Delicious Italy

You Tube eyes Rimini

In the very near future it is going to be possible to broadcast live from mobile telephones straight onto You Tube and similar video delivering platforms.

Privacy legislation is already struggling to keep up and this next technological opportunity seems an incredible challenge.

Especially for beach dancers in Rimini.

The reason we mention this is that our 30 second clip of bronzed pensioners enjoying themselves last July at the famed Adriatic coast resort was removed for a while by You Tube recently. 

We checked the rules, and as the clip was ours, the reason could only be that it was not suitable for general public viewing or one of the participants had enforced the privacy ruling.

The former is a possibility of course, but the latter seems more likely.

Or, just a thought, perhaps the local tourism authorities no longer feel this image of Rimini fits with the future of the town as a congress, golfing, mid to up market all year round destination.

But that's not the Rimini we saw and wanted to share with the world.     

Who married Alitalia?

It seems the drawn out walz to find a new partner for Alitalia is coming to an end. 

At the end of the day, the old lady couldn't face getting hitched to a sober foreigner, Air France, and has got into bed with Air One, an ambitious youngster from Abruzzo.

The previous Italian Government did all they could to marry her off to her French cousin, but the wicked Uncle Unions wouldn't allow it to happen, especially when they greedily eyed the backing of the new suitor's main sponsor, the incoming Italian Government.

A dowry of 300 million euros was duly paid to rich benefactor Banca Intesa San Paolo and the coupling goes ahead.

Both bride and groom seem happy enough and hopefully the Italian tax payer who was funding the ailing bride to the tune of 2.3 million euros a day to keep her on her feet.

The losers are certainly the five to eight thousand employees of Ms. Alitalia who are no longer needed at court, and perhaps also the wicked Uncle Unions who played the wrong card, drowning their sorrows at the reception.

What a ride!

Social Rural Tourism

There are many formal and public funded courses and initiatives on offer throughout the year in Italy, many aimed at stimulating self employment. 

The 'Progetto ReMIGiugno 2008 is typical.

Free, the course is aimed at 'developing useful competencies for planning initatives finalised at promoting the new rurality'.

Financed by the Regione Lazio, the overall objective is to prepare mainly unemployed women aged 30-50 for entrepreneurial activity in the field of social tourism, by providing them with the necessary background and skills in 'cultural, social, educational and tourism for the territory". 

Cutting to the quick, having done the course the participants will then be in a position to open up companies in the sector of social rural tourism; hotels, agriturismi etc

As always with these sort of projects short practical work experiences are built into the course at 'importanti organizzazioni attive sul territorio' or 'important organizations active in the territory'..

Our opinion is that it is one thing benefiting from short familiarization courses in a business sector, and another opening a company with all the associated risks, pressures and obligations. 

As one radio journalist commented, 'how can an unemployed disadvantaged middle aged person possibly be in a financial position to buy or open a rural activity such as a hotel, holiday farm or other'.

The answer was that the graduates of the project will have sufficient knowledge and capacity to apply for further State and European funds to open their activity, with the ongoing support and expertise of the said organizers.

www.netform.net

Michelin Stars? - no thanks

This is a really interesting piece of news.

One of Italy's most highly regarded chefs and someone who has been fundamental in developing Italian post war cuisine has decided to hand back his Michelin stars.  

To be fair Gualtiero Marchesi has not just nominated Michelin, but the whole system of independent and not so independent guides and commentators.

Gualtiero is quoted as saying: 'L’unico giudizio a cui tengo è quello di chi si siede al mio tavolo per gustare un piatto“.

Or 'the only judgment I hold valid is that of those who sit at my table'.

Cooked impeccably and fusing many novel tastes, you certainly eat well in Michelin star restaurants, but .. but .. we have to warm to Gualtiero.

www.marchesi.it

High flying mozarella

Mid June 2008 does not seem the best moment to be getting into joint promotional ventures with Alitalia.

Especially if your sector has just come out of a dioxin scare which circumnavigated the world in record time.

But this is exactly what the new Agricultural Policy Minister announced recently in Caserta, one of Italy's buffalo mozzarella cheese heartlands.

In effect, anyone flying Alitalia between the United States and Germany will be offered the typical product as part of their inflight meal.

Both countries are major markets for the cheese which has seen sales fall by 40% from the same period last year.  

The cost of the promotion has been declared as two million euros.

Such solutions seem strictly old school particularly when you consider the opportunities offered by new media such Web 2.0, social networks, viral marketing etc and particularly if part of a comprehensive image marketing campaign.

A little bit of Po

What does the visitor to Italy know about the River Po? Next to nothing probably. 

Apart from alternate mass floodings and low water non navigability, this mightiest of Italy's rivers is overlooked.

Fortunately, film maker Giacomo De Stefano is currently making a boat journey from the  source to the Delta to document the river today.

The aim is to highlight the state of the river and to make us aware of how we have turned our backs on this fundamental natural resource.

His journey is being done by traditional river sail boat and can be followed everyday on Radio 24 and also on the dedicated blog - http://unaltropo.com.

Un Altro Po is also a wonderful play on words and means both 'another side to the River Po' and 'just a little further', obvious reference to his fabulous but tiring journey.

La Passione - si sente

'La passione si sente' is the popular tag being used by the increasingly popular Radio 24 here in Italy.

Translated that's 'the passion, you can feel it' and T-Shirts are available for purchase. 

But it's a good moment for Italian passions. Not least for fans of cycling and vintage sports cars, both at the two ends of the same scale.   

Both the Giro d'Italia cycle race is well underway as is the Mille Miglia. The former began in Palermo and finishes in Milan, while the latter does Brescia-Rome-Brescia. 

What fabulous events and who would not want to follow both from start to finish, ideally by bike or in an Alfa Romeo Spider.

www.radio24.ilsole24ore.com
www.gazzetta.it

Savvy Venice - you must be joking!

We received an email from SavvyTravel based in London asking to swap links. 

A very precise request as the website wanted a link from a food tour related page in return for a link to their Venice shopping page.

All we can say is that when we read the SavvyTravel Venice comments on eating out in the lagoon city, we naturally declined.

Their page begins 'Venice is a great city - pity about the food'.

From their point of view the reference is strictly to the well beaten track around Saint Marks and there is some truth here.

But the overall tone is to suggest it's not even worth trying to discover the rich cuisine of the city because, in effect, it does not exist anymore.

And even if you do you'll be massively out of pocket.

According to SavvyTravel Venice, and the all too clear image in the left column of the page, you'd be better off at Burger King!

How ungenerous.

What is the scope of this website and on whose experience are these opinions based.

We want names.

www.travelsavvy-venice.com/eatingout

Lemon crush

Further to our first post about the new James Bond film being filmed by Lake Garda, it seems  not everything is going to plan.

Not only was a 250K Aston Martin DBS driven into the Lake on its way to the shoot location, but a couple of stunt men also escaped unhurt from another smash only yesterday.

Well, at least they do these things for real like in the old days. No CGI effects here, mate.

Also about this time of the year the annual stats come out telling us where the most dangerous roads in Italy are located. 

If even stuntmen are crashing high performance cars you may think the B roads around Lake Garda might be among them, but alas.

The most dangerous roads include the Pontina south of Rome and the Venice-Marghera by-pass.   

You will need one this spring near Lake Garda.

Croatia - land of truffles, fine wine and olive oil

'Croatia - land of white truffles, fine wine and olive oil'.

Not exactly, but the actual pay off line being used by the Croatian national tourism board is a lot more subtle in relation to their neighbour just over the Adriatic Sea.

That's Italy by the way.

The actual line is 'The Mediterranean As it Once Was' and it is a statement full of intent. 

But it is the Croatia Tourism Food ad which really sits up and looks you straight in the eyes

In particular the line our gastronomic friend in the spot relishes saying: 'the wine produced in Croatia was so good, it was considered the best in the Roman Empire'. 

http://press.croatia.hr/video%5Farhiva/