The Centovalli Railway Experience

While visiting the North of Italy you may get fascinated by the beauty of our mountains, the Alps, and you may want to do something special. Here is a tip for something unforgettable and definitely affordable to most of us: take a trip to Lake Maggiore or to the surrounding region; take a train to Domodossola and buy a ticket for the Centovalli railway. Here I am giving you directions on what to do and where to go:

From the Italian website:

CENTOVALLI RAILWAY "VIGEZZINA"

By 1923 this narrow-gauge railway runs between the towns of Domodossola (Italy) and Locarno, (Switzerland).

The railway winds through the Vigezzo Valley, Italy, and the Centovalli in Ticino, in an area of high environmental value and landscape made of green valleys and deep gorges carved by streams, and quiet Alpine pastures and dizzying bridges.

Individual tickets or special fares for groups are available: one-way travel from Domodossola to Locarno or vice versa and round-trip travel.

The one-way trip, from a Terminal to another, requires a little less than two hours. It is possible to make a stop along the way for lunch and a visit to the surrounding area.

For groups, booking is mandatory.

For timetables: check out the tab in the company website.

For the Tour by train + Ferry: see the special section “Lago Maggiore Express”.

I did this with my wife - train to Locarno and return by ferry to Domodossola - and we really enjoyed the experience.

For quotes and reservations (only pre groups of at least 20 participants): claudia@lagomaggioretour.com

From the Swiss Railway website:

Experience a spectacular train journey through 100 valleys with the Centovalli railway.

The Centovalli railway is part of the shortest possible connection between the Valais and Ticino and travels from Domodossola to Locarno in just less than two hours. The nearly 60-kilometre narrow gauge track takes you through picturesque valleys, deep ravines, chestnut forests and vineyards. And from the individual stops, a variety of hikes and excursions offer fascinating opportunities to explore the region and its idyllic villages.

Benefit now: This offer is available from 1 December 2011 to 31 March 2012 as a fixed price offer starting from CHF 49. First come, first served!

This can be a unique experience for everybody, either you love the mountains or the lake, or both. It is absolutely inexpensive and not difficult. It takes the whole day but you can decide to spend few hours in the beautiful town of Locarno. Here you can take a walk to the marina where all the boats are docked and have a sack lunch on a bench. Don't forget your camera because the surroundings are absolutely spectacular!

Few Tips For Your Trip To Italy

Here are a few steps to follow to organize a trip to Italy without resorting to travel agencies.

1) Choose the destination and type the place to visit. This is the first and most important thing to do: If you choose a city of art you will spend days walking to see monuments and museums; if you choose a place along the coast then you will prefer to lay down on a beach; finally, if you choose a spa then the holiday will have a different twist.

2) Decide how you will reach the place. By rental car, train or plane.

· By car: check the website viamichelin.it. Inserting the point of departure and arrival, the site will search for you the best route to destination. You can customize your search by entering the type of fuel (gasoline or diesel) you will fill up the tank of your car with; by asking for the shortest or cheapest way to destination, by avoiding or preferring highways, ... The site will also give you the cost of toll roads and fuel. It's a great way to get information for all motorists.

· By train: check the Italian railways website (Trenitalia). If you want to travel by train, you can book and purchase your tickets in advance on their website. You can also make reservation for your seats. You can also find some interesting deals such as discounts from 30 to 15%. If you need information about the arrival or departure track or you need to check European trains, then try the German railways site (Die Bahn). You can book tickets directly online by paying with your credit card and avoiding the line.  

· By plane: check volagratis.it. Enter the departure and arrival locations, the time and number of passengers and the site will give you a list of available and cheapest flights and fares. For bookings, however, go directly to the airline's site and buy your tickets with your credit card. Remember, the sooner you make a reservation the better discounts will be available.

Now that you know how to get to destination, you need to find a place to stay.

3) Find a place to sleep. Also in this case check websites such as expedia.it or venere.com. You can get a list of hotels sorted by price; refine your search by picking the one as close as possible to the place where you will be hanging. Use these engines to draw up a list of hotels that look perfect for your needs, but don't book with them. Go directly to the hotel site if available. Often by paying directly and in advance you can find discounted rooms up to 80% compared to standard fare!

4) Other things to check. Search the internet for local transportation fares; how much is the daily, weekly or monthly pass to buses, metro or light trains lines. You may find discount cards to travel into town. Later, you might want to decide what you want to see and do: museums, monuments, landscapes. Check the cities', town’s, region’s websites for special discounts to places to visit. Same thing to find places to eat good and cheap. You can look for local restaurants at ilmangione.it. Here you can review restaurants where you have been and read other people’s comments about restaurants where you want to go. There is also a space to search for restaurants by location, type of cuisine, time and prices. Download a map of the city and place dots and marks with a pen by the places to see: you will be able to move faster and not to miss your favorite places. Remember, asking locals is the best way to find places and restaurants, especially if you manage to speak some words of Italian. If you do not speak any words or you are too shy to try, use a pen and a piece of paper with the name of the restaurant and say the magic words, “non caro, ma buono” (not expensive but good) and voila’ you have your information.   

Just A Remind To The Few.......

To my few readers,

I would like to invite you to participate to my blog with comments, notes, pictures, personal stories, travel experiences to Italy. Just let me know what you want to post and I will be more than happy to do it for you.

You can also compromise yourself by becoming one of my followers! It will not make you Italian but it will make 'me' happy.

Do You Want To Go To Rome?

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The Talking Statues in Rome

Originally located in different places in the city of Rome, the so-called talking statues are perhaps one of the best expressions of that genuine roman soul, naturally inclined to satire and bearing an irreverent attitude towards the power and its ostentation. Their story started during the Papal era, when the people began to hang libels at the neck of these satirical sculptures.

If today the famous Pasquino is the only survivor, once the list was longer and included statues that have often given their names to the places in which they were found (this is the case of Piazza di Pasquino or Via del Babuino). The other statues are Marforio in the courtyard of the Capitoline Museum, Madama Lucrezia in Piazza San Marco, the Abate Luigi in Piazza Vidoni, the Facchino in Via Lata, and the Babuino in Via del Babuino.

Our Pasquino is a statue of the Hellenistic period (dating back to the 3rd century BC), and what remains of it is actually a fragment of two bodies, one of which probably depicting a Greek Warrior, possibly Menelaus, supporting the body of the dying Patroclus. It seems that originally the statue, discovered in 1501 as a result of nearby excavations, was on display in the stadium of Domitian, i.e. the present Piazza Navona. It was eventually moved to the current location, that is the old Piazza di Parione (which is also the name of that district) and that today is known as Piazza di Pasquino.

 

The name of the statue is as mysterious as its origins and so is what it represents. There are different tales about and the most accredited tells that the name Pasquino was that of a craftsman of Rione Parione (a Barber or a tailor or a shoemaker), famous for his satirical vein. According to others it is that of a restaurateur who was exhibiting his own verses in that square. Finally, other versions speak of teachers of Latin grammar and characters from the Boccaccio’s Decameron. I like to think that a statue so popular, that gave voice to the Roman people so cleverly, took its name from one of the most humble member of the community, a shopkeeper, an artisan or a restaurateur addicted to poetry and the mind full of irreverent satire.

The cartels and satirical posters that were hung around the neck of the talking statues began to appear during the so called Papal age as invective, jokes and poems against representatives of the temporal power of the papacy. The Popes were often the target of bitter satires, and more than one Pope tried to have the statue of Pasquino removed, but always advised against doing so by those who knew the Roman people and its possible, uncontrollable reactions in the event of such censorship. At times, guards were placed at night to watch the talking statues but this did not stop anonymous to keep on hanging billboards behind their backs.

Later in history, the statues were often used as a billboard for the "electoral campaigns" during the election of new Popes or as a free space for propaganda against political opponents. The activity of this popular form of communication was momentarily interrupted following the defeat of the papal army and the annexation of Rome to the new Kingdom of Italy. Also in more recent times the people of Rome have seen new actions by Pasquino related to current events, either international or local. Anyhow, the period of "silence" that followed the breach of Porta Pia was never total and sporadic outbreaks would occur to renew one of the traditions that best tell what the Romanesque invective has always meant to the people of Rome.