Sunday February 7, 2010
2010 Carnival, or carnevale, season is underway in Venice with festivities through February 16, Shrove Tuesday, when carnival celebrations take place in many parts of the world. If you're in Italy in February, Venice Carnevale, the biggest carnival celebration in Europe, is an event not to be missed.
In Venice, each sestiere or neighborhood hosts carnevale events with public carnival events ranging from small neighborhood parties in a piazza to boat parades along the Grand Canal and masked parades in Saint Mark's Square. There are also extravagant masked balls and dinners, often held in luxury hotels. Just walking around Venice during Carnevale, seeing all the people in masks and costumes, and soaking up the carnival atmosphere is entertainment in itself.
This year the city of Rome is pairing itself with Venice for carnival in Rome. If you can't make it to Venice or Rome, there are many fascinating and unusual Carnevale festivals throughout Italy including parades with elaborate floats, horse races and equestrian events, and an orange throwing battle in the Piedmont town of Ivrea.
Italy Carnival Photos:
Man in Mask at Venice Carnevale © 2009 Betsy Malloy Photography. Used by Permission
Thursday February 4, 2010
No visit to Naples would be complete without a stop in one of its excellent museums. The National Archaeological Museum of Naples has one of the world's best collections of Greek and Roman artifacts, many of them from the nearby sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Naples has art museums, interesting religious museums that also have small archeological collections, and underground excavations of the old Greek and Roman city that can be toured. Most of the museums are housed in buildings that are interesting themselves as well. If you're planning to travel to Naples, consider visiting these Top Naples Museums.
Naples also has a fascinating historic center and is a good base for day trips to the seaside towns in the Bay of Naples, the charming island of Capri, Mount Vesuvius Volcano, and the many nearby archeological sites.
Wednesday February 3, 2010
This tiny van delivers cornetto pastries in Gallipoli, a seaside town in southern Italy's Puglia region.
Gallipoli Photo © Martha Bakerjian
Wednesday February 3, 2010
With Valentine's Day coming up, romantic travel comes to mind. You'll find ideas for where to celebrate Valentine's Day and for romantic travel any time of the year in Susan Breslow Sardone's Love Makes the World Go 'Round, a look at romantic destinations from About.com Travel sites.
According to a recent survey, 22% of travelers said that their romantic destination of choice would be Italy (see Where do You Travel for Romance?). Plan your romantic Italian vacation with our guide to Top Romantic Destinations in Italy.
Lake Como Sunset Photo © 2009 by Martha Bakerjian
