Acqua alta is a Venetian phenomenon that has been the subject of novels, scientific papers and movies. It has captured the imagination of the world, but to the Venetians it is a threat to their homes, offices and many of the historic buildings located in their city. Not to mention wading through water 60 days a years is a nuisance at best.

What exactly is acqua alta? It is the high water that reaches to the average person's knees around 60 times per year. The cause of the high water is the sinking of the city combined with the rising level of the Adriatic sea and higher tides.

Sandbags are placed at the doorways of buildings throughout Venice including St. Mark's Basilica and the Doges' Palace. Raised plank walkways are set up around the piazza in Venice so tourists and residents can walk without getting wet feet.

When you stand outside of the Pantheon in Rome and look up at the Latin inscription across the pediment you are taken back over the centuries to the time of Marcus Agrippa and Emperor Hadrian. The inscription translates as "Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, consul for the third time, built this". Although this is not an entirely correct statement it is hard not to be moved by a building that is 2,000 years old.

The first temple was indeed built by Marcus Agrippa, son-in-law of the Emperor Augustus between 27 and 25 BC. However, this temple was destroyed by fire in AD 80. It is thought the original temple was rebuilt and once again destroyed by fire before the current structure was built. The existing structure was probably designed by Emperor Hadrian in AD 118 and completed in AD 128.

There are three common types of Italian olive oil: extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil and olive oil. Italy produces about 420,000 tons of olive oil. Tuscany, Umbria, Campagna, Liguria, Latium, Calabria, Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia all produce olive oil.

The best Italian olive oil is made from hand-picked olives that are not completely ripe. The harvest is short, normally lasting from mid-November to mid-December.

Virgin olive oils, including extra virgin olive oils, are untreated and do not contain additives. The level of acidity should be as low as possible.

Extra virgin olive oil is the result of the first cold pressing of the olive. Ideally the olives are picked and pressed on the same day. This is the finest and most expensive olive oil and is the olive oil generally associated with health benefits. Extra virgin olive oil is very light and flavorful and has the lowest level of acidity. Italians usually put extra virgin olive oil and a little balsamic vinaigrette on their salads. Extra virgin olive oil can also be used in marinades, for dipping breads and other recipes which call for olive oil that is not cooked.

The Cinque Terre is made up of 5 villages linked together by hiking trails. The villages are located on the Ligurian coast of Italy between Levanto to the north and La Spezia to the south. The Cinque Terre is a National park and a UNESCO World heritage site. The five villages are: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.

Although Corniglia is thought to date from Roman times, it is believed the other villages came into their own during Medieval times. The local economy continues to be based on fish and wine, though tourism now plays an important role. There are a number of historic sites including churches that are open to visitors in each of the villages.

You will want to take a digital camera on your vacation to Italy. Digital cameras let you take as many pictures as you want, providing you have the memory. The great thing is you only have to keep the pictures you like. No more waiting until you get home to learn which pictures are worth saving.

Most of the pictures on this site were taken with a Canon PowerShot S410 Digital Elph with 4.0 mega pixels. I have been very happy with this camera. My camera has been thrown in suitcases, backpacks and pockets and still keeps working. I keep it in a camera case to try and lessen the wear and tear that comes with traveling.

There are five villages in the Cinque Terre, Italy. Each village has its own charm.

Monterosso al Mare is the first village you will visit if you are approaching the Cinque Terre from the north. Monterosso is the largest and most commercial of the five villages. It is also the most easily accessible and has the most hotels. The town is divided into two parts by an old railroad tunnel. The old center of town with a number of stores and restaurants is on one side, the beach at Fegina is on the other side. There is a sandy beach in Monterosso where it is free to swim and sunbathe. Visit Il Gigante a statue of a giant near Fegina. It is a 5 minute walk from the beach at Fegina.

Vernazza is the first village you will come to after Monterosso and it is the only one with its own harbor. Many people consider Vernazza to be the most picturesque village though each village is unique and beautiful in its own way. In Vernazza there are narrow alley's that you can wander and many window shopping opportunities to be enjoyed. You can sit in one of the cafe's around the harbor and look out to Sea or up into the vineyards.

An international consortium won a multibillion euro contract to build a bridge connecting Sicily to the mainland of Italy. The question is: Will it really happen? The idea of linking Sicily with the mainland has been discussed for centuries.

The new bridge, as proposed, will become the longest suspension bridge in the world. At 2.1 miles it will be nearly 3 times as long as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The two towers will make the bridge higher than the Eiffel Tower. Fun fact; if all of the cables used to support the bridge were put end to end they would circle the earth five times.

An international consortium led by the Italian firm Impregilo has been awarded the contract worth just under $5 Billion (approximately 4 Billion euro). It is anticipated that the new bridge will have at least 6 lanes for cars and 4 lanes for trains. Approximately 6,000 cars an hour would be able to cross the bridge and 200 trains per day.