Archive for 'Tourist Attractions'

Bagno Vignoni is a lovely little hamlet situated in the breathtaking Orcia valley (Unesco World Heritage Site), southern Tuscany. It is definitely worth a visit for two reasons:

First, at the heart of the village you will find the "Square of Sources", namely a rectangular tank, of sixteenth-century origin, which contains the original source of water that comes from the underground aquifer of volcanic origins. Since the Etruscans and Romans - as evidenced by the numerous archaeological finds - the spa of Bagno Vignoni was attended by eminent personalities such as Pope Pius II, Santa Caterina da Siena, Lorenzo the Magnificent and many other artists who had elected the village as main holiday resort.

Some days ago the Easy Reserve Team went to discover Rome. All of us (adults and kids) had such a great time, Rome is just so special – there's something in the “air”....

Anyway I would like to give you a few insiders tips for a great Roman Holiday:

If you can, do visit the Vatican Museum, one day will not be enough but at least you can get an idea. Book your ticket in advance on-line so you can skip the (very long) queues...

Almost two thousand years ago Mt Vesuvius erupted and wiped out much of the surrounding area, covering cities in lava, ash and molten rock. Pompeii is the most famous of the towns subjected to Vesuvius wrath, but Herculaneum met the same fate. Pompeii was covered in ash and lava floes, being further away from the volcano itself. Herculaneum however was buried under a rush of molten rock that mingled with the mud and earth around the town and effectively sealed the town away from time.

The hot mud preserved much more than its neighbor Pompeii, allowing many two story buildings to remain standing as well as keeping organic matter like clothing and beds to survive as well.

Last Friday a great public work of art that has stood as a symbol of Rome for hundreds of years was defaced. A man in a hat reportedly approached the fountain in the crowd of tourists and dumped a bucket of red dye into Trevi Fountain, dying the water a blood red.

The fountain recirculates the water in its basin and through the jets of water it shoots into the air, allowing the dye to permeate the entire fountain quickly. Authorities believe the stunt has not caused permanent damage to the marble statues of the fountain.

Pamphlets were left at the scene claiming that the action was committed by the "FTM Futurist Action 2007", which is an organization the authorities have never heard of before. According to the leaflets the group claims to battle "everything and everyone with a spirit of healthy violence" as well as turning the "grey bourgeois society into a triumph of color." It also pointed to the poor state of the elderly in Italy, as well as the amount of public money that was spent on restarting the Rome Film Festival.

Trains are a very common site in Italy, so one could easily overlook one of the trains that is now traveling Italy but has something unusual aboard: a fantastic collection of art from the past five hundred years! The event is titled "From Titian to Street Art: Five Hundred Years of Italian Art" and it sets out from Rome on October 1st. The train will be stopping in over twenty cities in its forty day trek across Italy, stopping in cities for a day or two.

The initiative is in response to the fact that only ten percent of Italians frequently visit the innumerable art galleries, exhibitions and museums across Italy.  With this in mind, the curators and sponsors of the 'art train' are bringing the art to the people. Though the train will be concluding its journey in Lombardy, it will spend much of its time in the south, where museums are not as prevalent as in the north.