Waiting for New Moon events start November 14 in Volterra, the Tuscany hill town that's the home of the Vulturi royal vampire family in the New Moon story. While Twilight saga fans await the release of the New Moon movie, they can attend the New Moon theme party Saturday night with the Volturi Club Volterra and on Sunday they'll get an exclusive look at 20 minutes of trailers and backstage videos from The Twilight Saga: New Moon that were shown at the Rome Film Festival. Details and reservations on New Moon Volterra.

Through December Twilight fans can sign up for a walk to the New Moon settings, Hot on the trail of Bella and Edward, with the Volterra Tourist Office on Saturdays at 5:30 pm.

More: New Moon in Volterra Photos - Here's a photo tour of New Moon sites in Volterra, home of the Volturi in New Moon.

Dramatically perched atop tufa cliffs, the Umbrian hill town of Orvieto makes an impressive sight as does Orvieto's stunning cathedral, with its glittering mosaic facade. The views of the countryside from town are also impressive.

Take a look at the medieval hill town of Orvieto with our Orvieto Pictures.

More: Orvieto Travel Guide | Orvieto Cathedral Pictures

Orvieto Duomo Detail Photo © 2009 by Martha Bakerjian, licensed to About.com

Previous Italy Travel Photos of the Week

Italy Sundial Photo © 2009 by Martha Bakerjian, licensed to About.com

The Jewish catacombs under Rome's Villa Torlonia Park may be the oldest catacombs in Rome. Recently I had the opportunity to visit the catacombs, currently closed to the public, by special arrangement on a SecretGardensItaly tour. That's me on the right wearing a hard hat and viewing the stunning frescoes - click on the photo to see it larger and find out more about the catacombs.

Secret Gardens Italy tours visit more than just gardens. Lisa, who runs the tours, is often able to get special permission to visit sites you wouldn't be able to visit on your own. She customizes each tour individually to visit several gardens or sites of interest in either Rome, northern Lazio, or Umbria. On this tour we also had a guided visit of the impressive Villa Torlonia, the 19th century villa where Mussolini lived for 18 years.

Jewish Catacomb Photo © SecretGardensItaly, used by permission

A few years ago we flew into Milan but our bags didn't arrive with us so we spent three extra days waiting to be reunited with our suitcases. I discovered that there are many interesting day trips that can easily be taken from Milan. Here are my picks for the Best Milan Day Trips.

Where to Stay: Milan Top Rated Hotels

Villa Lante garden is one of the top Italian Renaissance gardens. Fountains and water are the stars of the garden, built on terraces going up a hill. The photo shows the whimsical chain of water with stairs on both sides of it (click on the photo to see it larger). Villa Lante is in the medieval town of Bagnaia, near Viterbo (see Northern Lazio Map).

Take a virtual garden tour with our Villa Lante Garden Photos.

Villa Lante Chain of Water Photo © Martha Bakerjian, licensed to About.com

Susan Van Allen, author of 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go, will lead a panel discussion Females Fascination with Italy: What's Behind This Country's Everlasting Allure? at a free event November 15 at the San Francisco Museo ItaloAmericano. Dianne Hales, author of La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair With Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language, will also be part of the panel. This promises to be a great event for those of you in the San Francisco area.

If you can't attend the event, you can still read the books or get a head start on your holiday shopping and give them as gifts. You'll find them on my Recommended Italy Gift Books.

The ending of Twilight Saga's upcoming movie, New Moon, takes place in the medieval hill town of Volterra. The Volturi, the royal vampire family in the Twilight series, come from Volterra and the main characters end up in this Tuscany town. Volterra, an ancient city with Etruscan origins, is the perfect setting for a vampire story.

The final shots for the movie, that take place in the main square, were not filmed in Volterra but in the nearby town of Montepulciano, another medieval hill town in Tuscany with a similarly impressive main square - here's a photo of Piazza Grande in Montepulciano where New Moon was filmed. New Moon, by Stephanie Meyer, is the second book in the Twilight vampire saga to be made into a movie. New Moon premiers November 20 in the United States although parts of the movie were screened last month at the Rome film festival, attended by the film's stars.

More: New Moon in Volterra Photos - Here's a photo tour of New Moon sites in Volterra, home of the Volturi in New Moon.

New Moon Book: New Moon (compare prices)
Visiting Volterra: Volterra Travel Guide
Photos: Montepulciano Pictures | Volterra Pictures

Photo of Porta All'Arco © Tom Adams, used by permission

Previous Italy Travel Photos of the Week

Photo taken at Cantine Lunae in Liguria © 2009 by Martha Bakerjian, licensed to About.com

Rediscover artisan traditions of the past with Context Tours Florence new walk in its Made in Florence series, Saper Fare: Artisan Traditions of Florence. This walking seminar explores family-run artisan workshops hidden away in the medieval streets around the Duomo where traditional Florentine products are made.

Artisan Traditions of Florence walks, held on Thursday mornings, are limited to six people and led by English-speaking experts in social history, local crafts, and Florentine culture. The walk begins in Piazza della Repubblica, a square central to the history of commerce in Florence, and visits three workshops including a textile maker who has supplied the royalty of Europe, a jewelry boutique that combines traditional techniques dating back to the Etruscans with modern technology, and a studio dedicated to inlaid stone.

Another Context Travel walk focusing on traditional crafts in Florence, Oltrarno Artisans, supports sustainable travel by helping to fund an apprenticeship position for one of the artisans. (more about Context sustainable travel)