Backpacking in Paris: European Centre of Art and Culture

No backpacking holiday to Europe can be complete without a trip to Paris. The city is termed to be the ‘City of Light’ and it can be your Mecca if you are a lover of peace, music, fashion, jewellery, dance and much more. Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world with a long and rich history stretching back around 1000 years, and the multi cultural society that it holds adds to cultural diversity and overall unique beauty of the city. It is considered to be of the hot and favorite tourist places to visit around the globe with its structural marvelous and ethnic beauty.

As with most budget backpacking trips, your holiday in Paris can be best enjoyed by touring the city on foot. Travelers can get the maximum enjoyment from the city with the bountiful attractive places which are so close to each other. Indeed, most of the places of interest are within a walkable distance from one another if you are fairly fit. I found even going out for a cup of coffee in one of the city’s many cafes or bars is a nice experience or the serene walk along the coast of the river in the middle of the city can be so romantic for young couples.

The famous galleries and museums are the best part of the city. Some of the much celebrated and high profile museums are The Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay, the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Musee de Louvre, the Picasso Museum, the Rodin Museum, the Invalides. They symbolize the European art tradition as well as housing the more contemporary arts and collections.


The Eiffel tower is considered to be the embodiment of engineering and is an iconic structural monument. The skyscrapers present in the city are awesome to behold. Walking around the Eiffel tower can be a pleasure in itself. It is estimated that around 6 million people come to pay their visit here making it among the world most popular tourist attractions. Some fitter people cover the ascent by foot or you can alternatively choose to take some of the steps and then complete the rest by using the tower’s lift. The bird’s eye view of the city while climbing up the tower will take any person to paradise and is quite breathtaking.

The Pere-Lachaise cemetery, the catacombs, the Arc de Triomphe, which is a huge arch built by Napoleon to celebrate his victories speak volumes about the history of the city and country of France. The Sacre Coeur, the Sainte Chapelle, the Pompidou Center, the Panteon, the Grand Arche de la Defense are of serene beauty and are not to missed under the light covers. Notre Dame Cathedral and the Basilica of the Sacre C’ur are some of the notable and renowned churches in the city and are worth a visit even for non Disney fans! The Jardin de Luxemberg is a good place to relax and enjoy the nature at its best without having to move to the suburb.

Not to forget the fact, an artwork that many consider to be the epitome of painting is housed in the city: the Monalisa is kept in the museum here in Paris. The boulevard Champs-Elysees is considered to be the hub of high cultured society.

The city night life activities are also truly enjoyable for you party animals. The places around the Bastile prison has now been transformed into a center for night life activities. Far removed from what it must have been like in pre revolutionary France, this is now a great place to go out with a wide range of restaurants, clubs and bars all to be found here.

The city is also famous for its shopping. There are wide range of products available right from perfume, jewellery, wine, gifts and much more to keep you amused - be careful with the price tags though!

Paris is certainly unmissable when traveling around Europe and it can be a fine experience which no body will forget in their life. Paris city can be called as a dream city for many couples as well as for all tourists those who wish enjoyment and pleasure in their life.

Naples to Rome: Giro d'Italia Reverse Grand Tour - All Roads Lead To Rome

The final weekend of the Giro'd Italia begins this morning with Stage 20 departing on the panoramic Bay of Naples under Mt Vesuvius in the giant and stimulating city of Naples, Italy where the cyclist will head toward Rome in the region of Lazio, as the 100th Giro d'Italia comes to a close in what might be considered a reverse grand tour from Naples to Rome.

The Giro d'Italia spent yesterday crossing the region of Campania, which is the region of Italy where many of today's Italian-American fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers immigrated from in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This gorgeous region of Italy includes such famous destinations like the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Pompeii, the giant port city Salerno and the ancient Greek's site of Doric Temples Paestum. Many people are unfamiliar with the area of Stabiae, which is an excellent art destination in the Naples area just outside Pompeii, where well preserved homes of ancient Rome's oligarch's and emperor's were recently uncovered. The cyclist finished the day climbing Mt Vesuvius, which may have stolen the legs of many before the final two days of racing from Naples to Rome.

Food from this region includes everyone's favorite the pizza margherita, which is made with the local mozzarella di bufala which hails from the Campania region. Visitors to Campania this time of year will smell the tress flowering with lemons and oranges among other variations. Limoncello is a drink that comes from the Sorrentine peninsula and Amalfi Coast and of course the famous tomatoes from San Mazano ar grown on Mt Vesuvius.

Map fo Stage 20 Giro d'Italia Naples to Anagni:

























Giro d'Italia Standings, as of Saturday May 30, 2009 - before Naples Departure:

1	MENCHOV Denis	RUS	RAB	81:13:55	0:00
2	DI LUCA Danilo	ITA	LPR	81:14:13	0:18
3	PELLIZOTTI Franco	ITA	LIQ	81:15:34	1:39
4	SASTRE CANDIL Carlos	ESP	CTT	81:16:35	2:40
5	BASSO Ivan	ITA	LIQ	81:17:28	3:33
6	LEIPHEIMER Levi	USA	AST	81:18:50	4:55
7	GARZELLI Stefano	ITA	ASA	81:22:43	8:48
8	ROGERS Michael	AUS	THR	81:23:27	9:32
9	VALJAVEC Tadej	SLO	ALM	81:24:37	10:42
10	BRUSEGHIN Marzio	ITA	LAM	81:25:27	11:32

Today's stage and tomorrow's stage in Rome provide little chance for Di Luca to catch the Russian Menchov who leads by 18 seconds that may have sown the Giro d'Italia victory for Menchov after 80 hours in the saddle.

Eating Out In Madrid – It’s Good For The Locals, It’s Good For You

It’s almost unheard of to have a bad meal whilst in Madrid. The city is very diverse and it’s restaurants, cafés and bars cater to all tastes and budgets. A good way of determining which are the best eating places in Madrid is by finding out where the locals go out to wine and dine. If the locals like the place, chances are that you will love it too.

One place that is certainly popular with the people of Madrid is known as the “Tienda de Comunista”. It is located in Chueca by the square. It is always a good idea to get there as soon as it opens for business at 9pm every night, as it is always packed to capacity with happy diners. I highly recommend it.

If you want to lunch like a true Madrilenian, the place to be is “La Playa”. Having lunch at this place has become a tradition among many residents that has been going on for generations.

If you like to eat well while you take your beverages, then Bar Melo is the place to be. It is a very well-known bar also known for its awesome cuisine.

Do you have a sweet tooth? If you answered “yes” then you definitely need to visit Café del Real. It offers a wide variety of chocolate and carrot cakes, served with some lovely local coffee. It is a good place to hang out on a Sunday afternoon, like the locals do.

On Saturday evenings, many Madrilenians head to La Taberna de San Bernado. This exquisite restaurant is start off on a quieter note but becomes bubblier as the locals begin to file in.

Casa Perico restaurant is a hidden gem, known only to individuals like an insider secret. Upon entering Casa Perico, you may wonder whether you are in a restaurant or not, but do not be deceived because the food there is marvelous.

You maybe be visiting Spain, but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t like to have some Asian food made in Spain. If you are not running on a very big budget then I would recommend Wok Chinese Restaurant in Madrid. Yes, you guessed right, the food is cooked in a Wok!

If you would like to partake in history then you will definitely want to visit Restaurante Sobrino De Botin. It is said to be the oldest restaurant in the world, according to the Guinness Book of records. More to this, it offers really delicious food too. However, due to the astounding number of tourists desiring to eat here, you may have to eat your meal in a bit of a rush.

All in all if you travel to Madrid you will certainly not be let down by the huge range of places to eat out!

Rome UEFA Champions League Final: Barcelona Outplays Manchester United to Win Final 2-0

Rome UEFA Champions League Final: Barcelona Outplays Manchester United to Win Final 2-0

Barcelona Simply Outplayed Manchester United today in Rome to win the UEFA Champions League in a 2-0 shutout. Barcelona adds Rome to a winning streak that is now a European Capital tri-fecta that includes London, Paris and Rome. Is Madrid next?

The fact that Manchester United couldn't put one ball in the net speaks to Barcelona's perfect playing and the great shape of each Barcelona player. 7 of the 11 Barcelona starters rose up from the junior level teams.

Xavi Hernández, Barcelona's 29-year-old crowned a memorable 12 months in Rome by setting up Barça's second goal for Lionel Messi in the 2-0 win against Manchester United FC and was selected as the man of the match by the UEFA Technical Study Group, yet another personal accolade for the midfielder who was also named the player of the tournament at UEFA EURO 2008™. "I'm very happy, especially for the team and for my personal prize – we're very content," he said. "This is historic, for Barcelona and the squad."

Homegrown heroes
Xavi, one of seven homegrown players in the Catalan club's starting lineup produced by the famed academy at La Masia, encapsulates the club's philosophy and has no doubts the Blaugrana's family spirit had been a crucial factor. "I feel very comfortable; I've said for a long time that it is wonderful with these team-mates around me. We worked hard and pressured United by attacking so they wouldn't feel comfortable. Apart for the first ten minutes, we dominated most of the game."

"Xavi was outstanding, he epitomised the outstanding Barcelona midfield performance; the passing of the ball, the movement," Technical Study Group member Roy Hodgson told uefa.com. "There were a lot of other candidates, but Xavi was the midfield motor, ran the match and dictated the tempo. United started really well but the first goal is so important at this level. When Barcelona got that their confidence rose, Manchester United had to take more risks getting forward and that played into Barcelona's hands, especially as skilful as they are. Their defending was also very good; they quickly got back into shape and when the back four was called upon they did very well."

Hodgson reserved most praise for Barça's fluidity, explaining: "Most important of all is the tempo of their passing and their ability to change that. If you pressurise them they're very good at playing it first time and they've always got lots of players around the ball willing to receive it. But if you don't get around them they hold the ball and suck you in and the moment you come forward they pass it. They work very hard and it looks simple, but the front players and the midfielders do an awful lot of running to create space. There's so much movement from wide positions coming infield with the full-backs getting forward, and it's not easy to find an antidote to that."

Florence Italy: Map to Authentic Tuscan Food in Florence

Florence Italy - Map to Where to Eat Authentic Tuscan Food in Florence, more coming all time!

Florence is bursting with fabulous Tuscan restaurants, tucked in around every corner.

In honor of the Giro d'Italia making its way to Florence, Motorino Man brings you Italy maps in Google maps to authentic Tuscan ristorante in Florence. These restaurants in Florence are Motorino Man's favorites because they are consistently excellent!


Teatro del Sale
Via Dei Macci 111R, 50122 Firenze

An Italian-style supper club, the marvel of Fabio Picchi, the founder of Cibreo Ristorante Firenze, Cibreo, Trattoria Cibreo, Cibreino , Caffe Cibreo. Spectacular.

Reservations a must. Get there for 7:30 opening, eat as you never have before. About 10, the show begins. Tell Fabio http://www.webvisionitaly.com/ sent you and you may get a real treat!


La Hosteria da Mimmo
57/R, V. S. Gallo
50129 Firenze (FI), Italy

Beyond the Medici Chapel, is buzzing at lunchtime [1pm-3pm]. Farro soup and pork roast are fabulous. Atmosphere just makes you want to eat a terrific meal, drink, and be merry all afternoon.

I Fratellini
Via dei Cimatori, 38-red, 50122 Firenze

Literally a hole-in-the-wall,on Via Cimiterio, 2 blocks from Piazza Signoria towards Piazza della Repubblica. Wondrous panini and wine. On-site over 100 years. Look for the photo of us above Armando's head.

Oltrarno - Stroll across the Arno at the Ponte Vecchio for:

Celestino
piazza santa felicita, 4/r, 50010 firenze

About 150 feet on the left from bridge, Vasari Corridor goes over it. Ask for & tell the owner Bruno that WebVisionItaly.com sent you before you order. Bruno may then plan your lunch/dinner as he did for us: tagliarini with shaved trufles, bistecca alla fiorentina, macedonia di fruta, wine during the meal and vin santo at the conclusion. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

Ristorante Mamma Gina
Borgo S. Jacopo, 37/R, 50125 Firenze

After crossing Ponte Vecchio, take a right on Borgo San Iacopo, about 50 feet down on your left in Mamma Gina. Prides itself on giving its clientele an authentic Tuscan experience. Their wine cellar is amazing, as well as priced so that everyone can taste fine wines, not just the well-healed wine enthusiast. They believe eating is an entire experience. Tell them www. WebVisionItaly.com sent you and you will be treated as family.


View Florence Walking Map-Restuarants and Trattoria in Florence in a larger map


WebVisionItaly.com publishes a series of Italy walking maps in Google maps inlcuding maps to trattorias in Rome and a walking tour of Bernini's Baroque Rome.

Click for more of Motorino's Walking Maps to Italy, Walking Maps of Rome, and Walking Maps of Florence.

Lovely Golden Temple Amritsar

Lovely Golden Temple Amritsar

Rome Walking Maps for IPhone

Rome Walking Tour Maps for IPhone

WebVisionItaly's Motorino Man released Rome mobile maps for the IPhone just in time for Angels and Demons fans to visit Bernini's Rome.

Produced by WebVisionItaly's in-house talent, Motorino Man's Mobile Maps: Rome includes maps of Rome to Motorino Man's personal favorite restaurants, destinations, and hotels in Rome, Italy, the first of Motorino Man's Italy travel maps accessible by IPhone.

Motorino Man's Mobile Maps: Italy series includes Italy IPhone maps for traveling to Italy's cities like Naples, Florence, Milan, Venice, and Italy's regions like Abruzzo, Calabria, Puglia, Umbria, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Piedmont, Campania, Veneto, and Sicily.

Trying Motorino Man's IPhone Rome walking maps is easy as 1-2-3:

1) Click URL here for Motorino Man's Rome Walking Maps

2) When Motorino Man's Rome Walking Maps appears copy URL in adddress bar and send by email to your IPhone Safari WebBrowser

3) In IPhone email click link and then bookmark address to save Motorino Man's Rome Walking Maps URL in Iphone Safari web browser.

That's it - now you have WebVisionItaly's own Motorino Man's Rome Walking Map IPhone URL in your IPhone Safari web browser.

With Motorino Man's Rome Walking Maps for IPhone bookmarked in your IPhone Safari web browser you have a Rome tour guide in your IPhone, with automatic updates coming all the time to boot!

WebVisionItaly IPhone Rome Walking Maps are full of Motorino Man's favorite things to do in Rome, with maps to delicious Roman trattoria, Motorino Man's video as your personal Rome tour guide to see Bernini's Baroque Rome and the Obelisks of Rome, or go shopping like a pro with Motorino Man's maps to Rome's fashion boutiques to shop in Rome for the latest fashions from Rome's runways. Motorino Man is your Rome tour guide on your IPhone.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays. Italian Tourism has the best Italy pre-cruise tour and Italy post-cruise tour Italy vacation packages. Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

Stay up to date with Motorino Man's Rome travel with Twitter updates from Twitter.com/ItalyTravel

Italy Arts Guide: May-June 2009, Tuscany, Rome, Florence etc.

The following is a city-by-city guide to some of Italy's art exhibitions:

AREZZO - Museo Statale d'Arte Medievale e Moderna: 130 works by Della Robbia family and contemporaries like Donatello and Ghiberti; plus tours around Arezzo province taking in 25 towns and 168 works; until June 7.

ASCOLI - Galleria d'Arte Contemporanea: 'Sedendo e Mirando', 130 landscapes by cartoonist Tullio Pericoli; until September 13.

BARLETTA - Palazzo della Marra: 90 land and sea paintings by Fattori, De Nittis and other 19th-century southern Italian landscape masters; until August 2.

BOLZANO - Museo Archeologico dell'Alto Adige: Iceman joined by more than 60 mummies from Ancient Egypt, Asia, South America and Oceania; until October 25.

CAVA DEI TIRRENI (SALERNO) - Galleria Civica d'Arte: Los Desastres de la Guerra, 80 etchings collected by Goya in his later years on horrors of war; until September 6.

COMO - Villa Olmo: Chagall, Kandinsky, Malevich: Masters of the Russian Avant-Garde; until July 26.

FERRARA - Palazzo dei Diamanti: Giorgio Morandi; 130 etchings demonstrate Bolognese artist's lesser-known lifelong passion; until June 5.

FLORENCE
- Bargello: Gian Lorenzo Bernini, The Living Marbles; until July 12.

- Palazzo Strozzi: Galileo show marking 400th anniversary of his first observations of the night sky; 250 exhibits including the middle finger from Galileo's right hand; until August 30.

- Palazzo Pitti: Memories of Antiquity in 20th-Century Art; 130 paintings and sculptures from Etruscan, classical and Renaissance times and 20th-century works by Dali', Picasso, Modigliani, de Chirico and others; until July 12.

- Palazzo Medici: 29 outfits from Court of Lorenzo il Magnifico recreated in paper from contemporary paintings by Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave; until June 14.

FORLI' - Musei di San Domenico: Canova, The Classical Ideal, Sculpture and Painting; 200 sculptures and paintings from world's galleries; until June 21.

ILLEGGIO (near Udine) - Casa delle Esposizioni: Art inspired by Biblical Apocrypha including Caravaggio's Rest During the Flight into Egypt, loaned by Rome's Doria Pamphili Gallery, Guercino, Durer, Andrea Pozzo, Byzantine and Russian icons; over 80 works, until October 4.

MAMIANO DI TRAVERSETOLO - Fondazione Mamiani Rocca: 55 Rembrandt etchings from Petit Palais in Paris; until June 25.


- Palazzo Reale: 20 Monet water lily works from Musee' Marmottan in Paris; until September 27. - same venue: First show in Italy on the samurai; helmets, weaponry and armour for warriors and horses from the Azuchi Momoyama (1575-1603) and Edo (1603-1867) periods; 100 items gathered from Milan's Castello Sforzesco and Koelliker collections; until June 2.

- same venue: Italy's biggest show marking 100th anniversary of Futurism; 500 works including Marinetti, Boccioni, Balla, Carra', Severini, Russolo; until June 7.

NAPLES - Museo Archeologico Nazionale: 400 Pompeii frescos return after 10-year restoration.

PADUA - Civici Musei agli Eremitani: 100 Years of Portrait Painting In The Age of Galileo, 1550-1650; 70 works including Titians and Tintorettos; until July 15.

PONTASSIEVE - Sala delle Colonne: 49 paintings and sculptures by Antonio Ligabue including celebrated Self Portrait With Dog; until June 7.

ROME
- Capitoline Museums: Fra Angelico: The Dawn of the Renaissance; 49 works by the early Renaissance master and friar; until July 5.

- Colosseum: 'Divus Vespasanius', celebration of Emperor Vespasian, general who took throne from Nero in 69 AD and transformed Rome, founding Flavian dynasty which built Colosseum; until January 10.

- Vittoriano: Giotto and the Trecento; 150 works from world's museums including 20 by pre-Renaissance master himself; until June 29.

- Palazzo Venezia: The Mind of Leonardo, The Universal Genius at Work; acclaimed exhibit already seen at Uffizi and in Tokyo; until August 30.

- Museo Fondazione Roma: Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), lyrical Japanese landscape artist who influenced Van Gogh and Monet; 200 woodblock prints on show for first time in Italy; until June 7.

ROME - Palazzo della Cancelleria: Leonardo da Vinci, Genius and Invention; interactive show featuring recreations of most famous machines; until April 30, 2010. *** Motorino Man Favorite

ROVERETO - MART Gallery: Futurism 100: Avant-Gardes Compared, Italy, Germany And Russia: marking 100th anniversary of Futurism; Marinetti, Kandinsky, Der Sturm, Chagall, Klee, August Macke, Franz Marc; until June 7.

ROVIGO - Palazzo Roverella: Art Deco in Italy 1919-1939; until June 28.

TRENTO - Palazzo delle Albere: Hayez, Prati, Bezzi, Segantini and other 19th-century Trento painters; until November 22.

URBINO - Ducal Palace: Raphael and Urbino, 20 mostly youthful works plus influence of Perugino and Signorelli; until July 12.

Giro d'Italia Stage 9-100th Giro Soft-Peddles Through Milan

Not without controversy the 100th anniversary Milano circuit finished today with team Columbia finishing the 10 lap, 160km circuit first while Danilo De Luca maintained the pink jersey after it was decided individual stage times would not count today due to the urban nature of the stage 9 Giro d'Italia Milan circuit.

The Giro d'Italia typically ends in Milan, but as it is the 100th anniversay of the Giro d'Italia the cyclist will finish entering The Eternal City Rome on May 31.

In the fourth lap, after 40 miles, the cyclists stopped at the finish line, stopping the race, while Danilo DeLuca explained to the audience why the riders had collectively protested the race course thus neutalizing the race and slowing the overall tempo of the race to casual.

LPR's Danilo Di Luca, flanked by seven-times Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong, tried his best to explain the decision. "We did not believe today's route was very safe for our health," said race leader and 2007 Giro d'Italia winner di Luca. "Because of this we asked and obtained an annulment of the ninth stage times from the course directors. We apologise to the public, we hope they can understand our wishes. We move forward."

So the riders took it easy in Milan peddling the paces rather than competing on a Sunday through Milan's streets, lowering the average speed to about 25 mph.

In the last lap there was an exciting sprint to the finish with Team Columbia-Highroad, just an incredible cycling team, continued its winning habit with sprint superstar Mark Cavendish finishing first taking the stage today achieveing his own personal goals, although no points were awarded.

The Giro d'Italia first happened in Milan 100 years ago, making today's Milan circuit extra special. The race today began in Piazza Duomo, where soccer club Inter celebrated last night's win and AC Milan's loss creating even more excitement in Milan's Piazza Duomo this Sunday morning. The racers then headed toward the Sforza Castle before entering the circuit for 10 laps.

For more Milan, Bergamo and Italian lakes video visit WebVisionItaly.com's Lombardy Channel.

Giro d'Italia Stage 9-Milan Circuit

Following the fantastic race around Bergamo, after the picturesque Lombardy countryside the cyclist enter Milan Sunday for the Giro d'Italia Milan Circuit.

Milan is a very quiet city on Sunday, perfect for the cyclist to take over the streets. The circuit begins out near the Milan central train station on Corso Buenos Aires, a main street in Milan full of businesses, shopping, and local trattoria. One of Motorino Man's favorite Milan local trattoria off corso Buenos Aires, open for lunch on Sunday, is Ristorante and Pizzeria Tavola Calda.

The cyclist will then head of Buenos Aires after the public gardens heading toward the Sforza Castle, a Milan landmark named after the powerful Sforza family that ruled the area. The cyclist will pass the Sforza castle, go around the gardens and then head back out toward the Milan train station and Corso Buenos Aires.

Between the Sforza Castle and the Duomo is a straight shot whoch will also see action Sunday in the 100th cycling of the Giro d'Italia.
























For more video and information about Milan Italy visit WebVisionItaly.com.

Rome Walking Maps: Angels and Demons Renews Focus on Map to Bernini's Rome

Angels and Demons box office movie release spotlights Baroque Rome attractions designed by Bernini, whose masterpieces are scattered throughout Rome.

Bernini is considered the architect of St. Peter's because of his influence on painting, sculpture, and architecture creating spaces like St. Peter's Square that is marveled for its adherence to the human dimension while the impact on the visitor transcends the temporal space.

Angels and Demons the movie spotlights Italian geniuses like Rome's Baroque master Bernini, who takes center stage 400 year after his work was first released.

While checking out Bernini and Angels and Demons don's miss Boromini. The two Roman masters competed to create great works that make the modern layer of the Rome , created 1000 years after Rome's first fall, so magnificent.

Motorino Man's Bernini Rome Walking Map:


View Rome Walking Tour - Bernini's Art in Rome in a larger map

Angels and Demons movie trailer:


For more video of Bernini's Rome masterpieces like La Fontana dei Quatrro Fiumi visit WebVisionItaly.com.

Giro d'Italia Stage 7-Three Countries in The Alps-De Luca Leads After 1st Week

The Giro d'Italia completed its first week today, after finishing Stage 7 today that included the cyclist passing through three countries from Austria, climbing 200 km into the Alps through Switzerland for another 100km to summit, then the descent into the Lombardy (Lombardia) region of Italy.

The start in Innsbruck, Austria at 600 meter elevation had the cyclist constantly climbing the Alps for the first 5 hours covering 200km, and then after reaching the 1,800 meter summit in Switzerland the Giro cyclist navigating in the rain and fog under snow-capped mountains headed down 36km passing grey lakes reflecting the grey skies on the way to the foothill town of Chiavenna in the Lombardy region of Italy. Lombardy is best known for its cosmopolitan city Milan and the beautiful lakes region like Como. Wines produced in Lombardy include DOCG sparkling white wine, which like Veneto's DOCG prosecco, is Italy's champagna.























The majestic Alps does play tricks with the weather, which today did not disappoint providing the cyclist dry conditions at the outset, with wet roads followed by rain as the cyclists climbed, before a little fog to go along with the rain at the summit, with the wet weather and terrible visibility continuing in Italy for the wild and crazy 36km descent full of hair pin turns and steep descents, which had the cyclist donning warm cloths while organizers decided to take the times for the overall standings with three kilometers to go because of the wet, slippery conditions.

With 30km the rain slowed when 38 year old and 6 time Giro d'Italia racer Alessandro Bertolini with Maglia Rosa descended hitting speeds up to 45 mph to break away from the pack by 16 seconds as the Giro returned to Italy's Lombardy region.














Lance Armstrong played it safe but did make an appearance at the front of the chase pack for a short time at the summit. At the final Armstrong dropped 18 seconds on Di Luca but remains in 25th place, 4:31 behind the leader. And it was not long after Bertolini led the pack into Italy that Brut and Hunter passed him for the final stretch of Stage 7 through the classic Lombary towns and villages at speeds up to 50 mph to Chiavenna.

5 racers sprinted to the finish, with about 43 seconds separating the leaders from the rest of the pack. As the cyclist approached the finish Bertolini jockeyed to the front a few times before the final spring with 1 km to go into town where thousands of people gathered in Chiavenna to cheer for the Giro d'Italia cyclist.

After close to six hours in the saddle it was Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen who powered away in the final straight to clinch the seventh stage of the 100th anniversary of the Giro d'Italia.

The Team Columbia rider Hagen, second on Thursday, came in ahead of South Africa's Robert Hunter and Russian Pavel Brutt and the two Italians Alessandro Bertolini and Davide Vigano.

The Giro d'Italia overall standings have LPR's Danilo Di Luca, the 2007 champion, keeping the leader's pink jersey at the end of the 244-km stage from Innsbruck in Austria to the Italian town of Chiavenna. Italian Di Luca was part of a large cluster of riders who were 40 seconds behind the leaders at this point. He remains five seconds ahead of Swede Thomas Lovkvist in the overall standings.

Saturday's eighth Giro d'Italia stage route is another long one of 209 km from Morbegno to Bergamo. Bergamo's people are cycling-crazy promising not only great cycling action tomorrow but also fantastic fan participation for Giro d'Italia Stage 8. See stage 8 route map below:

The Giro d'Italia 100th anniversary edition of the race finishes in Rome on May 31.

Follow the Motorino Man travels in Italy on Twitter @ItalyTravel. For Italy video of the regions and to learn more about the nuances and intricacies on each region in Italy that makes up the culture that is Italy visit WebVisionItaly.com.

The Italian Aperitivo

If you think “Happy Hour” is great, you’ll love the Italian “Aperitivo”. Happy Hour is a time, normally in the afternoon or early evening, when drinks are available at a discounted rate. An Aperitivo is an alcoholic drink accompanied by appetizers and served before dinner to stimulate the appetite. Generally speaking, an aperitivo is offered by bars between the hours of 7 and 9 pm, but some bars provide them at lunch time or in late afternoon.

Drinks are offered at full price but the food is free and ranges from simple snacks such as potato chips, nuts and olives to an elaborate, buffet-style spread with salads, pastas, cheeses, cold cuts and pizza. The average price for an aperitivo is 7 euros; however, some bars and lounges offering more elaborate aperitivi charge up to 15 euros.

The classic aperitivo drink, preferred by many Italians, is a Campari or Aperol cocktail or a prosecco. Be forewarned: any rum or vodka based drink, such as rum and cokes, mojitos or capiroskas are made very strong. I once ordered a rum and coke and I literally got a half-pint sized glass of ice and rum with a small bottle of coke on the side.

The classic aperitivo was originally inteded to stimulate the appetite but as they have become more popular and the food more elaborate, many people, including myself, think of it as a meal replacement and a chance to relax and socialize.

The best aperitivi (plural of aperitivo in Italian) in terms of the quantity and quality of food are in Milano but some of my best aperitivi were in Sardegna and Rome.

Two great places in Rome to go for an aperitivo are the ‘Gusto Wine Bar and
Primo Cafe.

'Gusto - Wine Bar
Via della Frezza, 23 00186 Roma
tel. +39 06.32.26.273

Primo Cafe
Via Dei Baullari, 147, Roma (RM)
Tel:+39 06 64.76.01.79

The Italian Aperitivo

If you think “Happy Hour” is great, you’ll love the Italian “Aperitivo”. Happy Hour is a time, normally in the afternoon or early evening, when drinks are available at a discounted rate. An Aperitivo is an alcoholic drink accompanied by appetizers and served before dinner to stimulate the appetite. Generally speaking, an aperitivo is offered by bars between the hours of 7 and 9 pm, but some bars provide them at lunch time or in late afternoon.

Drinks are offered at full price but the food is free and ranges from simple snacks such as potato chips, nuts and olives to an elaborate, buffet-style spread with salads, pastas, cheeses, cold cuts and pizza. The average price for an aperitivo is 7 euros; however, some bars and lounges offering more elaborate aperitivi charge up to 15 euros.

The classic aperitivo drink, preferred by many Italians, is a Campari or Aperol cocktail or a prosecco. Be forewarned: any rum or vodka based drink, such as rum and cokes, mojitos or capiroskas are made very strong. I once ordered a rum and coke and I literally got a half-pint sized glass of ice and rum with a small bottle of coke on the side.

The classic aperitivo was originally inteded to stimulate the appetite but as they have become more popular and the food more elaborate, many people, including myself, think of it as a meal replacement and a chance to relax and socialize.

The best aperitivi (plural of aperitivo in Italian) in terms of the quantity and quality of food are in Milano but some of my best aperitivi were in Sardegna and Rome.

Two great places in Rome to go for an aperitivo are the ‘Gusto Wine Bar and
Primo Cafe.

'Gusto - Wine Bar
Via della Frezza, 23 00186 Roma
tel. +39 06.32.26.273

Primo Cafe
Via Dei Baullari, 147, Roma (RM)
Tel:+39 06 64.76.01.79

Backpacking Bratislava: Exploring the Capital's Castle

Although my trip to Bratislava was very brief (I only stopped over for 1 night in a hostel there and the following evening I was back on the inter rail) when on my backpacking trip through eastern Europe, it was certainly quite eventful. I arrived there in just a very rapid 1 hour long shuttle boat journey from Prague - a fantastic way to get to Bratislava if the weather is clear - in the late afternoon and checked in to our lodgings before hitting the old town to enjoy some very reasonable priced mojitos and a rather nice meal in the pretty old side of the city (rather than the rather grubby industrial side of town on the other side of the river Danube).
I have to say Bratislava's old town is somewhat underrated for some reason - and is certainly as beautiful as anywhere else we went in eastern Europe and as you would aspect is comparable to Prague but on a somewhat smaller scale! The city seems to have a bad reputation for some reason but this half of town is well worth checking out.

If you have some time during the day time, by far the best landmark to visit in the city of Bratislava is its impressive castle which towers on a large hill high over the city. I will warn you now, in the heat of summer in Slovakia, walking up this hill certainly can be quite exhausting - even for a reasonably fit 24 year old as I quickly discovered! If you are going to walk up the hill to enjoy the fantastic views over Bratislava, make sure you take some water for the journey as the hill is pretty steep! It is believed that the original history of the castle can be traced back as far as the iron age where evidence has been found of an early settlement in the area. The site has later apparently been occupied by Romans, Germanic tribes as well as by empirical Slovaks and as such has been built and reconstructed on several occasions - most recently in 1953 to restore the brilliant structure that stands their today.

Giro d' Italia Stage 3 Standings-Petacchi Takes Grado to Valdobbiadene-Prosecco for Pink Jersey

The Giro d'Italia cyclist raced stage 3 today, after starting Saturday with the time trials on Venice's Lido.

Day 3 was another beautiful day in Italy's Veneto region. Today's Giro stage at 200 km had the cyclist traveling from the picturesque adriatic town Grado to Valdobbiadene, the home of sparkling white wine known as Prosecco, named after the prosecco grape from this region at the foothills of Italy's Alps. Although the cyclists make their way up some hills today's giro stage was mostly flat.

The green fields and hills that lined today's Giro d'Italia at the foot of the Alps are lush with vineyards where the famous sparkling wine grapes are grown from steep-hilled villages surrounding Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in Italy’s Veneto region. Today, about 60 percent of all prosecco — some eight million cases — comes from producers outside the traditional prosecco-growing region of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, a cluster of villages about a half-hour’s drive north of Venice. The newcomers are not held to the same strict production standards as the traditional producers, which are tightly governed under Italian wine laws. The towns were full of people and the race route lined with people who love the action. And with 35km left, action is exactly what today's Giro d'Italia Stage 3 offered.

The last 3 km to go was a race of races with Bruseghin going for it and the pack following. Bruseghin went to early - Visconti charged, building himself a 100m lead with 1km left. But his legs gave up with less than .2 km left to go when Petacchi came through with a time of 4:45:27.

Once again, stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia did not disappoint setting up a great race circuit. After the jump Giro d'Italia Stage 3 video >

The 162 km Stage 4 Giro d'Italia tomorrow, May 12, has the cyclist beginning from the beautiful canal-town of Padua (Padova) to San Martino di Castrozza in the mountains. We'll be watching the climbers to see who is saving their legs and to see who is peaking too early as the Giro d'Italia stage 4 heads toward the Italian Alps.





















For a little taste of Verona in the Veneto region click below:

For more Italy video of the region where the Giro d'Italia stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, and tomorrow's stage 4 click WebVisionItaly.com - Italy video of the Veneto region of Italy including Padua, Venice, Verona, and Vicenza.

Backpacking and Baths in Budapest

Of all the places in eastern Europe that I traveled to last year I have to say that Budapest perhaps more than any other city offered the largest selection of things to do, places to go out and party and great buildings to see. Perhaps this isn't that surprising, considering that Budapest is in fact technically speaking 2 large cities separated by the river Danube: Buda and Pest - get it? Ok, so maybe its not rocket science to understand, but what it does mean is you effectively have 2 big cities rolled into one giant capital to walk around and explore. How's that for value for money?!

If you have travelled to the city in summer, you will no doubt notice that the temperatures can get pretty high by Europe's standards. I'm not sure if I visited the city in the middle of a heat wave last year but at 38 degrees centigrade it was pretty warm let me tell you. Combine this burning heat with walking about 10 miles a day around the city to avoid paying for public transport and you are no doubt going to be ready to cool off. Luckily, Budapest has some of the biggest and best Turkish baths in Europe - if not the world - which are great places to take a load off. My favourite which I visited was the grandeur surroundings of the Gellert baths built back in 1918.

The indoor pool has one of the most impressive interiors I have seen - intricate and detailed tiles throughout, huge classical style columns and a glass roof.

The outdoor pool has been recently improved and updated and is in itself something great to behold, with a wave machine that is just like standing in the sea being pummeled by the real thing! No doubt that there is a lot of great fun in the sun to be had in there. There are also a lot of more relaxing chill out areas with benches outside and a smaller, very warm pool to relax in - perfect for the hung over backpacker. When visiting Gellert baths you really can't miss out on the thermal baths either. This unique experience is apparently very good for the skin - but watch out for the transition between the baking steam room and the freezing plunge pool. I felt that the baths also offer very good value entertainment - although I'm told that Gellert is the most expensive of the baths I still spent the entire day there and it only cost me around 10 quid!

UEFA Finals Rome: Barcelona ties Chelsea, Faces Manchester United

Barcelona tied Chelsea with a spectacular goal by Andrés Iniesta's in the 93rd minute during penalty time to tie the game 1-1. Since Barcelona was the away team its goal counted for more than Chelsea's goal, meaning the tie goes to the away team and Barcelona is going to Rome to face Manchester United in the Champions League UEFA final in Rome May 27. Last year Manchester United beat Chelsea in the finals, but there will be no repeat this year.

Manchester United Going to UEFA Finals in Rome

Manchester United remains on course to become the first team to reach the Europe Champions League final, scoring two goals in the first 11 minutes led to a defeat of Arsenal 3-1 for a 4-1 aggregate victory and a place in the final against either Chelsea or Barcelona, which game will be played tomorrow, in Rome at the UEFA Finals.

Beautiful Barcelona: A Guide To Europes Capital of Art

Barcelona is capital of the Spanish province of Cataluna and is situated on the beautiful Mediterranean coast in the North East coast of Spain. The city has become an iconic centre of culture with its history of fine art, architecture, food and sport. Perhaps amongst the most famous in his field, the artist and architect Antoni Gaudi designed the huge cathedral that has become the cities most famous iconic landmark - a truly ornate structure quite unique to anything I have seen across the world. The intricacies of its decoration are quite fantastic to behold - and at just a short tube journey from the central street of Las Ramblas this really has to be worth a visit. While on Las Ramblas you can take the time to check out the numerous cafes, bars and restaurants that line the street - and don't forget to check out the fantastic fish market which produces some of the finest and freshest seafood in Europe. Why not follow Las Ramblas down to the sea front and see the famous bridge and picturesque docks and harbour.

Fans of football the world over know and fear the name Barcelona - a club enshrined by legendary status in the sport. The Spanish giants look set to regain the La Liga title this term and face Chelsea in the Champions League Semi Final. You can watch some of the worlds best players such as Messi, Etoo and Henry at the huge and magnificent Nou Camp Stadium here in Barcelona and even take a tour of the ground during the day to see the huge selection of trophies the club have won over the years. I found attending a match at the 120,000 capacity ground quite awe inspiring and when the crown are behind their team for a big game such as against league rivals Real the noise and atmosphere can be deafening.
If you are looking for a good, friendly hostel in which to stay I can highly recommend "Hello BCN". The hostel has friendly staff, a large common room with a bar and table tennis, gym and excellent internet access from either the free WIFI or the computers provided. At around 20 euros a night it wasn't the cheapest I'd stayed in, but it has an excellent location and the facilites are worth the money.

Cracking Krakow: Poland's Party Town

Although only the third largest city in Poland, I have to say that Krakow was for me, by far the best place we visited - and one of my favourite cities in Eastern Europe. The city has it all: a beautiful old town square with a superb market, great nightlife, friendly and fun people, and in summer at least some very nice sunshine and temperatures into the mid 30s. It is also still relatively cheap once there - in spite of large price increases in the last few years due to the growth in tourism in the region. Heading just out of town there are still places where we managed to grab a 1 litre stein of beer for around £1. Prices are a little higher in the square but still very reasonable in both the bars and restaurants which can be found in abundance in this area. There are also great places to visit nearby such as the salt mines with its huge underground cathedral decorated with ornate salt carvings. You can also take a very inexpensive guide to the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz which is not far from the city. I personally found this to be a very humbling and often distressing experience and it is certainly not for the faint hearted or young children. If you are backpacking as I was when I last visited and are looking for a great hostel I would suggest the NEW (as their are 2 hostels of the same name!) "Goodbye Lenin: Lets Rock" Hostel situated around 3 minutes from the old town square. An excellent hostel with great facilities and staff is yours for around 12 quid a night including breakfast - a very reasonable rate!

Sweet La Casa Que Canta - Zihuatanejo Resort

zihuatanejo resort

Sweet La Casa Que Canta - Zihuatanejo Resort

zihuatanejo resort

May Day in Italy: Spring in Italy Festivals

May in Italy equals spring food and wine festivals, medieval festivals, and flower festivals - Infiorata - celebrating Spring in Italy. Spring in Italy festival highlights:

May Day: May 1 in Italy is a public holiday all over Italy, as in most European countries, as the day of the worker. Interesting parades and festivals celebrate the day.

Abruzzo, Bucchianico: The Flower Festival includes a re-enactment of a 13th-century military stratagem with a parade, the third Sunday in May.

Abruzzo, Rocca di Mezzo: The Daffodil Festival celebrates spring with folk dancing and a parade the last Sunday in May.

Emilia Romagna, Grazzano: Medieval Parade and Jousting Tournament in the Visconti is the last Sunday in May.

Lazio, Lake Bolsena, Marta: La Barabbata is celebrated May 14. In this procession, men wear costumes representing the old trades and carry their tools while white buffalo pull floats carrying the fruits of the trades.

Lazio, Vetralla: The Wedding of the Trees, Sposalizio dell’Albero, takes place May 8 in the northern Lazio town of Vetralla. Oak trees are decorated with garlands, horsemen offer bouquets of the first spring flowers and new trees are planted while everyone enjoys a picnic lunch. The ceremony revives Vetralla's sovereignty over the forests and continues the right of each citizen to a cubic meter of firewood annually.

Liguria, Camogli: The Fish festival of Saint Fortunato, patron saint of fishermen, is celebrated in the beautiful fishing village of Camogli, south of Genoa, the second Sunday in May. Saturday night there is a huge fireworks display and bonfire competition followed by free fried fish on Sunday.

Piedmont, Avigliana: Polenta Festival, also the second Sunday in May, is celebrated in the main square of the .

Piedmont, Sessame: Risotto Festival Sunday May 3, a feast of typical risotto dating back to the 13th century.

Piedmont, Alesandria: Roman Fest is a 3-day re-enactment of a typical ancient Roman festival in the , the last weekend of May. The festival includes parades, feasts, staged gladiator combat and chariot races

Sardegna: The Sagra di Sant Efisio festival May 1 is a colorful 4-day procession from Cagliari (see Sardinia map) to the Romanesque church of Saint Efisio on the beach at Nora. Decorated oxcarts and horsemen accompany the saint's statue in a parade followed by food and dancing.

Sicily, Umbria, Infiorata di Noto, a huge festival with flower petal art displays and a parade, takes place in Noto, Sicily, the third weekend of May.

Tuscany, Montespertoli: Chianti Wine Festival, last Sunday in May and first Sunday in June, takes place in the Chianti wine region of Tuscany.

Umbria, Assisi: Calendimaggio is celebrated in early May in Assisi, Umbria. The two ancient medieval wards, the "Parte di Sopra" and the "Parte di Sotto", engage in a challenge that takes the form of theater shows, concerts, songs and choruses, dances, processions, archery, crossbow and flag-waving displays. The districts compete in a singing contest among the spectacular floral decorations, flags, torches and candles.

Umbria, Gualdo Tadino, San Pelligrino: April 30th, a 1,000-year old tradition, "The Planting of the Poplar" Il Maggio.

Umbria, Gubbio: The Festa dei Ceri video, a candle race and costumed parade, takes place May 15 and is followed by a Historical Cross-Bow Exhibition on the last Sunday of May.

Umbria, Narni: Ring Race and Procession re-enactments of 14th century contests and parades, Narni in the Umbria region.

Umbria, Orvetto: La Palombella is a festival representing the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. The festival is held in the piazza in front of the duomo and ends with a fireworks display.