The Tower of Pisa

The Tower of Pisa is the bell tower of the Cathedral. Its construction began in the august of 1173 and continued (with two long interruptions) for about two hundred years, in full fidelity to the original project, whose architect is still uncertain.In the past it was widely believed that the inclination of the Tower was part of the project ever since its beginning, but now we know that it is not so. The Tower was designed to be "vertical" (and even if it did not lean it would still be one of the most remarkable bell towers in Europe), and started to incline during its construction.


The Tower of Pisa

Both because of its inclination, and its beauty, from 1173 up to the present the Tower has been the object of very special attention. During its construction efforts were made to halt the incipient inclination through the use of special construction devices; later colums and other damaged parts were substituted in more than one occasion; today, interventions are being carried out within the sub-soil in order to significantly reduce the inclination and to make sure that Tower will have a long life.


The Tower of Pisa

In all this story it is possible to find a meaningful constant, the "genetic code" of the Tower: its continual interaction with the soil on which it was built. Today's (1999) works for the safeguard and the conservation of the Tower with very advanced methodologies are designed to fully respect this constant.


The Tower of Pisa

Giro d'Italia 2009 route

The 2009 Giro d'Italia organisers unveiled a testing route on Saturday for the centenary edition that should suit seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong more than his rivals.

The 2009 Giro d'Italia starts in Venice on May 9 with a 20.5km team time trial and ends in Rome on May 31 with a 15.3km individual time trial.

In between the three-week race travels north into Austria for a finish in Innsbruck and then west to the Alps for a five-climb 250km mountain stage between Cuneo and Pinerolo.The 61.7km individual time trial along the spectacular Cinque Terre coastal region is expected to a be key stage where Armstrong could gain vital seconds on his rivals thanks to his excellent time trialing skills.


Giro d'Italia

The little known central Apennine mountains will test the riders in the final week of the race. Stage 17 to the summit of the Block Haus climb is only 79km long but finishes at an altitude of 2064 metres.The last mountain stage is on the slopes of the Mount Vesuvius volcano overlooking Naples, while the final time trial stage around Rome starts and finishes in the shadow of the Coliseum.
The total race distance is 3395.5 km.


Giro d'Italia


Giro d'Italia

The maglia rosa, or pink jersey, are held throughout the race by the cyclist who at the start of each stage has the lowest overall time up to that point of the giro. The holder often change from day to day, but due to the glory and big exposure for the team and the individual who holds the jersey, the teams often makes a lot of effort to keep the jersey within the team. The cyclist with the lowest time at the end of the giros last stage wins the Giro.


Giro d'Italia

Ferrari Facts

Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sport's car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy.Founded by Enzo
Ferrari in 1928 as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles in 1947 as Ferrari S.p.A.


Cavallino Rampante

After years of financial struggles, Enzo Ferrari sold the company's sports car division to the Fiat
group in 1969 to ensure continued financial backing.
Enzo Ferrari never intended to produce road cars when he formed Scuderia Ferrari in 1929 as a sponsor for amateur drivers.
The famous symbol of the Ferrari race team is a black prancing stallion on a yellow shield, usually with the letters S F (for Scuderia Ferrari), with three stripes of green, white and red (the Italian national colors) at the top. The road cars have a rectangular badge on the hood,
and the shield-shaped race logo on the side.


Cavallino Rampante


Cavallino Rampante

Most famous and popular models are F/430,F/575M,F/360 Modena, F/599.......


Cavallino Rampante

Presentation of Lamborghini

Automobili Lamborghini was founded in 1963 by Ferruccio Lamborghini,who owneda tractor factory Lamborghini trattori.
Ferruccio Lamborghini priorities changed when he went to meet Enzo Ferrari at Ferrari factory to complain about the quality of his Ferrari 250,and received a dismissive answer from Enzo Ferrari.So he went back to his factory,summoned up his engineers and instructed them to build a faster sport car, which would make Ferrari turn pale.
The most famous and popular cars from Lamborghini factory are
Murcielago,Gallardo, Countach,350GT,Miura and many more.




Automobili Lamborghini



Automobili Lamborghini

Ferruccio Lamborghini had set a rule that Lamborghini would not be involved in motor raci
He saw such a program as too expensive and too demanding in company resources.Consequently, no Lamborghini racing car was fabricated under his management. The closest the company came to building racing cars at that time was when the company's test driver Bob Wallace made a few highly modified prototypes based on existing models.


Automobili Lamborghini

Italy on Verge of Financial Bankruptcy

One of the world's strongest economies and a European Union powerhouse, Italy may be on the verge of financial collapse, said Italian officials expressing a growing concern about the ongoing financial meltdown that is affecting all sectors of the country's ailing economy.
“The threat of bankruptcy of our national economy should be considered real,” Italian Minister of Welfare Maurizio Sacconi said as he and other officials sounded the alarm in a TV broadcast on Wednesday evening during a discussion about the world's economic crisis.
“A bankruptcy scenario is even more horrifying than the recession one,” Sacconi, who is also an associate of the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, warned.
Contrary to what many of his governmental colleagues were saying, Minister of Economy and Finance Giulio Tremonti countered that the economic situation was not dire. Trying to tame the intense public panic that Sacconi caused with the statement, Tremonti said in an interview for the Peruvian La Republica newspaper that “Italy has a very strong economy. National debt is absolutely stable and is guaranteed by the state.”
Tremonti also sent out a message of encouragement to the nation saying that "Italy is in much better shape that we believe it is," despite the fact that the country currently operates on the third-biggest public debt in the world.
A report of Italian labor unions issued last week revealed a constant decrease in employment rates, with 900,000 more employees to be laid off by the end of 2009.
Last month, the Italian government announced that it was crafting a plan to cut the number of illegal workers and immigrants within its borders, especially those without special skills. Currently, more than 3.4 million foreigners live and work in Italy. Italy has struggled with illegal immigration, a touchy subject in Italian politics. The number of illegal immigrants to Italy has soared this year: 24,000 illegal immigrants have entered Italy from January to September, most of whom come from Africa.

Presentation of Gardaland

Gardaland is the third-most-popular theme park in Europe.Built on the eastern shore of Lake Garda,the park opened in1975. Run and operated by the Merlin Entertainments Group, the park is promoted as first in Italy.


Presentation of Gardaland

It currently is home to six roller coasters and a total of 56 rides. The coasters are called Blue Tornado, Magic Mountain, Sequoia Adventure, Orto Bruco, Mammut and Fuga da Atlantide.


Presentation of Gardaland

The largest theme park in Italy, in many ways comparable to Disneyland but with a touch of Italian taste that no Northerner can provide. As the slogan goes, "At Gardaland fantasy becomes a live show... and there's always a show!".


Presentation of Gardaland

The choice for a constant modernization has allowed Gardaland to welcome a more and more growing number of visitors in its park. At the end of the nineties, park was enlarged in order to face national and European competiton (especially with Eurodisney and Fantasylandia).

Pizza Margherita

It is said that the famous Margherita pizza from Naples, considered the "true" pizza by many, came about when Queen Margherita, while traveling through Italy, fell in love with the garnished flatbreads being sold to the poor. She summoned a baker named Raphelle to bake her a selection of pizzas to try. One version, consisting of tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil to honor the colors of the Italian flag, became her favorite, and was named to honor her appreciation for pizza. Pizza Margherita is still a favorite pizza choice in Italy today. While living in Italy, I learned to love the thin-crusted pizza cooked in wood burning ovens that does not resemble the pizza sold in chain restaurants here in the US in any way. While the Italian pizza consists of a few, fresh ingredients on a tasty, thin crust, the American version consumed here, is often packed with multiple ingredients, laden with a layer of heavy cheese, and prepared with a much thicker crust. Pizza Margherita 1 Large Can Plum Tomatoes (I Prefer Pomi Brand Crushed Tomatoes) 3 Tablespoons Minced Garlic 1/4 Cup Fresh Chopped Basil 1/4 Cup Olive Oil Salt & Pepper Dash Red Pepper Flakes 3 Cups Diced Mozzarella Cheese 4 Large Fresh Basil Leaves To prepare the sauce, heat half the oil in a saucepan and cook the garlic until sizzling. Add the tomatoes, and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Add the chopped basil and mix well. Cook on low to medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool. Heat the oven to it's highest setting (Usually 500 degrees F.) To prepare the dough, press each dough ball into a flat disk on a lightly floured counter or bread board. Using your fingers and knuckles carefully, press the dough out into a 12 inch circle. Place the dough onto a baking peel lightly coated with cornmeal. Place a large scoop of sauce onto each pizza and spread evenly across the pizza leaving a 1 inch edge. Do not use too much sauce as you should be able to see the dough through the sauce. Place some mozzarella cheese on each pizza and place one basil leaf in the center. Bake each pizza for about 10 minutes or until the pizza is brown and bubbly turning the pizza halfway if needed for it to bake evenly.