Announcing the Italy Grand Tour

[ronald]

After some discussion and head scratching the Italy Magazine moderating team has decided to launch its biggest project to date!

Following Iona's excellent suggestion about tackling each region of Italy we thought it would be a nice idea to embark on a concentrated effort of sharing information about travelling and living in Italy, region by region, town by town.

Here is how it is going to work:

Every 21 days the soon to be established Italy Grand Tour forum and our distinguished and esteemed forum members will focus their energy in coming up with tips, stories and experiences about a specific region or area on the following topics:

See: What have you seen and what you would recommend others should see? Do you have photos from the region - post them in the forum!

Understand: Is there a particular custom, festival, way of doing things that needs a bit of explanation for the uninitiated?

Talk: Did you talk with the locals? What did you manage to get across? What did you understand from answers? Did the regional accent or dialect trip you up?

Get in: How did you arrive to the region?

Get around: How did you get around? Was it a vespa, an ape, a taxi or just a plain old car. Did you hire a bike or did you just walk?

Do: Other than the big monuments (that fall under the See category) what else did you do?

Eat: What did you eat and where?

Drink: What did you drink and where?

Stay safe: Any issues regarding safety? Do you have a story to share?

Now here comes the best part (or at least the next part!).

The information collected will not just be left languishing there for those lucky enough to be able to find it again. We will pull it all together, edit it, add some of the pictures to make it nice, and make it available through a free to download PDF file that everyone can print and have as their own mini-guide when visiting the area.

But it gets even better!

The person who has offered the most informative, funny, exciting or in any other form or way significant comments regarding a region gets a free Italy magazine subscription AND a polo shirt! Of course many of our forum members already have subscriptions so in that case you will receive an equivalent gift through the Italy Magazine shop!

On Monday we begin with Umbria (why Umbria you ask - well its more or less in the middle between Piedmont and Sicily, has so much to offer and allows us to break the usual way of traversing Italy which is North to South or South to North!).

This project is long and far-reaching but by the end of it the forum members and hopefully some of the hundreds that visit the forum daily will have a pool of information generated from people who have been there and done it!

So get your remembering hats on and think back to when you where in Umbria...

[Aliena]

Let me understand well..

A region is chosen.. a fixed time of 21 days for everyone to contribute, "the best bits" edited version becomes a downloadable mini guide and someone will win prizes.

Fabulous idea.. in fact, it's great.. but I have a question.. or three.

1. When will we get to Campania? :D
2. Can I convert any prizes into prizes for the quiz instead?
3. Where is Umbria? :p

:) :)

[Marco_Italia]

[quote=ronald]Now here comes the best part (or at least the next part!).

The information collected will not just be left languishing there for those lucky enough to be able to find it again. We will pull it all together, edit it, add some of the pictures to make it nice, and make it available through a free to download PDF file that everyone can print and have as their own mini-guide when visiting the area.
QUOTE]

Thats a good idea , i especially like that bit above . :D

[baggio]

Fantastic idea Ronald, can't wait for the ensuing entries.:)

[sarahd]

Great idea!!! look forward to it. there's a chocolate festival in Perugia (Umbria) every October - we filmed it one year for a documentary on chocolate. and of course it's the home of Baci, made by Perugina - each "kiss" comes with a poem attached to the wrapper. Umbria's beautiful. but so is almost everywhere I have visited in Italy.
Maybe some of the chocolate people would advertise?
Love the forums, magazine, etc.
sarah

[Sancho the Fat]

Originally Posted by ronald

After some discussion and head scratching the Italy Magazine moderating team has decided to launch its biggest project to date!

Following Iona's excellent suggestion about tackling each region of Italy we thought it would be a nice idea to embark on a concentrated effort of sharing information about travelling and living in Italy, region by region, town by town.

Here is how it is going to work:

Every 21 days the soon to be established Italy Grand Tour forum and our distinguished and esteemed forum members will focus their energy in coming up with tips, stories and experiences about a specific region or area on the following topics:

See: What have you seen and what you would recommend others should see? Do you have photos from the region - post them in the forum!

Understand: Is there a particular custom, festival, way of doing things that needs a bit of explanation for the uninitiated?

Talk: Did you talk with the locals? What did you manage to get across? What did you understand from answers? Did the regional accent or dialect trip you up?

Get in: How did you arrive to the region?

Get around: How did you get around? Was it a vespa, an ape, a taxi or just a plain old car. Did you hire a bike or did you just walk?

Do: Other than the big monuments (that fall under the See category) what else did you do?

Eat: What did you eat and where?

Drink: What did you drink and where?

Stay safe: Any issues regarding safety? Do you have a story to share?

Now here comes the best part (or at least the next part!).

The information collected will not just be left languishing there for those lucky enough to be able to find it again. We will pull it all together, edit it, add some of the pictures to make it nice, and make it available through a free to download PDF file that everyone can print and have as their own mini-guide when visiting the area.

But it gets even better!

The person who has offered the most informative, funny, exciting or in any other form or way significant comments regarding a region gets a free Italy magazine subscription AND a polo shirt! Of course many of our forum members already have subscriptions so in that case you will receive an equivalent gift through the Italy Magazine shop!

On Monday we begin with Umbria (why Umbria you ask - well its more or less in the middle between Piedmont and Sicily, has so much to offer and allows us to break the usual way of traversing Italy which is North to South or South to North!).

This project is long and far-reaching but by the end of it the forum members and hopefully some of the hundreds that visit the forum daily will have a pool of information generated from people who have been there and done it!

So get your remembering hats on and think back to when you where in Umbria...

We've been on the Veneto for over two months now (without much being posted). If the Grand Tour's been abandoned, why not just say so ?

...

[Iona]

Hey Sancho,

It's not been abandoned - Ronald's been very busy!! ;)

Hoping to find out about the next area soon.

Cheers,
S

[Sancho the Fat]

If he's too busy to do what he said he would do, he'd better give up.


...

[MattandCorrina]

Sancho

Are we including Valle D'Aosta in the grand tour just I noticed in your post from Piemonte and south????
Sure Sueflauto and I could give some entertaining hints and tips on a much less explored (apart from skiing) region (all be it autonomous) of Italia.
We can't leave out the poor marmots and mountain goats now can we. Only mentioned as the infamous Francesco da Mosto managed as far as Turin and seemed to forget the Valley in its entirety. Too busy preening and singing along badly to tunes in his car.
Cheers
Matt

[MattandCorrina]

Sorry Sanch

Having a crazy day at work and just noticed it was Ronald's original post. Must lay off the wine at lunch.
Same question still applies though over to you Ronald.
Cheers
matt