Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Mini decides to guide Arianna through one of the main roads of Lucca to the center of the city. It's one continuous road but its name changes several times. Arianna is fascinated by some mysterious numbers appearing on the stones of the pavement.
Difficulty: Beginner
Italy
The best way to get around Lucca is by bike. Arianna rents one and enjoys riding along the amazing walls of the city, still intact after centuries.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
There are a lot of interesting places to see from the walls, as Arianna rides around on her rental bike: the botanical garden, a tower with trees on it, and the entrance to a pilgrimage route to Rome.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Marino tells about Marechiaro, a small village in the area of Naples called Posillipo. Marchiaro gives its name to a very famous Neapolitan song by Salvatore Di Giacomo.
Difficulty: Beginner
Italy
Arianna and Simone show us the historic center of this city on Sicily's west coast. Points of interest include its Casbah, where ceramic tile artworks tell of the city's Arab history, an unusual central-plan church; and the Satyr Museum.
Difficulty: Beginner
Italy
Arianna and Simone take us through the narrow lanes of Mazara to the little theater, built from leftover materials from ships, and on to the Casbah, full of ceramic artwork.
Difficulty: Beginner
Italy
We visit some of the narrow alleys with names that have special significance. Arianna and Simone tell the stories of these names and show us some of the beautiful ceramic pots placed around the town.
Difficulty: Beginner
Italy
Arianna explains what a casbah is, and she and Simone take us around to the Tunisian consulate and the old washhouse.
Difficulty: Beginner
Italy
Marika takes us to Venice where we have a look around through her "eyes." We start out near the Doge's Palace.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Marika shows us a famous bookshop in Venice. It's in a critical position with respect to the water level, so special precautions are taken to protect the books when there are high tides. Fascinating!
Difficulty: Beginner
Italy
In Venice, the concept of "streets" and "roads" is totally different from most other places in Italy, so there are some new words to learn that apply almost exclusively to this wonderful city. Marika does some show and tell to help us get the picture.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Marika takes us to see a special statue, a fish market and two famous bridges.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Even if we have never been to Venice, we all know a gondola when we see one, but let's find out more about this elegant Venetian symbol.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Everyone has heard of St. Mark's Square, but Marika gives us some interesting tidbits of information and then takes us to a see a very special staircase.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Marika takes us to the piazza where Marco Polo supposedly lived. But which house is it? She asks a local. The name of the square is Corte Seconda del Milion. Il Milion is the Italian name of the book, The Travels of Marco Polo.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
A short boat ride takes us from Venice to Murano, where they make some of the most beautiful glass in the world.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The Venetian island of Burano is famous for its multi-colored houses and for its lace. It's time to get your camera out, if you haven't already.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The last stop on our trip around Venice is the beautiful, uninhabited island of Torcello. Marika has a few stories to tell about it.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Rossella tells us how she came to be the solitary inhabitant of a beautiful, abandoned village in Calabria, called either Pentedattilo or Pentidattilo.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
What a wonderful place Pentidattilo had been, but then plastic arrived and pretty much ruined everything.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Rossella feels that it's her mission to show people this marvelous place. She dedicates part of her home to guests from all over the world.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Rossella talks about why she likes Pentidattilo so much, and imagines what it would have been like when it was populated by families. She has managed to preserve the magic of the place, where time has stood still.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
Italy
Writer and scholar Fulvio Benelli shows us a part of Rome that tourists always flock to: Piazza Navona. But he tells us the fascinating story of how it came to be.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
Italy
Fulvio shows us one of the most enigmatic monuments of all Rome, the Pantheon. He gives us some history, some interesting facts, and a legend, as well.
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