Monthly Archives: April 2005

Plan to visit Sicily’s Aeolian Islands? Take a number

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zoomata.com staff Day-trippers beware: this summer the stunning Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily will admit only 500 visitors per day from June until September.
Former Greek colonies on the UNESCO world heritage list because of volcanic activity, these Italian islands have been suffering from their own popularity. The Aeolians are seven sister isles populated by fewer than 15,000 locals that attract 200,000 visitors every summer. Officials hope to avoid overcrowding and trash troubles caused by peaks of up to 8,000 people a day in hotspots like Panarea and Stromboli.
Those trying to circumvent the closed number by arriving with chartered boats on beaches would do well to think about the 206 euro ($260) fine and possible jail sentence for ‘trespassing.’

Although Capri, another well-trampled island destination off the coast of Naples has long threatened to limit tourism in the same manner, Lipari Mayor Mariano Bruno is the first to have actually done it, using mandate a the Italian government gave him to do something about the ‘tourism emergency’ facing the islands.

It is not clear how officials will regulate the flow of visitors from various companies doing the island hop from the coast and from Sicily. Hydrofoils may be the way to go, they cost twice as much but take half the time so visitors on slower boats may arrive to find quotas filled.

Restaurant owner Pina Cinotta worries about the logistics of this take-a-number tourism: “Who is going to act as a traffic light? The coast guard and the local police have other things to do,” she said in a public hearing. “Will the ‘reject’ tourists be piled on the pier like our trash waiting to be taken somewhere else?”
It is a strong measure that seems destined to have a domino effect. Even less-trod destinations, like Ginostra, regularly swell an estimated 2,400%, from 25 locals to 600 tourists per day during peak season. The overflow from visitors on hot spots is bound to glut the quieter areas. ? text 1999-2005 zoomata.com
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Related resources:
http://www.netnet.it/aasteolie/Orari/come%20arrivare%20INGLESE.htm
List of ferry and hydrofoil companies. Reservations by phone only.

Lonely Planet Sicily

Italians outraged by Cicciolina’s Early Morning Sex Ed

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zoomata.com staff
It’s 8:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning and there’s a good chance the kiddies aren’t watching cartoons: adult actress Cicciolina, 52, is talking about contraception, faking orgasms and masturbation on a nationally-broadcast Italian morning talk show.

Thousand of parents called in to complain about the sex opines of Cicciolina, a.k.a. Ilona Staller, on the program “Omnibus” in a segment usually reserved for musings on the day’s events. The furore is likely a boon for Cicciolina, a former Italian parliament member trying to rekindle her political career as she runs for mayor of Milan in 2006 elections.

Despite almost universal presence of gyrating, bikini-clad dancing girls on Italian TV programs, broadcasters are bound to a 1997 law which requires they show kid-safe programming at certain times (“fascia protetta”) from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Though they face fines of up to 250,000 euro, broadcasters frequently blur into sexier themes causing Italians to joke about having a ‘pro-tit’ (pro-tetta) time instead of the protected one promised.

“Talking about sex on TV is important, but with experts and treated in a certain way,” said Antonio Marziale, president of the observatory for the rights of minors in a statement. “The law exists for a reason, without exceptions. We’ve notified broadcasting authorities about this latest breach.”? text 1999-2005 zoomata.com
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Italian traffic ‘electrified’ by microcars

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zoomata.com staff

Tough new driving laws passed by the Italian government last year — including a points license and the introduction of a license for scooters — have left many in Italian cities without wheels. Public transportation, famously crowded and unreliable, simply isn’t a practical option.

The solution? Electric microcars. They require no license, are easy to park and are allowed to circulate in limited traffic areas — called ZTLs — practically the entire heart of the city.
Visitors are fast catching on to the fact that with these second cousins of the Smart car, thankfully blessed with automatic transmission, they can sidle up to the Pantheon or take spin around the Trevi fountain without the expense of a taxi. Prices range from 32 – 50 euro ($39-61USD) per day, comparable to compact rental car rates, but microcars can be rented by the day making them the choice for Italians on shopping jaunts. Electric cars can go 100 chilometers of in-town driving — they’re not allowed on the autostrada — before having to be recharged.

Golf carts, though they do require a driving license, are another option. Going golf in Rome for example costs more than a microcar – at 15 euro ($18 USD) an hour – but they are a valid option for those looking for a slower (they reach speeds of 25 kilometers/15 miles per hour) and wider means of transportation.
One caveat: electric cars are so popular it is worth making a reservation before arriving.?1999-2005 zoomata.com
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