Tourism Alive & Well in Italia...

Gauging by this past weekend.  Besides million+ people at Carnevale (a definitive mix of Italian and foreigners alike), the marketing and promotion of Italy was going strong at the BIT (Borse Internazionale di Turismo) convention in Milano.  I didn't know what to expect, but I was "wowed" by just about everything.  

Each region had its own exhibition (halls were split by North and South).  I started with the North. But before that...on the metro ride over, I noticed so many people with their suitcases.  I was thinking "now why didn't they just leave them at the hotel?"  Little did I know then (the novice I was), the suitcases were EMPTY.  It wasn't until I saw the abundant amount of free stuff from brochures to books to calendars, etc., that I realized just how important an empty suitcase was!  I ended up lugging around a 10 kilo bag of stuff - and that was before I hit the South!

Another BIG plus, everyone was serving local food and wine...for free!  I tasted some of the best ever mozzarella di bufala from Calabria, Pacheri sun dried tomatoes and paste di mandorle from Sicily, marinated olives from Umbria, pesto from my Liguria, not to mention some really fabulous wines from Puglia, Le Marche, Veneto and Abruzzo (not to worry, the wine was served in caffe plastic cups not wine glasses full!).

Anyway, Most of the displays were quite impressive.  Those that stood out, fun enough, seem to be the really "up and coming" places and exactly what I was most interested in, including (my photos did not turn out as well as planned so bear with me here):

Puglia - They were even giving cooking lessons with a meal on the hour! 

Calabria - This one's for you, Michelle and Cherrye!

Le Marche - very colorful, great brochures!

Fruili-Venezia Giulia - Sea, Mountains, Cheese, Wine, what more can you ask for?!

I arrived home with so much helpful and important information.  I'm not sure how long it will take me to get through my bag of goodies.  But I can't wait to dive in!

**BIT takes place every February in Milano.  

Saturday and Sunday the exhibit halls are open to the public.  

The entrance fee this year was 12 Euros.**

Web Site

Big Weekend in Italia...

Saturday was spent at BIT (the BIG tourism convention in Milano) and will blog on that later.

Sunday was Carnevale in Viareggio! 

While very crowded, people were in a festive mood and the floats were GREAT. 

Here are some highlights:

My personal favorite!

Note how small the people are and how BIG the float is!

What Lurks Within...

This is my new desk (pretty huh?).  Which is a mess.  And a source of a little stress.

I can't complain, I am very lucky.  I have work, in a year that could have easily gone the other way. 

But I go back to my 2009 resolution of "better balance between work and personal life" - or at least the opportunity to be more social.  This desk, won't let me!  Or is the computer?  Or is it the fact that this winter has been hell and why bother going outside when it rains sideways? Or am I making excuses for my laziness???

I made strides today by taking Lucy down to San Terenzo for a long walk (and treating myself to a yummy latte macchiato) as it was finally sunny, albeit crisper than I prefer outside.  But, boy it was pretty...

So what's the reason of this post?  Well, maybe just trying to explain that working from the home is both a blessing and a curse.  While there is nothing better than working in your favorite pajamas all day, I have to ask myself, is it really the desk making you stress or the fact that you have gotten too comfortable NOT getting out. Hmmm...