Italy is home to some of the most wonderful food and restaurants on the planet. Here, we take a look at how to avoid being daunted by the complexities of a traditional Italian menu.

One of my favourite parts of Italy is the area to the north of venice and Verona. The region, encompassing the famous lakes of Garda and Como, also has some of the finest restaurants in Europe.

I remember visiting Italy for the first time and looking forward to a meal in one of the region’s famous restaurants. On sitting down in a typical trattoria (a slightly less formal Italian restaurant), I found myself somewhat overwhelmed when presented with the menu.

For those of you who have not travelled in Italy, let me enlighten you: a traditional Italian menu looks very confusing!

The first thing that you notice is that there just seem to be so many options! Many restaurant menus have five different sections – you are being presented with a plethora of options!

Fortunately you don’t have to select something from every section of the menu, although many Italian families do like to make a real event of eating out.

The key is to only choose as much as you think you’ll be able to eat – if you don’t want to select something from each section then don’t do so!

I would generally opt for a first course, possibly of rissotto (a rice based dish that northern Italian restaurants specialise in) and then go for a meat-based secondo (second course), with a side dish.

Mention of a side dish reminds me that most restaurants don’t serve potatoes, vegetables or salad with a meat dish as standard – you’ll need to ask for it as a separate side dish.

I’d find that opting for the first course, second course and side dish would be just right – maybe leaving room for a dessert if you have a sweet tooth.

Most importantly, make sure that you enjoy the whole experience of dining out in Italy.

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This year’s winter Olympic Games are taking place in Turin; whether you intend to watch the games or not, Italy is a great skiing destination. The Italian Alps are home to many great and famous ski resorts such as Cortina d’Ampezzo and Courmayeur (Remember “The Pink Panther” with Peter Sellers? That’s where it happens). The best ski resorts with the most modern facilities are found in northern Italy, in the Alpine area. However, there are some ski resorts in the south of the country too.

Skiing is a very popular activity in Italy. Many Italians take a week off during winter just to go skiing. It is possible to find a ski resort for anyone in Italy. There are very luxurious resorts, and very affordable ones. Some slopes are only for the well trained, others are moderate enough for beginners or rusty skiers.

The best way to arrive to Italy for a ski vacation is through one of these airports:

Turin, Milan, Bergamo, Verona or Venice Treviso. They are all well served by international flights, and offer the option of taking a city break with your ski vacation.

Turin, this winter’s Olympic Games location, is a good place to arrive to. Going from Turin towards the French border (public transportation is available), there are Sestriere and Sauze D’aulx among other busy ski resorts. Sestreiere is a very modern and fashionable ski resort that offers 20 ski lifts, and ice skating rink and cross country trails.

Further to the north, on the border, is the area of Valle d’Aosta. In this area both Italian and French are spoken, and the food also has a lot of French influence. In this area you can find some of the highest mountains in Europe: Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso. The beautiful view of pine trees and castles is seen from wooden ski chalets. One of the most glamorous resorts in Italy is found here – CourMayeur, at the foot of the Mont Blanc. This resort offers all that a skier can dream of, even summer skiing. Also in that area is Breuil – Cervinia

In the north east of Italy are the Dolomites. The “Dolomiti Superski” is a network of 12 different skiing areas. A popular resort in this area is Madonna di Campiglio. This is also where the famous Cortina D’ampezzo is located.

In the winter, there are opportunities for ski in the southern mountains. Campo Felice is in the Gran Sasso, east of Rome, also has a ski school. The Sila massif in Calabria has 35 Km of cross country skiing, and only 2 downhill slopes.

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It is presented in a very quick and simple way – enjoy and try it at home.

Buon appetito!

And may 2010 be full of sunshine and beautiful places to discover!

For those of you who are not subscribed to our newsletter and travel updates and since you have missed our greetings card, here it comes with all our best wishes:

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And since we wanted to give you a small present, here comes a selection of our best 2009 images ready for you to download as desktop wallpapers:

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Happy holidays and for a very happy 2010!

Italy Travel Notes team

You actually get into the florally colorful, gorgeously romantic, aesthetically magnificent, historically profound, and culturally rich world, when you visit Italia. Certainly, Italy is charmingly hued land known for its wondrously romantic airs, prolific art – architecture – music – literature, incredibly deep history, and above all, its charming people that are warm, welcoming, and gregarious.

Surely, the Southern European exotica – Italy is esteemed world wide for its historic sites, marvelous monuments, beautiful landscapes – coasts –canals – lakes – mountains, delectable cuisine, amazing fashion, and fantastic cities, such as Roma, Bologna, Firenze, Genova, Milano, Napoli, Pisa, Torino, Venezia, and Verona; Rome has its historic appeals, Florence has its aesthetic influences, Venice has its romantic charms, and Milan has its fashion fascinations.

Italians are proud of their historic, cultural, and art & architectural wealth. They proudly display the treasures of their historic sites, monuments, museums, and cathedrals to the world. They adore their food, their families, their fashion, their music, and their heritage. They are lively, sociable, and passionate, most especially, they love to share it all with the world.

Italians are pretty warm and welcoming people. They are always ready to welcome guests to their towns and homes, and are always quick to share their meals or stories, jokes or songs with their guests. They love relaxing, rejoicing, celebrating, and socializing with their families, friends, and guests. They are quite bubbly sort of people, who love expressing their emotions, giving hugs, exchanging kisses, and displaying affection. Italians enjoy laughing and talking loudly, often emphasizing everything with hand gestures. Often, you see these lovely people busy in their lively discussions on a wide variety of subjects from family, work, politics, fashion, films, food, wine, and sports, particularly soccer, which is one of the major passions of Italians. You can usually see them chitchatting in the streets, parks, piazzas (squares), cafés, etc. Piazzas certainly are one of the most popular meeting points for the Italians. They are often seen meeting, sitting, strolling, walking, talking, interacting, and enjoying at piazzas (squares). In fact, the Italian piazzas are the centers for all important festivals, gatherings, celebrations, and political events. Italian are known particularly for their Easter and Christmas celebrations that are usually featuring feasts, sweets, decorations, plays, and of course, elaborate gifts. Certainly, Italians are epicurean people. They love their food and are very fond of eating. Their food includes the seafood, veal, chicken, fresh fruits, vegetables, pizzas, and of course, pasta with all their spices and sauces, which is prepared with extreme love and care. Strong coffee and rich layered desserts are integral part of their meals. Italians love to stroll in the streets or around piazzas after their meals. So, Italians are lovely & interesting people, whom you like meeting again and again, and Italy is the destination that you love visiting over and over, isn’t it?

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Holiday Parks are slowly becoming one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe and some of the best holiday parks in the world are located in the European continent. These are one-stop tourist centers that offer their guests a chance to relax and have fun. These parks offer lodging, adventure activities and resort facilities. Listed below are some of the most popular and successful holiday parks in Europe.

1. Cliff House Park – This park offers its guests accommodations in Thorpeness, Aldeburgh, Southwold, Dunwich and Suffolk. They have something for everyone and visitors can enjoy great meals, caravan holidays and affordable home rentals. Here, visitors get a chance to enjoy a great luxury outdoors vacation.

2. Ruda Holiday Park – Ruda Holiday Park is located in West country, England. This is a beachside park that offers their guests timbre lodges, camping, touring, caravan holidays, beachside cottages and many more beach activities. They also have a swimming pool complex that boasts of a 230-foot flume.

3. John Fowler Holiday Park – This park is the best holiday park in the vicinity of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. Guests to the park are treated to breathtaking scenery of the English countryside. They also have beautiful beaches and offer many beachside amenities and luxury facilities for visitors.

4. Broad Haven Park – Broad Haven Park offers its guests excellent camping grounds and caravan holiday services. They are known for their excellent food and top-notch park services.

5. Le Val de Cantobre – This park is located in Aveyron, France. Visitors to the park can enjoy some of the best sceneries that France has to offer. They can also take advantage of the campsite and cottages for lodging. The park is also home to a medieval farmhouse where guests can experience a sample of medieval farm life.

6. Baia Domizia Park – This park is located in Naples, Italy. It is one of the most popular holiday parks in Italy and guests can enjoy the beautiful sights, pristine beaches and fantastic views of the nearby mountain ranges.

7. Trevornick Holiday Park – Located in Cornwall, England, Trevornick Holiday Park is a great destination for families and groups of tourists. The park is conveniently situated near the Hollywell Beach, where guests can partake in swimming, surfing and other water related activities. A mini golf course and funfair is also located in close proximity to the park.

8. Playa Montroig Camping Resort – This is one of the best holiday parks in Spain. The Playa Montroig Camping Resort is located in Tarragona and it allows visitors to camp amidst lush tropical gardens. The Tam-Tam Eco-park is also located close by.

9. Ferienparadies Natterer See – Located near the Alps, Ferienparadies Natterer See is one of the best holiday parks Austria has to offer. Guests can participate in activities like tobogganing, curling, and langlauf.

10. Troytown Farm – This holiday park is situated in St Agnes, Sicily. One of the finest Italian parks, Troytown Farm provides visitors the chance to enjoy activities like camping and hiking in a beautiful scenic setting.

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Select the “Ancient Rome 3D” layer under Gallery in Google Earth. Download Google Earth at http://earth.google.com/rome/

And here is a preview:

And our first selection is Panarea through the eyes and lense of Christina Vlahova

All Rights Reserved – Christina Vlahova

Feel free to comment and to send us your best images of Italy

And our first selection is The Colourful ceramics of Sicily through the eyes and lense of Christina Vlahova

All Rights Reserved – Christina Vlahova

Feel free to comment and to send us your best images of Italy