A quiet escape in Italy

RIOMAGGIORE, Italy - Far from the spinning postcard racks, the camera-wielding tour groups, the blare of the train whistle and the lyrical background noise of everyday Italy - far from everything, but not too far - there is silence. In this Mediterranean seaside village, one of five towns that make up Cinque Terre, the silence fills an alley so narrow you can touch both walls with outstretched hands. There is no one around, no birds or airplanes above, no white noise, no Vespa scooters with their ubiquitous rumble. It is a moment to stand, be still and absorb.

Passion for all things Italian

Ravelli wines are produced in two stunning areas of Italy: the vineyards of the Veneto near Venice and in the beautiful region of Chianti. A taste of Ravelli will remind you of some of the delights of Italy, like the beautiful city of Venice, where shimmering water replaces the roads and authentic trattorias selling tasty local dishes are found on every corner. Ravelli is a taste of the spirit of Italy, captured in a delicious range which includes the ruby red Ravelli Rosso delle Venezie with hints of currants and violets and Ravelli Bianco, a refreshing white with juicy apple flavours.

Italy Travel Tip: Where to Eat Cheap in Italy

Where can you get great food for a song, combined with free entertainment and the chance to buy local handicrafts? Try a sagra. We've just returned from a medieval festival called "Anno Domini 1100" in the Little Lunigiana village of Castello di Regnano, a place we wouldn't have discovered at all if we hadn't read the signs along the highway noting the festival they hold in the medieval hilltown near the via Francigena pilgrimage route.

Travel Guru's Top Tips for Italy

Can you fall head over heels in love with a city? If Rome were a woman, she'd seduce you with her ageless beauty, mysterious secrets and her zest for life. If Rome were a man, he'd embrace you with his majestic strength, enduring artistry and romantic charm. It's a potent combination of romance, relics and ruins that makes Italy one of the top 3 Western European destinations for Americans.

The Sweet Life of leisure

France may be known as the canal barging capital of the world, but Italy has a boat or two of its own, including La Dolce Vita which plys Venice's waterways while serving up fine food and Italian history."I've been hearing about this boat going through Venice, and the first three days have been stunning," says Sak, 35. "I've been to Venice before, but you see it so differently on a barge. The little fishing villages, being mixed in with all this life that's going on around Venice in boats – it's been spectacular.

Advice on visiting Puglia, Italy

I've written about Italy several times, mainly because it gives me an excuse to eat great food at Tribune expense-and one of those stories focused entirely on Puglia, which is only now being discovered by American tourists. Very popular with bicyclists, but that doesn’t mean you have to.

Top 5 of Italy? Cinque Terre, say locals

I spent the first two days in Riomaggiore, then the next two in Vernazza. But you can base yourself anywhere and move between them as you wish by train, boat or hiking trails; only seven miles separate the five villages. You just can't drive beyond Monterosso. Roads as we know them don't exist here, and even the few residents with vehicles have to park their cars and motorbikes behind gates that separate the villages from the outside world. There aren't many museums here, either, but why should there be? The five villages are living museums of the Italian essence.

TRAVELING THROUGH ITALY

Cars and trucks zipped by, leaving us in their dust. Tickets for a bus ride across Venice? No one ever asked for proof that we’d paid. Infectious casualness came to mind last week when my children traded their car keys for long-distance travel on mass transportation. My daughter sped, so to speak, to and from Washington, D.C., by Amtrak. My son left the driving to Greyhound on his way back to a summer internship in Philadelphia.

Italy's Alitalia warned of possible travel disruptions due to a daylong strike

Italy's Alitalia warned of possible travel disruptions due to a daylong strike by its flight attendants set for Wednesday, the latest in a series of protests buffeting the struggling airline. Alitalia said in a statement Friday it would try to warn passengers of the flights that will be affected by the 24-hour walkout and called on the public to check the company's Web site. Alitalia did not say how many flights were expected to be canceled.

Florence in Italy was named the best city for the second straight year

NEW YORK: An Indian hotel has won the award for the world’s best hotel for the first time in a survey by an international travel magazine while Florence in Italy was named the best city for the second straight year. Travel+Leisure magazine on Tuesday released its 12th annual list of the world’s best awards after a poll of almost 19,000 conducted by researcher Harris Interactive. The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, a grand setting combined with palatial architecture in the heart of Rajasthan was voted the top hotel worldwide.

Austria, Italy agree on funding for railway tunnel through Alps

The agreement was included in a memorandum of understanding signed by the Austrian transportation minister, Werner Faymann, and his Italian counterpart, Antonio Di Pietro. The memorandum also foresees 2022 as a completion date. The Brenner Base Tunnel will have a length of about 56 kilometers (35 miles) — or 62 kilometers (39 miles) including a detour around the Austrian city of Innsbruck — and will link the north of the continent to its Mediterranean south.

ItalyTravelNotes.com invites you to share your travel experiences

ItalyTravelNotes.com is created by travellers who describe Italy from their personal point of view and share their inspiration of the country. The latest Italy Travel blog offers a meeting place between those who have travelled in Italy and those planning to visit the country - where they can meet over a cup of cyber cappuccino and share in their own experiences and advices.

Italy: Bountiful Bordighera

THINK of holidays in Italy these days, and many people's thoughts turn to the Italian lakes. Last year, on my first trip to Italy with my wife, we headed straight to Lake Garda without a second thought and there is no doubt it was a beautiful place to stay.

Europe's greatest train journeys

Railways created the world we know. Before railways, there were no seaside resorts, no suburbs, no standard time. Now Europe's railways are trying to change the way we travel in a world that has been reshaped – and threatens to be asphyxiated – by car and air travel.

Italy gives up historic buildings for use as deluxe hotels

The first to be offered is the Villa Tolomei, a crumbling Renaissance jewel at Marignolle in the Tuscan hills just outside Florence, which is to become an "elegant super deluxe hotel". The terms of the lease - under a scheme that emulates the Spanish system of Paradors - are to be published in the next two weeks.