In order to keep you in the loop, from time to time, as stories about Italy pop up that relate to travel,tourism and food, I’ll be sharing them with you. Here is some recent Italy travel news for June.
Photo Credit : Maurice
- Murano Wants to Attract More Than Day-Trippers
This tiny island, off the coast of Venice, will forever be known as the destination for glass-making. But this sleepy enclave is trying to think far into the future when it comes to attracting visitors for years to come. Murano is planning to build new hotels, expand its urban developement and possibly add an underwater subway which would connect the airport to Murano and Venice, providing rapid transport to and from the island. This in all in hopes of luring travelers to stay on the island, as opposed to day-tripping in from Venice. Let’s hope these efforts don’t cause Murano to lose its alluring charm.
- New Hotel Tax for Florence & Venice
Unfortunately, Florence and Venice have both decided to hop on the same bandwagon as Rome by adopting the same hotel tax in the city that Rome put into place at the beginning of this year. Beginning July 1, 2011, visitors to both locations should expect to pay an additional €1, per person, per night, which will be tacked onto their hotel bill. I would encourage you to email your hotel directly to double-check what the exact fee will be for your party, as I have seen conflicting reports on how these fees will actually be calculated.
- Walking in Florence Gets Safer
Though it is difficult to drive in the city center, and I discourage anyone from doing it – not only because it isn’t necessary, but because you’ll likely wind up with a pile of traffic tickets when you return home from vacation. Florence has decided to implement a few new traffic-free, pedestrian-friendly zones. This is excellent news for travelers walking and touring around the city. Now you’ll be able to experience the museum of life in these areas a little quieter and safer. But, you still need to watch for scooters zooming by you at record speeds, practically running you over while YOU are in the cross-walk. No improvement on that front quite yet!
- Milan’s La Scala Gets a Bail Out
You may remember luxury shoe giant Tod’s pledged big-time funds to restore and repair the Colosseum in Rome. Well, now he is also coming through for Milan’s La Scala opera house. According to Reuters, he is donating 5.2 million euros to save the famous failing opera house and is calling on other Italian businessmen to help save Italian cultural treasures. Why not support the cause by purchasing tickets to a show on your next visit to Milan?
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