The beauties of Liguria
The Northwestern part of Italy consists of many coastal regions and Liguria is one among them. The main cities in the area include Genoa, Finale Ligure, Imperia, La Spezia, Moneglia, Portofino, Rapallo, San Remo, Santa margarita Ligure, Savona, Sestri Lavente, Ventimiglia and Vernazza. Some of the other destinations worth seeing are La Riveria di Lavente and Cinque Terre. The people who had initially inhabited the land were known as ligurs. Furthermore, the name of the land became Liguria. The town can be described as a resort town on the side of the sea with rocky beaches. Genoa has the largest port in the region. Olive oil is produced on a large scale in the region, and they are claimed to be of much better quality than the ones produced in Tuscany.
Getting into the land is also pretty straightforward. An international airport is present on the Genoa city. Some of the domestic and low budget airlines land on Villa nuova di Albenga Airport. Railways and highways also link the land. Train journeys are highly appreciated. This is mainly attributed to the amount of tunnels present on a specific railway line. The same can be experienced while taking the highways too. The transition from darkness into sunlight with the sea spreading about on one side is really a spectacular view never to be missed at any cost.
Ligurian food is world famous and most of the tourists get to experience the cuisines from the local hotels and eateries. Tagliatelle is available in multi forms. Torda di verdure is another specialty that is local in nature but known all over the world. This is basically a vegetarian dish that is made from herbs and borage. Since the area is nearer to the sea, seafood is also famous in these parts. Some of the common delicacies are listed below. Mushroom pie, Mussels which are stuffed using cheese and herbs, Orata with olive and potatoes, Gattafin and Soviore rice pie. Pesto sauce was first used and made famous in Liguria. Organizations have come forward to monitor the wine making process and one of the premiers among them is the Cooperativa del Gruppo Di Riomaggiore. Cinque Terre is also known for its world famous Sciacchetrà wine. Pigato and Vermentino are the other forms of wine that are found in Liguria. Despite the abundance of wines, red wines are not common in Liguria.
Milano Marittima
Milano Marittima is one of the favorite destinations of jet setters. This is another lesser-known place often frequented by the elite and famous. Various nightspots are present in this place that was regularly visited by personalities. “Tourism of elite” that’s what Milano Marittima is often acknowledged as.
This place had its origins only recently. Another town, which is known as Cervia, was better known than Milano Marittima. This town’s population consists of about 9000 people. And their main economic revenue was from salt, agriculture and fishing. A brief insight into the history of the place is depicted. Romagna Riviera was the first place to be frequented by the elites. This was back in the 1800s. According to them the place was wild as well as fascinating. Malaria was prevalent in these parts then. After some years, railway lines were laid and brought forth a revolution in Cervia. Hygiene and sanitary conditions improved and facilities for bathing were first introduced in Cervia. Influential families from Milan began to take interest in the place and they had obtained permission to build a large area that was situated on the North of the canal. Milano Marittima society was founded then, for the maintenance of the Cervia beach. This society consisted of the elite only that included the famous artist Giuseppe Pallanti. He was the one who had actually worked real hard by even submitting a project for development of Milano Marittima and Cervia. His dream was a Garden City. The residences of the tourists should blend with the nature. This was his opinion. And it was realized later. Many villas were constructed especially by the famous and some of them can still be admired today. One of these includes Giuseppe’s Vacation villa too. The era from 1920-1930 saw an increase in further development of the area. And Milano Mirittima is the result of this.
One of the main attractions of the place was the House of Butterflies. This was constructed with intention of educating the common public about the various species of butterflies present in various parts of the world. A 500-meter square green house has been specially constructed for the purpose. All the butterflies are a real feast to admirers and tourists alike. Like mentioned earlier the place is known for its nightspots. Mirabilindia is an amusement part situated in here. Tourists flock during the summer and spring seasons only.
Puglia
Puglia is commonly known as Apulia. It is a region that is in southeastern Italy and bordered by Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, Starit of Otranto and gulf of Taranto. Salento is known as the high heel of Italy’s boot. Population mounts to approximately 4 million. Greece and Albania are the other countries that share their border with Puglia. Puglia is divided into six provinces that are listed here. Bari, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, Taranto. Archeologists have flocked in the area because of its rich findings. Old age Arab, Greek, Roman archeology can be found in plenty among the building present in here.
Industrial revolution was rapidly emerged in the region which once did farming for their revenue source. Olives, Grapes, Figs, Almonds and tobacco were their main agricultural products. Industrial products include cement, iron, steel, petrochemical, plastics and processed food. The wine manufactured in Puglia is also well known. Some of the people practiced fishing too. One of the haunting problems of Puglia was the scarcity of water and canals and aqua ducts were specially built in the region. Sele River waters the region. Tourism industry is developing at a faster pace on the region and enthusiasts commonly know Puglia as Italy’s Florida.
Politics is fairly right sided. Although majority of the population are rightists, once in 2005 communist rule was declared in the region. Nichi Vendola a well-known communist had won the elections back then. 2006 elections saw the rising of Silvio Berlusconi to power followed by People of Freedom in April 2008 elections. Like mentioned earlier, population has been stabilized on 4 million since the 1990s. During the 1980s, there was a huge drop of birthrate on the region and it was also claimed as the biggest drop in the history of Italy’s demographics.
Italian is spoken in here as the official language. Historical languages have also taken their part in the language bandwagon. This can be attributed to the varied and troubled history of the region. Neapolitan Languages are still preferred by the central and northern masses. The southern population prefers Sicilian language. Many in varied parts of the region also speak Griko that consists of a modernized version of Greek. Faetar is still preferred in Foggia. Some of the refugees who had claimed land in the region back in the 15th century spoke Albanian and handed over the language to the generations that followed.