Italy from the Inside

Basic visitation rules for Italian churches


Hot summers in Italy demand light clothing. But if you plan to visit churches and monasteries, you might be prompted at the entrance with a sign that reminds you some basic visitation rules that apply to all sacred places.
These directions may include to wear appropriate clothing, to refrain from walking around during a celebration, to mute your cell phone and to leave pets out.

Italian churches are rich of history and in constant “fund raising mode” to face recurring maintenance and restoration costs. Donations in any form are always appreciated.
One way to contribute is to listen to the audio-visual history guides that are often present in the most popular churches.

These devices haven’t changed much in the past 20 years (except for the price of the recording), and they offer a succinct summary of the key historical facts of the place in various languages.
I consider them the precursor of the MP3 audio guides that are becoming increasingly popular for portable devices like the iPod.

Ferragosto

If you happened to visit Italy during August, you may have noticed that many businesses are closed for the traditional summer vacation and many Italians have already headed to the beach. August is the month when most of the country shuts down, including the big manufacturing industries.

The pinnancle of the summer in Italy is August 15th and is called Ferragosto. This day is also a national holiday celebrated by the Catholic Church. For tourists, Ferragosto can be a good moment to visit the big cities, unusually empty, even if some museums and services may be closed too. Local festivals (called sagre) and bigger events abound all across the country. The Italy for Visitors guide on About.com has compiled a nice list of key events happening this summer.

2007 Edition of our eBook released!

We’re happy to announce the new 2007 release of our eBook Italy From The Inside.
Following our recent trip to Italy, we spent some quality time updating links, images and other information to make the content of our eBook super-fresh and relevant for the upcoming holiday season.
Here are some excerpts from our customer comments:

“I’ve never read anything that prepares a traveller better for a trip to Italy”

“I hope your book is getting a great response, I think it is a masterpiece”

“It’s indispensable reading!”

“I have read no less than 10 of the big name “guide books” about Italy, and none of them had the detail and “hands on” usefulness of your e-book. Not even close.”

“…an extraordinarily useful practical guide book”

“…fun, fascinating and full of very useful facts.”

p.s. Existing customers are entitled to a free eBook update by following the download link reported on their purchase receipt email.

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