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Background: Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.

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By Halie Hites
November 19th 2009

Nothing Exciting Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Arezzo

Our internet in the Monastary and Annex is so bad. It comes and goes and more often than not, lately, is not existent. Tonight there was a meteor shower that we were going to go to (like it's an event or something) but Alyssa and I have Italian in the morning and we have discovered that if we go out the night before, we are really hard to wake up at 8am. Gag. But right now it's our only class. Haha. And it's once a week for two hours. That's how we met the British girls who drink like motherfuckin' [View Full Entry]

By Halie Hites
November 19th 2009

Still Uneventful Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Arezzo

We went on the hunt last night to no avail. I, however, was looking mighty fine in my brown bitch boots. Alas, we only ran into the "Ragazzi." The guys here are really not very gentlemanly. But then again they are only like 19 years old. We need some older men. So we went out with the Brits last night and Helena told us that she had to go to the dry-cleaners because Loren drunk-pissed on her bed. Can you believe that? DRUNK-PISSED on her BED! Who does that?! Okay, so my new best friend Kyle, who is so Byronic it's [View Full Entry]

By Tsunami Sara
November 4th 2009

Life on the farm Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Pisa

Wow it's been awhile. We've been biking almost every day since Florence in some pretty remote parts of Tuscany so it's been hard to find time to write. Biking through Tuscany has been an interesting experience. On one hand the food is amazing and everywhere you look there's olive trees and fields of vineyards turning yellow and orange. But on the other hand those "rolling hills of Tuscany" are not quite what I pictured. They're actually more like little mountains with roads that run straight up and straight down them. We found this out the hard way on our first bike [View Full Entry]

By Beebe
November 3rd 2009

Biking on the Ramparts of Lucca Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Lucca

On the Ramparts, Lucca
The trees were planted later, but the walls were begun 1500s. The walls turned out to be unnecessary, since Lucca was never attacked again....

Day 14 Lucca We rented bikes today and rode around on the city walls (4.2 kilometers, and we went around twice...) in the warm sun....the city is very liveable...compact and with many no-car areas. They are beginning to take down the many, many tents that cover each of the plazas, put up for the giant comic/gaming fair over the weekend. Hopefully some will be gone before we leave. After our bike ride we walked around the city, looking at the major sights, wandering the tiny alleys and passages, walking through the old gates, strolling the ramparts, and just savoring this wonderful [View Full Entry]

By diegocastro
November 2nd 2009

A Terra das Estátuas Peladas Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Florença

Dias 64 a 67 - Devido a um erro em minha mensagem pelo couchsurfing, repentinamente fiquei sem lugar para dormir em Florença. Havia mandado meu pedido com a data errada e, quando, no dia anterior, enviei uma mensagem confirmando minha chegada para o dia seguinte, meu anfitrião disse que havia me esperado três dias antes. Expliquei meu erro, mas ele não poderia me hospedar no sábado, apenas a partir de domingo. Ele então me indicou uma amiga sua que poderia me receber. Anna aceitou que eu passasse a noite em seu apartamento. Na tarde seguinte, ela foi me buscar na rodoviária. [View Full Entry]

By EdBKK
October 30th 2009

Florence Gelato Rip-off Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Piazza Della Signoria Gelato Rip-off
Beware of this Gelato place unless you want to pay 10EU per cone!

Florence is a very walkable city with lots of great Gelato places. But don't go to this one. It's next to the Loggia in the Piazza Della Signoria. See the picture. We got ripped for 10EU per cone! [View Full Entry]

By Driving Vacation
October 28th 2009

My Driving-Vacation to Tuscany Part 4 Europe » Italy » Tuscany

My Driving-Vacation at Tuscany, Italy

Florence Visiting Tuscany would not be complete without exploring Florence. Founded by Julius Caesar in 59 BC, Florence was the epicenter of Renaissance movement in 1500's. It is a place where arts, architectures, and cultures come to meet you. Florence's fascinating sights, brimming ambiance, and ambrosial smells give any visitor sensory overload. The relatively compact old town, separated from the modern town by the medieval walls, hosts many gigantic grandiose monuments, churches, and buildings that ooze gripping adventures and romances, victories and defeats. The Duomo, domed Santa [View Full Entry]

By Driving Vacation
October 27th 2009

My Driving-Vacation to Tuscany Part 3 Europe » Italy » Tuscany

My Driving-Vacation at Tuscany, Italy

Siena Driving towards Siena, I discovered a nifty feature. When I crossed the middle lane without turning my turn signal on, the departure lane warning system vibrated the steering wheel. It vibrated like my mobile phone. In California, during my regular commute, I witnessed other drivers brushing teeth, putting make up, reading Wall Street Journal, and eating with chopsticks on the highways. Those people will welcome this feature. Piazza de Campo, the Siena's enormous bowl-shaped piazza, was the best place to relax and do nothing. There were not many things going on but at the same time [View Full Entry]

By mshaw
October 26th 2009

Firenze Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

ciao everybody! It's my last night in Firenze (Florence for all you gringos... Just kidding :) ) and I finally have time to write an entry. Thankfully this hostel has wifi, but only on the first floor. But hey, works for me. Actually, the hostel itself is an interesting story. Ah yes, Interesting story #6 (and yes, I know it's ridiculous to try to keep track because obviously I have more than 6 interesting stories to tell. And I know the first "interesting story #3" got cut off and I don't remember what it was but bear with me): I was [View Full Entry]

By txubergeek
October 26th 2009

A Masterpiece of Italian Engineering Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

The duomo
The duomo with the tower in the background

Florence, Italy Monday, October 26, 2009 As I sat on the steps of the Duomo in Pisa and watched the people milling about the leaning tower, I started thinking about engineering. You see, the leaning tower of Pisa wasn't designed to sit at that angle, but through a series of engineering mishaps and miracles it has ended up that way. What started out as a simple bell tower for the town's church turned into the symbol of a town that you probably would have never heard of without it, as well as one of the most popular sights in Italy. What [View Full Entry]

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