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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 koft
July 17th 2008

Horse & Cart Ride Europe » Italy » Umbria

Down the lane
The road up to the villa - vines on the left. The main house in front

So Bruno our farmer and super-equestrian saddled up his horse and cart, and took us down the hill and around the village on the horse and cart with “Lillie”. 900kg of horse, which at the end a very eager Jay and slightly apprehensive Asha got on the back and rode a little way. The kids loved the ride, Jay still driven by Tractors, Trains and Combine Harvesters was on a ride to spot these, Asha on the other hand marvelled at the sun flowers, the corn in the field and the horses pooh. At the end of the ride, the final [View Full Entry]

By koft
July 16th 2008

Perugia Europe » Italy » Umbria » Perugia

Perugina Chocolate Factory
Awaiting a lecture on the making of chocolate

What a bit of luck; its Jazz week festival time, and we are in town. So after a leisurely morning by our pool, we headed into the capital of this region. First stop was for the kids, during normal siesta, the famous Perrugian chocolate factory that make the “Baci” chocolates. Everyone having a love note inside. So we went on a chocolate factory tour, sat and listed to a talk about chocolate and then followed an overhead walk way looking at the “oompah” workers doing their stuff, the smell was gorgeous. We obviously then all had one “Baci” sweet each, with [View Full Entry]

By koft
July 14th 2008

Orvieto Europe » Italy » Umbria » Orvieto

Main square
View looking from the back (alter) end of the Cathedral. Restaurant we had lunch at on the left, gelato place we finished at on the right

A hillside and we mean hilltop really, town in Umbria. A funicular took you to the top of town, but we drove right into the centre in front of the cathedral. It was what you would imagine, four or five story terracotta bu8ildings, narrow lanes, people sitting in door ways, cobbled streets, a cathedral painted from tip to toe with biblical scenes and lots of al fresco dining. Unfortunately we arrived at English lunch time, which is Italian siesta, so most places were closed, but we went to a winery just in front of the cathedral that had good home made [View Full Entry]

By koft
July 12th 2008

Umbria Europe » Italy » Umbria

On the way to Umbria
Stopped at a patch of grass & a playground in a village off the autostrada for a leg stretch and a picnic

12th July to 22nd July 2008 Down from the mountains, through the plains of Tuscany and then up to the hills of Umbria. The terracotta roof tiles, the olive trees and the endless sun flower fields were incredibly. The temperature seemed perfect at around 28C, though was mid 30s on the way down. We arrived at what we can only say was the perfect Italian farm house. It's run by an Architect who trained in Venice, his wife is a potter and artist. Their organic farm produces olives and very good wine. The villa was idyllically Italian, just as you would [View Full Entry]

By sb765t
July 9th 2008

Assisi Europe » Italy » Umbria » Assisi

P7090224

July 9th, 2008 Meandering our way to Assisi - in the heart of Umbria - I realized that we would pass Modena...which made me think of Ferrari...which led me to Maranello, the home of Ferrari. We stopped in at the museum, which was very cool, and then swung over by the track and the factory, where I managed to snap a couple shots, even capturing a high-speed run of the Ferrari around the track. Now, I can't tell you which model it is...but damn, that engine sound is so sweet. Upon leaving the museum, a roadster had parked next to me [View Full Entry]

By Calderon Salmon Travels
July 4th 2008

RJs BLoggy Europe » Italy » Umbria » Perugia

I cant be related to these people no way. They dont drink water, they wait to eat at 4pm and make me suffer from hunger. Theyre like camels. ITs weird how everything closes from 1 to 4 in the afternoon but im starting to adjust so i have to plan out my snacks for myself because no one else seems to be hungary. I bought a guitar yea so wat. Im tired of everybody influencing me to not do what i want to do. I have come to conclusion that i am the only logical person left on this trip. Sleep [View Full Entry]

By themonts
June 21st 2008

Day 11 - On our way to Rome with a stop in Assisi Europe » Italy » Umbria » Assisi

The Assisi Basilica on the hill

Day 11 - On our way to Rome with a stop in Assisi We left Florence for Rome with a short tour and lunch in Assisi which also sits atop a hill within the Umbria region of Italy. Umbria is the only land-locked region of the 20 regions within Italy. I found the Umbria countryside some of the most scenic of the trip so far. Because our included dinner in Florence was a flop, our TD arranged to provide a free personal guide through the Basilica di San Francesco. Aside from Jesus, no single individual has had such an impact on [View Full Entry]

The steps to the entrance to the basilica. On the right side.

Dawn at the base of the steps to the basilica

By LDUCA
June 20th 2008

Orvieto on-the-way to Rome Europe » Italy » Umbria » Orvieto

Morning

We woke up super-early to catch a train, which we had to transfer in a lil' place called Terontola-Cortona... where we met FOG and COLD! I was freezing on the platform as we waited... but I made it and we got on our train to head to Orvieto. Once we went through all the mess to do leave our bags (climbing a steep! hill!) we took the "funicular" -- a type of shuttle that used the weight of the other car to pull us up the mountain. Once we got up that contraption, and grabbed a bus, we found ourselves some [View Full Entry]

By LDUCA
June 19th 2008

Assisi Adventures Europe » Italy » Umbria » Assisi

ahhh Assisi!

We hop on the train to get to Assisi early in the morning, to have one of the funniest moments of my life. We walked into a shop to purchase some souvenirs to find some good finds! We make our choices, and we make our way to the cash register... all the while surrounded by religious articles in the middle of a city known for its strong connection to the Catholic faith. We are then met by a spry older lady who very carefully and meticulously (and may I say slowly) wrapped up everything for us... but with a very dry [View Full Entry]

By LDUCA
June 18th 2008

Traveling to Perugia Europe » Italy » Umbria » Perugia

Waiting for the Train
a familiar site

Waking up super-early to catch the late train got us into Perugia much later than expected and left us Fabio-less (He returned to Ferrara to study and to work), but after resting up at the hotel, we make it into Perugia just in time to get a nice aperitivo overlooking a beautiful Umbrian landscape... followed by a delicious dinner that we just so happened to stumble on... the pictures tell it all this time around... [View Full Entry]

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