What is the Italian Tourist Tax, and how much will tourists pay in 2012?

A new Tourist Tax has been introduced by many Italian local authorities. It’s a payment made to the local authority of the area in which a tourist buys accomodation. If you go on holiday in some Italian cities now, you will pay up to 5 euros a night on top of the price of the accomodation. The amount is intended to improve services to tourists, such as improving the provision of accomodation, the maintenance, exploitation and recovery of the local cultural heritage and improving local services.

The money is collected by the accomodation provider, but paid over to the relevant local authority.

Each local authority decides its own rate of tax and some make no charge at all.  There is no precise rule and every authority applies the regulations as it sees fit so the amount of tax and any exemptions vary.

For example Ravello on the Amalfi Coast charges from 1 to 4.5 euros per person per night, depending on the weekly price of the villa and children younger than 16 are exempt as well as disabled persons, bus drivers and tour guides.

By contrast, in Praiano still on the Amalfi Coast, you pay from 1 to 2.5 euros again depending on accomodation costs and children younger than 10 are exempt as well as disabled persons…

Ingredients:
5 eggs
300 gr of type 0flour
200 g of Manitoba type flour
100ml of water
25-30 gr yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
5 Tablespoons olive oil
50 gr lard
300 gr grated cheese (pecorino cheese and parmesan)

In a bowl: melt yeast with sugar in lukewarm water and allow to ferment for 5-6 minutes

In another bowl: add flour and make a hole in the centre, where you must pour the yeast and sugar mix to which you add some flour with a teaspoon to make a soft dough.
Sprinkle with more flour to cover, so as to isolate the dough and allow to ferment for 40-50 minutes

In the meantime, beat the eggs, add salt and pepper, the grated cheeses and finally the oil allowing the flavours to blend into each other…

Once the dough has dried and cracked slowly add the mixture of eggs and cheese and mix with flour..

Knead thoroughly, finally add the softened lard and keep on kneading. The mixture must be soft (do not exceed 600gr of flour).

Cover and let rest at room temperature for about one hour (ideally in the cold oven with light on), transfer to a buttered, narrow, high edge oven tray, place in a warm spot and allow to rise up to the top edge.

Bake in the oven at 190/200° for about one hour (or 45 minutes, depending on the type of oven)

Advice: it’s better if eaten 2 or 3 days after it’s been made…best with hard boiled eggs and salami!!

The Cities of Art are living up to their name. There are several “must-see” exhibitions taking place in Florence and Rome this year that anyone seriously interested in painting will need to put in their diaries. First is the Tiziano exhibition which has already opened in the Palazzo Reale in Milan. It has gathered together 50 of the finest works of the 16th century, a century that belonged to Tiziano and which saw the invention by him of landscape painting. Besides his work, there are examples of the work of Bellini, Giorgione, Veronese and many others, loaned from a total worldwide group of 37 lending institutions. It closes on 20 May.

Also already opened is the Tintoretto exhibition at the Quirinal Palace stables in Rome. Amazingly, this is the first of the major 16th century Italian painters not to have had a major exhibition in Italy dedicated solely to his work. Three themes are highlighted: the religious, the mythological and portraiture. It closes on 10 June.

In Florence at the moment, at the Palazzo Strozzi, is an exhibition whose subject is Americans in Florence. It concentrates on the work of John Singer Sargent and the impressionists of the New World. It studies the influence of Italian painting on American artists from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries and the particular part played by Florence as compared with other centres such as Paris, Venice and Rome. It celebrates the 500th anniversary of the death of the man after whom the USA is named: Amerigo Vespucci.

Finally, anyone who has been stunned by the frescoes he painted in Orvieto cathedral will want to go to the Signorelli exhibition opening in three centres in Umbria on 1 April, closing on 26 August. Plenty of time to rent your villa in Umbria and buy your tickets! The official web site isn’t up and running yet, but the news is that the National Gallery of Umbria in Perugia, the Museum of Orvieto cathedral and the Pinacoteca in Città di Castello will be together hosting over 100 works by Renaissance masters, two thirds of them by Signorelli himself. Widen your knowledge of this man who must have struck terror into the hearts of the Orvietans when he unveiled those frescoes.

For those of more modern tastes, there are exhibitions of  Dali, Mirò,  installation art, modern sculpture and even Japanese culture over the summer. Just ask when you want to discuss where to go for this year’s villa vacation.

The thermal baths of Northern Italy, and Tuscany in particular, must have started a way of holidaymaking that is now one of the most luxurious and pleasurable that you could possibly indulge in.

Having discovered warm-water springs along the peninsula, the Romans exported the concept of using them to rejuvenate the body and the spirit in a communal way everywhere they went. Bath in the UK is a great example and is still working after two thousand years – they even named the town after the practice.

A visit to a spa is a popular pastime, and a day spent in the bubbling waters of any thermal bath is not just an indulgence, but actually good for you!
There are all sorts of treatments on offer, or you can just relax and enjoy the atmosphere just like you would on the beach. You get used to the smell of sulphur, honestly.

Modern resorts require payment to enter, but there are plenty of ancient springs that are actually free.
Take the Terme di Bagno Vignoni (try Villa Bandini) for example. They are off the beaten track and can be difficult to find, but if you can, they are fantastic. The fountain in the town square used to be where the bathing took place, but it’s been moved now to another location.

The one I have been to and enjoyed the most was Saturnia (try Casale Sole – it has a jacuzzi I practically lived in), not far from the Argentario peninsula in the Maremma region of Tuscany, convenient for our villas L’Acacia and Villa della Pia. Legend has it that the waters were created when Jupiter and Saturn threw thunderbolts at each other and some of them missed. More prosaically, they became a major attraction in the 1800s when the land was drained and the splendidly picturesque waterfalls came into being.The natural waterfalls are free, no payment required, but you have to be careful where you park – you might get a fine. If you like something a bit more modern (with easy parking) go to the spa resort next door where there’s a series of man-made pools using the water (and gas) from the springs.

San Casciano dei Bagni (try Casa delle Piazze) is a great old-style spa with plenty of mud treatments – great fun. Rapolano Terme (try Il Leccio) is great for wine therapy -you’ve got to try it.

So go ahead and spoil your better half with a day of pure pleasure at the spa of your choice. Both of you will feel so much better, and it’s a day out for the kids too. They always love the water, don’t they, especially when it’s warm.

See Italy’s beautiful landscape without worrying about global warming. Go green and get a bike!

Cycling is a new form of tourism, at least for Italy. It’s already popular in other European countries, such as the Netherlands and France, but advances in bicycle technology (and green issues) mean that Italy is beginning to see more of it, and Tuscany is one of the main destinations in Italy.

The Maremma especially, with its wide choice of seaside areas, medieval villages perched on hills and its enchanting countryside. It all makes for interesting trips.

Itineraries

There’s a huge number of itineraries from which to choose, whether you’re interested just in the cycling or in other things besides. There’s something for everyone. If your Italian is up to it, this site is great for discovering all sorts of trips at every level; easy ones, ones suitable for a family with children, or more challenging itineraries for the experienced cyclist. You can choose your itinerary according to distance, type of road and even how high you want to climb. Printing out the maps there is a good idea.

This site is specific to the Maremma Natural Park, also known as Parco dell’Uccellina. It’s a fantastic cycling area with a thoroughly natural landscape leading all the way from the hills down to the Tyrrenhian sea just south of Grosseto.

Rent a bike

You can take your own bike, but it’s easier to rent your bikes directly when you get there.

We suggest: Saletti in Castiglione della Pescaia or MBM in Grosseto – MBM will take the bikes to wherever you need them if you ask.

Tour operators

If you prefer having a tailor-made experience, alone or as part of a group, you can contact these tour operators:

Maremma in Bici

Maremma in bicicletta

They can organise a trip taking into account your level of cycling expertise and the places you’d like to visit.

But actually we think the best idea if you want to cycle around the Maremma is to make a base at one of our villas and take day trips out, as long or short as you want.
We think these are the best villas for the purpose:

We’ll give you a hand with finding the beauty spots, and the restaurants too for the lunch break!

There’s plenty of help available too. Our friends at One Step Closer are experienced at organising weddings in Tuscany, and they can take you through all the paperwork necessary for a civil ceremony followed by the reception. With a little help and preparation, all will go smoothly and you won’t actually need to spend a lot of time in Italy beforehand, at least if both bride and groom are resident outside Italy. Church ceremonies are a little harder to arrange.

Speaking of ceremony, you will have a civil ceremony at the local town hall (Comune) before the Mayor and an official interpreter, but this belittles some of the venues, which are magnificent in their own right – take the “Sala Rossa” within the Michaelangelo-designed Capitol Hill buildings in Rome for example.

As to the reception, the world is your oyster. If you like the Amalfi Coast, there’s the Villa Tre Croci which has an open-air terrace ideal for a party, and La Calla can help out with the organisation. At Torre Cesarea, the manager is well practised at planning and delivering a gourmet meal on the terrace overlooking that blue blue sea.

For weddings in the Lake Como area and in Sicily, contact Cernobbiodeluxe.

Dolce Vita Villas has a number of medium to large sized villas which have large, even semi-professional, kitchens where an organised group of guests could take advantage of the services she offers. Take Spaccasassi in Umbria for example which has great dining facilities too, both indoor and outdoor. La Vigna in Chianti has a separate annexe for the overflow in larger parties as well as a great kitchen. Borgo della Pia has a lot of outdoor facilies – horse riding and tennis for example, if there are those in the group who would prefer not to slave over a hot stove!

Let’s take take a look at one of the show’s exciting novelties, the Oyster 625. It’s on stand I131 and this is the first time it has been seen in Italy. A great feature is what the manufacturers describe as triple seascape windows – check out the photo below. It’s nearly 20 metres long, so don’t expect it to be cheap. You’ll need to call them to book an appointment to see it.

Riva are of course best known for their smooth, suave and sophisticated motor boats. Achingly good looking is this year’s model Riva 63 Virtus, the flagship of the Riva range of open-top boats. Italian style and design at its best, see it in the Marina section of the show.

Boating is of course a wonderful activity to combine with a villa holiday, and you can hire one, be it motor or sailer, with or without crew, in most seaside locations where we have villas. The Argentario on the Tuscan coast is particularly well known and the ports of Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano offer myriad facilities. Just ask us and we’ll let you have full details. L’Acacia is recommended, along with Giannella (real luxury here) and Villa Mandriola.

Elsewhere, try Sardinia of course, Villa Portisco, Villa Rubia and Villa Contros are all excellent. On the Amalfi Coast, Villa Tre Croci and Torre Cesarea would be great bases for boating.