For example always have a copy of your important documents in your hand bag. While you are on a tour or visiting a place alone, then remember that is not advisable to keep all the money in the same bag. Spread it around, put a little in your carry bay a little in your suitcase a little in your purse etc.

Old lipstick carriers are always good storehouses of anything that you need to keep that would require a lot of cushion. So use these carriers to keep your earrings. There is normally a small mirror in it so all you have to do is put it in your bag and use the mirror to change the earrings and voila you would be ready. So you wouldn’t have to worry about losing your earrings.

If you are out on a casual outing then keep our outfit comfortable and casual. A formal wear in such outings looks out of place. Avoid too bold colors and don’t make yourself noticed in brash dressing.

Live in Rome as Romans do. Follow the numero uno trend of the place. There is no point in wearing a short top with hot pants in a country like Iran. So follow the habits of the place and don’t get yourself noticed.

Instead of a heavy handbag, keep cute small bag or a bag that can go around your waist. It is a numero uno tip.

If you are the wary kind then the all time old policy of projecting you is with someone surely helps.

When you check into the hotel try to restrict your name only with the first name. Don’t get a room located on the main floor. Take the elevator. Don’t get caught in a new place on the stairs. It is not a bad idea to leave a radio or a television on whilst you are out of the room so that your valuables are safe.

It is a good idea to befriend the concierge for she or he would give you lot information about the local area. These concierges are good bets for providing you with valuable help.

If you have a lot of valuables then keep it in a tampon box or a medicine box as these are places which normally no one would look for valuables.

Beauty care is very important and you need to stock up. So take things that you can use as a moisturizer as well as tanner and sunburn soother etc.

There are more tips which you will gradually master and become a Numero Uno in traveling.

Milan Walking Tour

I met my guide Alice and group in the centre of the Piazza Duomo. We start with an introduction to one of Italy’s best-known and most beautiful buildings, the Duomo. For a cathedral that has had 30 kilos of pigeon poo dumped on it each day and was under construction for six centuries, Milan’s Duomo, the third largest church in the world is looking in pretty good shape the morning I see it.

The stunning facade that features over 2,300 hundred statues was put in place by Napoleon during the French occupation. Today we’re lucky enough to see it gleaming white and sans scaffolding, the result of a seven-year restoration and clean up that kept the building covered most of the time.

Alice explains that what we see today is like a dress- the real structure is underneath. Inside, we’re able to view the thick black that coats the soft sandstone inside. Having Alice guide us through allows us to admire the little things we may have otherwise missed on the tour.

Shaney at the Milan Duomo

One example is the stained glassed windows inside the Duomo. During World War Two, all the delicate stained glassed windows were removed and placed in storage in the country to protect them from the threat of bombing raids. However, when they were put back in place, they were put back in the wrong order- an error no one has corrected to this day.

Afterwards we head into the stunning Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle, which 176 architects vied to create in the 1800s. Upstairs from the Galleria is Europe’s only seven-star hotel, an establishment so discreet Alice has to point out the unmarked windows and balconies.

We walk though the Galleria past Gucci (strangely opposite McDonalds) to the La Scala theatre, the famous Opera House, and then onto the Castello Sforzesco, a fortress home to seven museums that was founded in 1368. Alice gives a background to the city’s major landmarks but also a sense of what the city was like in the past: fought over by invaders and rimmed with canals just like another more famous Northern Italian city. Now, she explains, most of the city’s beauty is discreet- you have to keep your eyes open to see it.

From the Castello, we head to our final destination, the Santa Maria delle Grazie, the unassuming home of one of Italy’s most famous tourist attractions: Il Cenacolo or as it is known in English, Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

Our Guide Alice at the Milan Galleria

Tickets to see The Last Supper are strictly controlled, which means if you don’t book months in advance you’re unlikely to get to see it, but I’d managed to arrange mine by booking the Milan walking tour.

So what’s all the fuss about this painting? Well, for starters, it is considered the greatest work of the Renaissance, and Da Vinci painted it in an experimental way. Leonardo Da Vinci spent 17 years in the city at the invitation of the Duke of Milan and took two years to paint The Last Supper between 1495 and 1497. Apart from being a good 500 years old, the work has also endured a lot of mischief.

At one point, Jesus’s feet were chopped off during renovations so a door could be added to the wall. During Napoleon’s occupation of Milan, the room was used as a stable. During World War Two, it was shot at by rowdy soldiers, and later the convent was bombed during an air raid. Both walls either side of The Last Supper were destroyed, leaving only The Last Supper standing- left alone, some argue, by God’s grace.

After surviving all this, and the queue to see it, The Last Supper is well worth all the fuss. There’s 15 minutes time given to our group in which to view the masterpiece. We’re led through a series of locked, climate controlled rooms with automated doors that we pass through until it’s our turn.

When we all walk in, we’re all very silent and we look up and see it. It is bigger than I imagined, and awe-inspiring. The fresco has perfect proportions, so that if you stand in the centre of the room, it seems to ‘pop’ off the walls. It looks so eerily real. Alice givens us the drama and context for the piece, but I find myself tuning out. It is beautiful and moving, and I’m grateful to be able to view one of the greatest artistic masterpieces in the world.

Afterwards, we feel all feel a little light-headed after viewing such a masterpiece. Luckily, however, Alice sticks around and advises on the best places to head for our twilight Apertivo- a Milanese tradition of early evening drinks and snacks. While I’m pleased to have seen The Last Supper, I’m also glad to have had a chance to see Milan and better understand the city.

- Shaney Hudson

In 1563, Cosimo I de Medici, Grand Duke of Florence, was feeling a little insecure. His family had been battling with other local families and guilds for control of the city for about a century and had finally succeeded in turning the once proud republic into a hereditary monarchy, thanks to intervention from Pope Clement VII (himself a Medici). From 1532 onwards, the Medici would be kings, the Grand Dukes of Tuscany.

The Making of the Vasari Corridor: A Royal Strategy

When his son Francesco was due to marry Johanna of Austria, Cosimo decided it was time to take care of his own security. He commissioned Giorgio Vasari (famous as painter, architect and writer of Lives of the Artists), to build a corridor connecting the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of government, with the Palazzo Pitti, the royal home. Unlike most building projects at the time, this one had a limited time for completion. By using a simple brick design, rather than the habitual Renaissance carved stonework, Vasari managed to build the passageway in just five months. This despite the fact he had to displace whole families and remove the butchers from their shops on the Palazzo Vecchio because Cosimo did not appreciate the smell. Since then all the shops along the bridge have been occupied by local gold and silversmiths and the law putting this in place still exists today, which is why, much as they’d love to, Prada, Gucci and the like cannot get into this prime retail space.

The Uffizi itself took so long to build (1560-81) that the originators of the project never saw its completion. Guess who they were? Yes, Cosimo I commissioning Giorgio Vasari. Both died in 1574. And it was not built as an art gallery but as a place for the guilds of the city’s artisans to meet and work, all under the watchful eye – and control – of the Medici.

But enough history, today I saw the Vasari Corridor in the twenty-first century and it’s still something special. For starters, access is extremely limited. Visitors are only allowed in on guided tours of limited numbers, and only along the section from the Uffizi Gallery to the Boboli Gardens. A guardian stands by the unmarked doors in  the Uffizi with a special key, and a guardian follows you through the passageway, checking you don’t photograph the paintings along the way or linger too long to enjoy the exclusive view along the river.

Façade of the Uffizi Gallery along the River Arno

The Uffizi Gallery: Special Access to the Masters

Our tour started in the Uffizi itself with a quick tour of some of the key works of the Renaissance. A bonus of being on a tour was gaining entry to the Uffizi through a back door and not having to battle the queues snaking through the courtyard and down the street. My advice: always book a Uffizi ticket ahead of time. It’s crowded enough once you get inside, you don’t want to already be fatigued from hanging around waiting outside. A guided visit with special access to the Vasari Corridor can also be pre-booked, for a much smoother, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Be warned, Florentine galleries involve a lot of stone stairs. And a lot of people. From the beginning, we were jostling with other tour groups in front of the most significant paintings but our patient and polite guide took us through, still managing to take time to really explain how art changed in the significant years of the Renaissance. Beginning with the flatness of the Madonna and Child as rendered by Giotto around 1306, through to the more rounded figures and perspective of Gentile de Fabriano’s Adoration of the Magi of 1423, via the naughty monk Fra Lippi who had a child with a nun (she was the model for so many of his Madonnas), past the delicate beauty (and incredibly crowded room) of Botticelli, and on to the genius of Michelangelo and his only finished panel painting, the Doni Tondo of 1507. Here our tour of the main gallery ended – with so much art left unseen. (I realized I definitely had to come back and when I got home I went online and booked an advance ticket for the next day.)

More Storied History…

Painting Gallery, Uffizi

And so, our Vasari Corridor guards and guides awaited us. As we milled around waiting for those who had taken the opportunity to run to the toilets (very long queues – which is a bit of a theme for any Uffizi visit), we looked at the great view from up there. The Medici certainly had a way of putting themselves on top of Florence looking down on the city they basically owned. Originally this top floor was open to the sky and displayed Cosimo’s sculpture collection.

Then we entered the Vasari Corridor, more stairs, and the first thing I saw was a majorly damaged painting. I could hardly see what the image was meant to be. And there was another in similar condition at the bottom of the stairs. I had waited years for this moment and was looking at ruined art. The guide explained that they were examples of the damage caused by a Mafia bomb set off one night underneath the Uffizi in 1993. Five people died. If it had been during the day, the toll would have been so much higher. It was horrifying to think about.

In sober frames of mind, we headed down the corridor, following in the footsteps of the Medici family from 500 years earlier when they came and went from home to work avoiding the people they governed. The route of the corridor goes from the gallery, turning right above a specially-built colonnade next to the Arno, turning left to run across the top of the shops on one side of the Ponte Vecchio, around a tower (there was one family who stood up to the Medici and refused to give way for the corridor), across more shops, then the front of the church of Santa Felicita, then over shops and houses and on into the Palazzo Pitti. Our tour ended at the Boboli Gardens where a few steps lead us back outside.

Beautiful Views Inside and Out

The corridor is lined by closely hung paintings – this is the gallery’s famous collection of artists’ self-portraits. There is Rembrandt, Rubens, Filippino Lippi, right through to the twentieth century and a wonderful blue swirling self-portrait of Marc Chagall. Of over a hundred portraits of famous artists that we passed, I estimate only fifteen were of women.

Between the paintings are small windows, rectangular on one side, circular on the other. And the views are great – views you rarely have of Florence and so wonderfully framed by these almost portholes. Mind you, some of them were enlarged by Mussolini in 1939; it wasn’t only the Medici who had visions of grandeur.

Porthole window view of Florence at Uffizi Gallery

The most revealing window of them all is towards the end of the corridor and does not look out onto a view but into a building, the church of Santa Felicita. Cosimo decided that seeing as he was passing through a church along the way, he might as well participate in the service, but still only if he could stay aloof from those he ruled over. Hence this window looks down into the church and towards the altar with a small balcony and very thick protective railing. If you look up at the church from the road outside, the front is crossed, and largely obscured, by the Vasari Corridor.

In fact, once you are aware of the Vasari Corridor, you can clearly see it’s uniform façade running alongside the river, over the bridge and atop the buildings towards the Pitti Palace. Not so secret then. But clearly effective – Cosimo I managed to rule Florence for 37 years without getting knifed in the streets even as he accumulated wealth untold.

In fact, the family stayed in control of Florence until the mid-eighteenth century when the Medici family literally died out. Luckily for us, the final Medici, Anna Maria Luisa de Medici, bequeathed all the family’s possessions to the Tuscan State on the proviso none of it ever left Florence. It’s thanks to her that Florence is what it is today and that we get to see all these incredible buildings and artworks. She is definitely my favourite Medici.

Visiting Florence could be a joyous and unforgettable experience for visitors.  Anyway, if you’re planning to visit Florence, one thing that really important is accommodation.  The right accommodation not only offers a luxury comfort and facilities, it’s also strategically located so that you can enjoy all the city’s attractions without afraid of wasting unnecessary time.

Therefore, if you need an ideal  accommodation in Florence, florenceholidays.com an ideal place to start. There you can find solution for accommodation rental in Florence and Tuscany, villas, villas with pool, luxury villas, farm holidays, country houses in some of the most famous Italian art towns and cities (Siena, San Gimignano, Arezzo, Cortona, Lucca, Pisa, Volterra, etc.) or in the splendid Tuscan countryside (Chianti hills, Orcia Valley, Maremma). With these huge selections, you can find accommodation you need that meets your budget and your vacation needs.

Take Villa Florence for instance.  This luxury Villa is located about 8 km away from the Cathedral on the top of a hill at the gates of Florence. Designed with 19^th style, this Villa offers scenic and panoramic view.  Moreover, this Villa has a swimming pool with straight view to a garden cultivated with cypresses and lemon tress. What a beautiful not to be missed!

Or if you prefer apartment, why don’t try La Terazza Apartment. This cozy apartment is situated on the last floor of a patrician apartment in Florence historical centre. This place is ideal to stay with your partner or family with two kids.  What makes this apartment special is its wide furnished terrace offering a great view of the Cathedral, Giotto`s Campanile and the church of Santa Croce. After all, this is one of the great places where you can luxury with a comfort of your home.

Well, of course there are myriad other places to make your stay in Florence unforgettable experience. Make sure you check out this site before booking your airline ticket. Have a nice trip to Florence.

While Italian culture may be as old as the hills, the country as we know it only came into being in 1861. On March 17th of that year Risorgimento (revolution) ended, with most of the independent Italian states united under King Victor Emmanuel. The King named Turin as the country’s first capital. Technically there were several states not part of the unification in 1861 – Rome included – but we won’t argue the finer points.

The government has marked March 17th as the official day of celebration, it being the day that King Emmanuel was declared the first King of Italy.But it is still undecided if the 150th anniversary of Italy’s Unification will be declared a national holiday. Regardless of that decision the celebration will kick off on March 16th, with Notte Tricolore (Tricolor Night)in Rome. Festivities will be spread around the city on the day and will include (among other things) concerts, theatre shows, street entertainment and at midnight, a huge fireworks display to welcome March 17th – the unification date.

150th Birthday of the national unity

And there are more events planned across Rome for March 17th, National Day. For example, there will be a ceremony at the Pantheon on honour of the first King – Vittorio Emanuele – who is buried there. At that time the President will address the Parliament and the nation.

Most of the events however, will be taking place in Turin and not Rome, as the city that holds the title of first capital of Italy. Organised events will be taking place throughout the year and can be viewed at the official event website – Esperienza Italiana. The schedule of events includes a series of exhibitions such as the art exhibition in Venaria Reale – The Palace of Italy – in Turin which showcases 300 works that were created in the pre-Unification capitals of Turin, Florence, Milan, Venice, Genoa, Bologna, Naples and Palermo. Featured works are from a range of eras that span ancient times right up to the eve of the 1861 Risorgimento (revolution). The exhibition will run from March 17th right through to September 2011. The anniversary will be marked at other points throughout the year too.

Celebrations across towns

On June 2nd, Italy’s annual National Day, Berlusconi has invited all European leaders, Barack Obama and other world leaders to join in the national celebration. That day there will see the annual military parade at the Piazza Venezia. On November 4th – National Unity and Armed Forces Day – there will be another parade to mark the 92nd anniversary of the cease-fire agreement signed by the Austrian-Hungarian forces that put an end to World War I.

- Roisin O’Sullivan

Milan Walking Tour

I met my guide Alice and group in the centre of the Piazza Duomo. We start with an introduction to one of Italy’s best-known and most beautiful buildings, the Duomo. For a cathedral that has had 30 kilos of pigeon poo dumped on it each day and was under construction for six centuries, Milan’s Duomo, the third largest church in the world is looking in pretty good shape the morning I see it.

The stunning facade that features over 2,300 hundred statues was put in place by Napoleon during the French occupation. Today we’re lucky enough to see it gleaming white and sans scaffolding, the result of a seven-year restoration and clean up that kept the building covered most of the time.

Alice explains that what we see today is like a dress- the real structure is underneath. Inside, we’re able to view the thick black that coats the soft sandstone inside. Having Alice guide us through allows us to admire the little things we may have otherwise missed on the tour.

Shaney at the Milan Duomo

One example is the stained glassed windows inside the Duomo. During World War Two, all the delicate stained glassed windows were removed and placed in storage in the country to protect them from the threat of bombing raids. However, when they were put back in place, they were put back in the wrong order- an error no one has corrected to this day.

Afterwards we head into the stunning Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle, which 176 architects vied to create in the 1800s. Upstairs from the Galleria is Europe’s only seven-star hotel, an establishment so discreet Alice has to point out the unmarked windows and balconies.

We walk though the Galleria past Gucci (strangely opposite McDonalds) to the La Scala theatre, the famous Opera House, and then onto the Castello Sforzesco, a fortress home to seven museums that was founded in 1368. Alice gives a background to the city’s major landmarks but also a sense of what the city was like in the past: fought over by invaders and rimmed with canals just like another more famous Northern Italian city. Now, she explains, most of the city’s beauty is discreet- you have to keep your eyes open to see it.

From the Castello, we head to our final destination, the Santa Maria delle Grazie, the unassuming home of one of Italy’s most famous tourist attractions: Il Cenacolo or as it is known in English, Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

Our Guide Alice at the Milan Galleria

Tickets to see The Last Supper are strictly controlled, which means if you don’t book months in advance you’re unlikely to get to see it, but I’d managed to arrange mine by booking the Milan walking tour.

So what’s all the fuss about this painting? Well, for starters, it is considered the greatest work of the Renaissance, and Da Vinci painted it in an experimental way. Leonardo Da Vinci spent 17 years in the city at the invitation of the Duke of Milan and took two years to paint The Last Supper between 1495 and 1497. Apart from being a good 500 years old, the work has also endured a lot of mischief.

At one point, Jesus’s feet were chopped off during renovations so a door could be added to the wall. During Napoleon’s occupation of Milan, the room was used as a stable. During World War Two, it was shot at by rowdy soldiers, and later the convent was bombed during an air raid. Both walls either side of The Last Supper were destroyed, leaving only The Last Supper standing- left alone, some argue, by God’s grace.

After surviving all this, and the queue to see it, The Last Supper is well worth all the fuss. There’s 15 minutes time given to our group in which to view the masterpiece. We’re led through a series of locked, climate controlled rooms with automated doors that we pass through until it’s our turn.

When we all walk in, we’re all very silent and we look up and see it. It is bigger than I imagined, and awe-inspiring. The fresco has perfect proportions, so that if you stand in the centre of the room, it seems to ‘pop’ off the walls. It looks so eerily real. Alice givens us the drama and context for the piece, but I find myself tuning out. It is beautiful and moving, and I’m grateful to be able to view one of the greatest artistic masterpieces in the world.

Afterwards, we feel all feel a little light-headed after viewing such a masterpiece. Luckily, however, Alice sticks around and advises on the best places to head for our twilight Apertivo- a Milanese tradition of early evening drinks and snacks. While I’m pleased to have seen The Last Supper, I’m also glad to have had a chance to see Milan and better understand the city.

- Shaney Hudson

When I wrote for the contest I said, “It’s probably as close as I’ll ever get to Heaven.”

Standing alone in the Sistine Chapel with all of the beautiful artwork and a complete sense of the presence of God, I truly felt like I was already there. It was at that moment that I felt so sorry for the mass of people that see this room and never get to experience the solitude.

I’ll tell you the story as we have been telling it.

We arrived at The Bronze Doors as instructed 15 minutes prior to our tour time. It was a beautiful day in Rome and construction workers were busy replacing the sidewalk in front of the entrance. After waiting a few minutes, we asked one of the workers if we were in the right place. He said we were, but the museum was closed for the day. We became a little concerned and went to the exit where the crowds were still streaming out. We talked to the guard there and in our best Italian and his best English were informed that “Yes”, the museum was closed for the day and “No”, there was no such thing as a “Private tour of the Vatican”. Silly tourists.

We went back down to The Bronze Doors and began to worry. It was almost 6:00pm, our tour time. After all, this was April Fool’s Day and the prize was almost too good to be true. Was this an elaborate hoax? No, it couldn’t be. We had received numerous emails from the great people at Viator confirming this. Yet here it was, almost time with no guide or tour group in sight.

I sent my daughter down to the other corner to see if she saw someone from Viator. As she walked off, dismayed, a beautiful young Italian woman came running up and said “Are you Mr. Thie?” What a relief – it was Maria, our tour guide. She was right on time and explained that the other five people had forgotten about the time change and were running late. The other five? I was thinking, “Well, where are the rest of them?” Surely there had to be more than five. Nope -it was going to be my daughter and I, Maria the guide, and a small group of tourists from Germany. Fortunately, I speak a little German, which helped break the ice.

The April Fool’s joke was on me and I’m glad it was.

As we entered the Vatican Museum I began to realize what a unique experience this was going to be. As we were escorted by the Vatican guard we entered room after room of beautiful artwork. Simply amazing in grandeur and history. I stood in awe thinking about the number of people who had been here throughout time. In America, we don’t have this sense of history. Two-hundred years is nothing compared to this. Anyway, our Vatican guard was extremely nice and opened several windows that gave us views of the grounds that most people don’t get to see. My favorite was the view of Vatican City Radio.

As we entered the Sistine Chapel, I was absolutely floored. Here was the magnificent room made so famous in the Dan Brown novel The Da Vinci Code and numerous Rick Steves videos, but there was something missing. Oh yes, the people. Standing there with that small group in complete silence you could almost feel God’s hand in yours. The Last Judgment loomed before us and you could actually feel the power of it. St. Bartholomew holding his own skin and the ferry across the river Styx were particularly stunning and formed a mental picture I will never forget.

As we began to leave, I couldn’t resist holding back and soon my daughter and I were alone in the Sistine Chapel. Alone in the Sistine Chapel…Do you know how many people have ever had that experience? I bet not many. The guard at the door gave a knowing wink and nod as if to say “You lucky guy! It’s really cool, but it’s time to go.” That moment will last forever.

Thanks does not begin to express my gratitude to the fine people at Viator, especially Scott, Dominique, and Maria our guide. If you want to experience the Vatican in a truly unique venue, I would highly recommend this tour. You’ll never, ever forget it.

While we were in Rome, we also went on two other Viator tours: Angels and Demons and the Colosseum. Although our group was larger, around 25 people, they were both great tours. We were still spoiled from the Vatican.

Being a Dan Brown fan, I found the Angels and Demons tour particularly interesting. Our tour guide, Sarah, was not only knowledgeable, but entertaining as well. She made the tour truly enjoyable. As we wove through the streets and churches of Rome, you could feel the novel unwinding, as the Illuminati mercilessly killed and branded the four cardinals. Good book, great tour.

The Colosseum tour was also fascinating. I was not expecting much – after all it’s just half of a decrepit building in Rome. As we skipped the lines, passing hundreds of tourists waiting for tickets, I began to feel better. Our guide made the tour interesting with his facts and stories. He was very careful about sorting fact from fiction, which made a lot of sense to me. As we entered the interior, I gained a true sense of history and grandeur of this monument. There was a newly renovated display of the gladiator’s armor throughout the years. Highly interesting.

We left the Colosseum and proceeded up Palatine Hill and then walked down through the ruins of ancient Rome. Extremely interesting, but my mind was elsewhere…I was still standing alone with my daughter in the Sistine Chapel.

Thank you again for this most wonderful experience.

-Tom Thie

But there’s also plenty to do and see in and around Turin – and here are some of the highlights.

Embrace the white magic

Turin’s claim to being a truly magical city is not just tourist board hyperbole. It is supposedly one of the three key points on two mystical triangles, if you believe people who are into that sort of thing. Along with Prague and Lyon it reputedly forms a powerful triangle of white magic, a source of much of what is good in the world. However, it is also a point on a sinister black axis, connecting to London and San Francisco; a force for bad.

Turin’s Piazza Castello

Unsurprisingly, the magical links run through the heart of the city, the Piazza Castello. It’s a big, open square, with shop fronts lining two sides and two giant buildings dominating. Both are strongly linked to Emmanuele Filiberto, the Duke of Savoy who made Turin his capital in the 16th century after moving in from Chambery in France. This French link explains a lot, incidentally, as the city has a very French feel, particularly in its dining habits.

The first building of note in the square is the Palazzo Madama, now an antiques and art museum, but formerly a castle. It looks like it has seen better times, but the mystery lies underneath. Apparently, there is a system of caves that was kept hidden from the public at the time. Down there, the increasingly obsessed duke and his finest scientific minds spent much of their waking hours dabbling in alchemy.

Turin’s white magic heart can be found by the gates in front of the Savoy family’s primary residence, the Palazzo Reale. Stand between the statues of Castor and Pollux, next to the old man turning over roasted chestnuts and you’re there.

Or join the dark side

Turin’s black magic epicentre is Piazza Statuto. This square is seemingly innocuous, barring the disturbing monument in the middle in which anguished-looking men are trapped in the rocks, climbing up grimly towards an angel.

It’s a massive traffic hub, surrounded by furniture shops and fast food joints, but ever since Roman times it has been regarded as a place of utter darkness. Executions were carried out here, and the dead buried deep below the piazza’s surface.

Piazza Statuto is the starting point for Viator’s Magic Turin Evening Tour, which also takes in other supposedly magical sites and odd details etched onto bizarre architecture across the city.

A final magical destination is the Church of Santa Maria Ausiiliatrice, a rather lovely church, which is within easy walking distance of the city centre. St Giovanni Bosco, who founded the church, was notorious for entertaining his congregations with magic tricks. His most famous was making three separate pieces of rope combine as one to explain the Holy Trinity. And he is now the patron saint of magicians…

Italian Job pilgrimage

Fans of the Michael Caine classic (as opposed to the dreadful remake), will recognise certain spots in Turin. The famous three-car jump stunt in the Italian Job was filmed on the roof of Fiat’s Lingotto complex – which is now a major shopping centre open to visitors.

The scene where they drove the cars down steps after crossing the weir on the River Po was filmed on the steps outside the Gran Madre di Dio church.

The Mole Antonelliana

The Mole Antonelliana was originally built as a synagogue, but was never used as such after the spiralling costs saw the city’s Jewish community pull out during the construction phase. The building now houses Italy’s National Museum of Cinema – and is thus thought to be the tallest museum in the world.

It’s not just the size that’s impressive either – the museum makes excellent use of the building. Movie screenings, film posters from across the generations, props and memorabilia seem to cram into every little nook. There’s a degree of flamboyance about the displays as well, using deep red curtains and giant statues to inject a bit of Hollywood glamour and scale.

It’s when the films finish, however, that things get really exciting. The whole building turns into a dazzling light show, with hidden blinds raised to let the sunlight in, and projections flashed across the roof.

Go wine-tasting

This is an area that takes its food and drink very seriously indeed – the Slow Food movement started up only a short drive away from Turin – and as a result, the produce rarely dips below excellent. Nearby Alba is also regarded as the home of the white truffle – and if there’s anywhere to try a bit of sampling, this is it.

For those more interested in the accompaniment to dinner than the dinner itself, then you may well be in heaven. Forget your chianti – the Piedmont region around Turin arguably provides the best wines in Italy.

There’s an extremely good reason why Barolo wines are often the most expensive on a restaurant menu – a high percentage of them taste absolutely sensational. So why not try a few of them out on a Barolo wine tour?

Quad-biking in the Alps. There’s a good reason the Winter Olympics were held here.

The Italian Alps

Of course the other highlight within a short drive of Turin is the Italian Alps. The city hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics, and many of the events were played out in venues up in the mountains. It doesn’t take long before the elevation starts to climb, and the views – particularly in the winter months when snow covers the peaks.

The area is obviously ideal for skiing in the winter, but the walking in summer and autumn can be superb. There are also plenty of mountainside spa retreats for anyone fancying a spot of pampering, and other activities available include quad biking through the forests near the town of Oulx.

The following will give you an idea of what’s going on and when for Easter Week in 2010; most services take place in St Peter’s Square or inside the Basilica (consider a walking tour in Rome to get your bearings, or one of Viator’s Vatican tours if you arrive early enough to avoid the crowds).

You can certainly expect crowds in Rome and the Vatican during Easter Week. But for Catholics and religious-minded travelers (frankly, for anybody and everyone who appreciates ritual and pomp) , the experience of Easter Week is unforgettable.

Palm Sunday (March 28)
Palm Sunday, a sort of prequel, starts off Holy Week with the Pope’s blessing of the palms in St Peter’s Square (9:30am). At the end of the mass, the Pope usually sends a special message – the ‘Angelus’ – to the youth of the world.

Holy Thursday (April 1)
The Pope honors his predecessor, John Paul II, on Holy Monday with a mass at 6pm. Then, after a few days’ break during which you will notice a steadily increasing population density in and around the Vatican, the Easter celebration begins in earnest on Holy Thursday (also called ‘Maundy Thursday’). The Pope performs a rare morning mass at 9:30am, known as the ‘Mass of the Chrism’, in St Peter’s Basilica (’chrism’ is a mixture of olive oil and balsam, which, once blessed, is used in some of the sacraments). In the evening, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper commemorates Christ’s bathing of the feet of the Apostles.

Good Friday (April 2)
On Good Friday, instead of a mass, choirs sing St John’s version of Christ’s crucifixion. Later that night, the Pope traces the Via Crucis, or Stations of the Cross, from the Colosseum to Palatine Hill. This torch-lit procession is one of the grandest, most solemn things you can witness in Rome.

Saturday
Saturday night is traditionally the time of the Easter Vigil, when the Pope celebrates a late mass in St Peter’s Basilica. This is also traditionally when converts are accepted into the Catholic Church.

Easter Sunday (April 4)
On Easter Sunday, the Pope says mass in St Peter’s Square starting at 10:15am. Despite the crowds – typically this is the most attended event of Holy Week – you should be able to spot the Holy Father, high above the square on a balcony of the church. At noon, he delivers the ‘Urbi et Orbi’ message – ‘to the city and the world – in which the Pope grants forgiveness to those present and to Catholics world wide.

Visiting Rome During Holy Week

Although these events are generally free, some require tickets (a must if you want a seat, or in some cases if you want to get in at all). Honestly, it is not easy to get tickets – we’re saying this simply to set your expectations.

For Catholics, this is usually arranged through your bishop. You might also try the American Seminary in Rome. For non-Catholics, it’s a bit dicier, but you might try the American Seminary.

The Vatican museums (and those throughout Rome) are generally open during Holy Week, with the exceptions of Easter Sunday and the following Monday.

Siena is called one of the most beautiful cities of Italy. It is famous for the “Palio”, a traditional horse race at the “Piazza del Campo” in the heart of the city which takes place two times a year.

Florence is the capital and fashion metropolis of Tuscany. Tourist should allow extra time if they want to visit all attractions. Besides the known sights such as Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi gallery and Palazzo Pitti Florence also has many museums for the culturally interested traveller.

The Medieval city of Lucca with its long Renaissance city wall invites to strolling through the twisted alleys of the picturesque historical old town and relaxing in one of the numerous cafes, bars or restaurants afterwards.

The small town of Montepulciano served as film location for several celebrated movies such “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Heaven” and “The English Patient”. Furthermore, Montepul- ciano is world-renowned for its wine which is produced from the grape sort of the same name. The history of the town reaches back to prehistoric times, but the Etruscans are regarded as the actual founders of the city. In the Middle Age, Montepulciano became the pawn of the city states of Florence and Siena. Finally, Florence annexed not only Montepulciano but also its protecting power Siena. The town has largely preserved its historical city centre and its Medieval character. Most of the houses in the historical old town are built in Italian Renaissance style which is so typical for Tuscany.

Located at an altitude of 324 metres above sea level and dominating the Val d’Elsa, the city of San Gimignano has retained its unique Medieval appearance. Most of its architecture dates back to the 13th Century when it was an important trading post along the Via Francigena. Outlining the characteristic skyline of San Gimignano to the present day, the numerous tall towers were a symbol of the merchants´ wealth and testified the city´s prosperity in the Middle Ages. Gothic city gates lead to the historical old town where the visitor finds himself in a labyrinth of streets, twisted alleys, outside staircases, churches, tower houses and villas. The picturesque “Piazza della Cisterna” is a further worthwhile sight of the city. Besides the famous Vernaccia (amber-colored wine from different regions of Italy), the typical Tuscan craftsmanship can also be found in San Gimignano. Travellers shouldn´t miss the oppor-tunity to purchase high-class pottery or leather goods.

Due to its central location, San Gimignano is a good starting point for excursions to destinations in the near surroundings. Siena and Volterra are a 30 minutes drive away, Florenz, Pisa, Montepul-ciano, Montecatini and the sea are an hour´s drive away.

Further Medieval cities such as Massa Marittima and Pitigliano are also worthwhile day trip destinations.

The city of Massa Carrara is famous for its marble. Travellers should visit Cave di Marmor (the caves where marble is excavated) and do a sightseeing tour of the special kind.