. A companion article presents western Sicily; another presents the capital Palermo.

Messina is Sicily’s third largest city. Founded by the Ancient Greeks it changed hands quite often over the centuries. The University of Messina started out as the world’s first Jesuit College, founded by St. Ignatius himself. In 1908 the city was virtually destroyed by an earthquake and the ensuing tsunami. Make sure to see the cathedral, the Calapaj Palace, and the Sixteenth Century lighthouse.

The walled village of Castelmola with its ancient streets and spectacular view is only a few miles from the coast. Don’t miss it. Go to the ruins of the Thirteenth Century Castello Normanno (Norman Castle). It’s more than a kilometer above sea level and you’ll have to climb the path from the parking lot below. Actually there are two paths with two different views and if you can you really should explore both, one up and one down the mountain. What’s to see when you get to the top - the city of Taormina and the Ionian Sea to the east, the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north, and Mount Etna to the west. Castelmola also boasts a Cathedral and several old churches that are worth visiting.

Taormina has been discovered by tourists. What a beautiful view, especially from the funivia (gondola). The Greek theater runs in the summer and Taormina boasts two top-of-the-line hotels.

Mount Etna is Europe’s largest and highest volcano. It is still active. Depending on the weather report climb part of it or take the train around the mountain base. The Hotel Villa Paradiso Dell’Etna started as a bohemian hangout and is now quite pricey.

Catania at the foot of Mount Etna is Sicily’s second largest city. Its volcanic soil is great for agriculture, especially for wine. Catania was buried in lava seven times; many of its buildings are constructed from lava. Visit its cathedral. Mount Etna is Europe’s largest and highest volcano. It is still active. Depending on the weather report climb part of it or take the train around the mountain base. The Hotel Villa Paradiso Dell’Etna started as a bohemian hangout and is now quite pricey.

Siracusa (Syracuse) was founded by Greek colonists. Its theater was built for 15,000 spectators. It hosts Greek tragedies every May and June. Make sure to see the Papyrus Museum, the Archeological Museum, historic churches and palaces, and the neighboring Ortygia Island, known as Citta Vecchia (Old City) with its own cathedral.

Sicilian ices are famous even if they no longer contain snow from Mount Etna. See our companion article I Love Touring Italy - Eastern Sicily for a sample menu and more information on local wines as well as an in-depth examination of its tourist attractions. Sicily is Italy’s largest wine producer. An independent Sicily would be the world’s seventh largest wine producer.

For more useful tips & hints, please browse for more information at our website:- http://www.tours-guide.com http://www.toursguide.reprintarticlesite.com

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After our explorations of Lipari and Salina yesterday the weather was going to keep us on the island of Salina today. I woke up early at about 6 am and stuck my head out of the boat. A beautiful sunrise was in the making so I grabbed my camera and took in the pink, orange and peach coloured hues of this glorious sunrise in Santa Marina. Dark coloured clouds were hanging on the horizon. A catamaran had just pulled out of the harbour and provided an interesting anchor point for my photos.

Shortly after it started to rain and when we got up for breakfast our skipper Francesco explained that the weather forecast today may not be good enough for us to leave the island, so we have to have a briefing in the early afternoon. Two additional guests had arrived, Franco, another Italian teacher and the co-owner of Laboratorio Linguistico, and his friend Agnieszka, a young music student from Poland who was learning Italian since she was studying music in Rome. Our trusted four-cabin sailboat, the Solitaire II, now had passengers in every cabin, and there were seven of us traveling now.

Herbert, the German television travel journalist, was on an official location scouting trip for his travel show to gather intelligence for next year’s shoot which would feature the Italian learning experience on board of a sailboat, provided by Francesco’s company, Laboratorio Linguistico. Herbert needed to check out all the interesting spots, the lighting, the locations and the facilities so he would be able to make plans for the script and the camera crew that would come down from Germany next year to film the extraordinary experience of learning Italian on a sailboat while cruising through the beautiful Eolian Islands.

So in order to get to know the island better Herbert had asked Francesco to make arrangements with some local experts to take him to different spots on the island. Herbert graciously offered to take other people along on his island exploration, and Claudia and me excitedly agreed. Sure enough, Sabina Giuffré, who we had already met last night at dinner, and her local friend Giancarlo, came to pick us up in a rented vehicle to give us a tour of the island.

We were nice and comfy in the small Italian vehicle and after just a 10 minute drive, we had arrived at our first stop: the “Gola del Diablo”, a gorge cut into the black and brown volcanic rock, featuring an ancient Roman bridge. The stone formations were indeed impressive, and the layers of ancient lava flows were clearly visible.

We also stopped in the village of Lingua where we visited a local ethnographic museum that featured various exhibits, illustrating the ancient ways of life on this local island. An ancient millstone, various farming implements, even an original bedroom from a farm were exhibited in this museum. This small museum provides great insight into the traditional lifestyle on these islands. We then walked around the corner and steps away is the main square of this tiny town. Here at the Bar “Da Alfredo” we congregated and received free samples of granitas – the semi-frozen Sicilian dessert composed of sugar, water and different flavourings such as strawberry, melon, peach, orange, lime, coffee, almonds and many others.

Similar to sorbets, granitas usually have larger crystals, and the locals often eat them in combination with a brioche. The black sky overhanging the mountains was ominous, but a bright ray of sunshine lit up the façades of the houses around the square. A big husky dog was snoozing contentedly on the floor and I was wondering how this poor dog with his thick fur would be able to handle the hot Sicilian summers. The locals were very hospitable and humorous banter was flying back and forth.

From here we drove back through Salina, dropped off Giancarlo and stopped at Sabina’s house which she has turned into a bed and breakfast . Salina’s dad came to greet us and I couldn’t help but detect a resemblance to famous actor Kirk Douglas. He graciously picked some “nespole” (loquat fruits) for us from his fruit tree. These fruits, originally indigenous to Southeastern China and grown in warm climates around the world today, are similar in appearance to apricots and are similarly sweet and juicy.

We appreciated this little roadside snack, thanked Sabina’s dad and continued our journey towards the next town on this island: Malfa, a small fisherman’s town. Along the way we stopped to admire the malvasia vineyards as well as patches of capers which are big export products for the island of Salina.

Malfa features a big church dedicated to San Lorenzo and incidentally was the hometown of our shipmate Lorenzo’s grandparents and a place that he was going to spend some time in. Sabina took us down to the fishing harbour and then back up the hill to a lookout point called the “semaforo”, a surveillance tower erected in the early 20th century which was also used during the Second World War. Sabina mentioned that UNESCO offered to buy this tower, but the local town turned down the offer. Today it is abandoned and blocked off.

Sabina stopped the vehicle and we walked out onto a lookout point which provided a gorgeous view of the Mediterranean with a great view of the island of Filicudi – the “reclining pregrant woman”, so called because of its shape, featuring a head and what looks like a big belly, protruding from the sea. To our left was a deeply indented valley which Sabina explained is an ancient volcanic crater, half of which has broken off and disappeared in the sea. Today it is the location for the village of Pollara which has one main tourist attraction: the house where the movie “Il Postino” was filmed.

The house where “Il Postino” was filmed

Of course we needed to check this out so we drove down some narrow winding roads, parked the car and walked up a short stretch on a dusty road to see a rather unremarkable simple and small pink-coloured house with some vines, which is one of the most famous locations on the island. Seen from outside, there was nothing spectacular about this house, and Sabina indicated that it is available for short-term rentals.

The weather was starting to clear up and the view from the northern tip of Salina was gorgeous. The distances on this island are tiny, but due to the narrow and winding road it definitely takes a while to get around. By 1 pm we were back at our boat and had a briefing with our captain: Francesco indicated that due to the weather forecast we were not going to sail today. So we had a comfortable on board lunch and I then headed into Santa Marina to walk around and make some phone calls back to Canada. Unfortunately the Internet café was closed since it was siesta time, which often lasts from about 1 or 1:30 pm to 4 or 4:30 pm. In Sicily you definitely need to time your shopping experiences carefully to make sure the shops are open.

From 4:30 to 6:30 pm Claudia, Agnieszka and I had our first Italian language lesson, provided by Franco on the outdoor terrace of a local bar. Now here is a concept: language learning on the terrace of a bar – I definitely like it. It made the somewhat painful exercises dealing with the complexities of the Italian “congiuntivo” (the subjunctive) much more palatable. I have studied a lot of languages with different language schools, and Laboratorio Linguistico has definitely created a very unique language learning concept here.

After our intense lesson I took another stroll around Salina and this time the Internet café was open. So far I have found fairly good public Internet access in different parts of Sicily, and it’s always great to be able to connect with home. Our boat crew spent a quiet evening on board, we fixed up a lovely home-cooked dinner with potatoes, salad, sweet carrots, cheese and various sweets for dessert. Some of my travel partners played cards while I organized my photos on the laptop which was conveniently hooked up to the electricity supply provided by the harbour commission in Santa Marina di Salina.

It was nice to have a day of rest in Santa Marina, but I am definitely looking forward to exploring a new island tomorrow: Stromboli!

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It is presented in a very quick and simple way – enjoy and try it at home.

Buon appetito!