Media | Italy from the Inside

Podcast #1 – Practical tips to travel in Italy with trains

November 29, 2006

We’re happy to announce our first episode of the Italy From The Inside podcast series. In this show we cover:
– Introduction of this podcast series and your host (Paolo)
– A few practical tips to travel in Italy with trains
– Overview of a market research by the Italian Trade Commission
– A two-minute Italian lesson on purchasing a train ticket

Listen / Download this episode in MP3 format
(6Mb -12 mins)

We welcome your feedback and suggestions for future shows. Please write to paolo@tosolini.com.

Microsoft Photosynth: turning photos into 3D spaces

November 9, 2006

Microsoft Live Labs has released today a preview of a new media technology called Photosynth. What it does is reconstructing 3D spaces from photo collections created by different people about the same subject. You can zoom in/out, pan, view scenes from different angles.
Two of the examples on the Photosynth site are about Piazza San Marco in Venice and Piazza San Pietro in Rome. The application is really impressive. I don’t just say that because I work for Microsoft; this is really a must see technology preview if you are into travel and photography (requires a broadband connection).
If you leave your comments here, I’ll make sure to pass them along to the Photosynth folks.

Italian hand gestures explained (video)

October 9, 2006

When it comes to speaking with their hands, the Italians are masters. Many gestures are just meant to emphasize normal conversations. Some others belong to the category of Parolacce (bad words). This video summarizes some of the most popular hand gestures that you may happen to witness in your next trip to Italy.
Beware, you may end up learning more than what you wished.

– Download the iPod version of this video (6MB)
– Can’t see the video? Watch it from YouTube

UPDATE: Within 48h from its release, this video has already gained 6 YouTube Honors, among those the #16 most viewed travel video and #15 top rated travel video.