Tag Archives: Fun Stuff
Become a Museum Reporter for Tuscany

Become a Museum Reporter for Tuscany

by Melanie on 16. Mar, 2009 in Arts and Culture, Destinations, Fun Stuff, Museums and Exhibits, Tuscany

As we reported last week, Tuscany has a brand new tourism website. We have also now learned that the regional tourism board is considering letting visitors weigh in on the Tuscan museum experience. According to the Florentine, the tourism board will be asking visitors in May to become “museum reporters” as part of the Amico [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }
Aerial Views of Ancient Rome

Aerial Views of Ancient Rome

by Melanie on 13. Nov, 2008 in Ancient History, Arts and Culture, Destinations, Fun Stuff, Lazio, Rome

Leave it to Google to continue to make geography cool and engaging. Yesterday, Google revealed the new Ancient Rome 3D layer, which allows viewers to “fly” over the city as it was during the heyday of the Forum and Colosseum. With this new layer, Google is also encouraging educators to use Ancient Rome 3D in [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }
If Obama Were Tuscan Wine, What Would He Be?

If Obama Were Tuscan Wine, What Would He Be?

by Melanie on 22. Oct, 2008 in Destinations, Fun Stuff, Tuscany

Have you ever wondered what kind of characteristics Sarah Palin or Barack Obama share with Tuscan wine? No? Neither have I. But here’s a fun little post from On the Wine Trail in Italy comparing the U.S. presidential candidates and their surrogates to various Tuscan vintages. I wonder if there’s a corresponding Facebook quiz… Sarah [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }
A 360-Degree Spin Around Italy

A 360-Degree Spin Around Italy

by Melanie on 24. Jul, 2008 in Amalfi Coast, Campania, Destinations, Fun Stuff, Sardinia, Veneto

Do you ever feel like you don’t get the whole picture when reading about Italy in guidebooks or on blogs? There are now a couple of websites that go one better than the usual two-dimensional picture. Expat Peter Ryder, a resident of Sardinia, has two websites that can give you a better picture of the [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }
See Italian Cities in 3-D

See Italian Cities in 3-D

by Melanie on 10. Jul, 2008 in Fun Stuff

This tip comes from Google Earth’s Lat Long Blog, which reports that Italy is one of several European countries to be included in Google Cities in 3D Program. It’s not immediately apparent if any Italian cities have completed the 3D task, though here are models of some buildings and piazze in Florence in the Google [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }
Walk Off the Pasta Pounds

Walk Off the Pasta Pounds

by Melanie on 15. Jun, 2008 in City Walks, Destinations, Fun Stuff, Lazio, Out and About, Rome

We all know that a vacation – especially one to Italy – is a good excuse to eat with abandon. But it’s also a great chance to get in shape, what with all the great walks you can do. Here’s a fantastic new (new to me, anyhow) website where you can learn about various walking [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }
Kissing in Italy

Kissing in Italy

by Melanie on 09. Jun, 2008 in Arts and Culture, Etiquette, Fun Stuff

Inquiring minds want to know: Which Way Do You Kiss in Italy? Jessica at Italylogue wrote this post today and, as an IBM (Italian By Marriage), I’ve always wondered this myself. Even though Italian-Americans typically only kiss once on the cheek (American efficiency?), I’ve always sensed that I’ve leaned the wrong way but I never kept [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }
A Video Game for Italophiles…Who Knew?

A Video Game for Italophiles…Who Knew?

by Melanie on 15. Aug, 2007 in Campania, Capri, Destinations, Fun Stuff

A number of press releases come across our desk, most of them irrelevant to our interests or assignments. One that came over the wire today is about Anacapri: The Dream, a video game that takes place in Capri and Anacapri. According to the release, the game requires that “you assume the role of an expert [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }
Create Your Own Italian Tour

Create Your Own Italian Tour

by Melanie on 10. Jun, 2007 in City Walks, Destinations, Fun Stuff, Lazio, Out and About, Rome

Here’s an easy way to use Google Maps to create your own interactive driving routes or walking tours. The website Wayfaring.com has done all the coding for you. All you have to do is locate your points on a map, give them descriptions, and you’re done. You can also connect waypoints to create routes. In [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }
Art Teacher in Your Pocket

Art Teacher in Your Pocket

by Melanie on 19. Apr, 2007 in Arts and Culture, Destinations, Florence, Lazio, Religion, Rome, Siena, Tuscany, Umbria

Art history junkies take note: learning about Italian art is easy with Jane’s Smart Art Guides. Order a CD set – or, even better, download the MP3s to your iPod – and you can learn more about St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome’s Santa Maria del Popolo, or the Fra Angelico fresco cycle in Florence’s San Marco [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }
Older Entries »