Il Noceto in Assisi

November 26th, 2008

Il Noceto is a agritourism in Assisi, located in S. Presto, S.S. 444 del Subasio

IL NOCETO is between Assisi and Gubbio, in strategic position for to visit the most bautiful umbrian localities (Spello, Perugia, Bevagna, Montefalco, Spoleto, Todi).
The agritourism is also typical restaurant with production tasting and consumption in place about products and aliments (meats, vegetables, fruit, jam…) of own farm.
One big swimmingpool with a fine view on the umbrian’s hills and several activities like shiatsu treatments and sports at guest’s disposal.

The farmhouse il NOCETO is a corner of Umbria where it is still possible to immerse oneself in the authentic rural atmosphere, amongst donkeys and farm animals, and to taste the many genuine, gastronomic specialities.
The farm dispose at 13 rooms of varius kinds with treatments in half board and bed and breakfast. The place always ospitable, is perfectly accessible because without architectonics barriers. Completely readapted using compatible elements with surrounding territory; stone, wood, brickwork and taking care of minimum particulars in furnished with old pieces.

The farmhouse is open all year round and offers 13 en-suite bedrooms, giving a total of 30 beds with treatment in half board and bed and breakfast.

The bedrooms have been redecorated with a careful eye to maintaining intact the original architectural features of buildings in this area. But the welcoming and refined tone of the Il Noceto makes it ideal for a pleasant and relaxing stay.

The Agritourism has swimming-pool, playground for children, mountain bikes, table tennis, archery, gardens equipped with chairs.

Animals allowed.
Open all year.
The languages spoken are English and French.

The farm is located in Porziano-S.Presto, 12 Km from Assisi, on the way Gualdo Tadino and Gubbio. The superb panoramic position offers fabulous views of the enchanting Umbrian valley from Perugia to Gubbio.

distances
Rome km. 170
Venice km. 400
Florence km. 170
Milan km. 450
Naples km. 370
Siena km. 120 Perugia km. 25
Assisi km. 13
Gubbio km. 35
Spoleto km. 55
Trevi km. 28
Spello km. 25

Other than Il Noceto, you can browse our offers for other accommodations in Assisi, from cheap to luxury, togheter with Tours all over Italy; tourist information about Italy can be found on World 66

Hints for Sorting Personal Airport Transfers for Your Snowboarding Holiday

November 11th, 2008

Ski Transfers Geneva offer comfortable, luxurious and custom ski transfer from the airport immediately to the groups luxury chalet in La Mongie, Les Menuires, Chamonix Mont Blanc and the nearby Mont Blanc region.

Our personal airport transfers bespoke service extends to airport transfers to Risoul, Val Cenis, Flaine, Brevent, Superbagneres, Val Thorens and including La Clusaz and Avoriaz and and we can organise bespoke snowboarding transfers to different ski resorts as required.

With our up to date air-conditioned nine men fleet of minibuses and Hongqi, MG, Audi, or Saab cars we will happily take up to 18, or twenty plus when your group ask this. Furthermore your drivers are inordinately handy in challenging snowy conditions for your groups comfort. Naturally the company is fully covered and have licenses.

We can organize mountain bike trips from Jun up until Aug and have transfers to French alpine resorts like the most popular: Espace Killy, La Mongie, Plateau de Beille, La Plagne, Les Contamines-Montjoie, Alpe d’Huez, Chamonix, La Grave, Super Besse, Grand Massif, Les Grands Montets, Gourette.

Traveling to Chamonix France, Les Gets or Auron from your airport couldn’t be simpler. For bespoke snowboard transfers from your airport to you and your groups luxury chalet in the Chamonix Valley email Ski Airport Transfers now, then chill out and revel in your ski holidays.

Hotel Stella Marina in Riace Marina

October 15th, 2008

The “Stella Marina” Hotel, 3 Stars, is situated directly by the sea and lies in the wonderful city of Riace, famous for the discovery of the “Bronze Statues” in 1972.The building faces the Ionian Sea, whose clear and crystal water courtships the fine sand which enjoys the soul of those people who choose such a magic paradise. The “Stella Marina” Hotel, open all the year, offers a young and smiling staff, whose kindness contributes to make your stay more enjoyable, in a comfortable and functional place.

In the “Stella Marina Hotel” there are 31 bedrooms and it can give hospitality to 62 people. As regards the numerous groups the hotel can be well supplied with accommodation in triple-rooms.
The bedrooms are provided with bathrooms, colour television sets, air conditioning and a wide terrace facing the sea or the hills according to the customers’ choices. Some bedrooms are also handicap free.
For the guests who desire a different kind of stay, the hotel also offers 6 flatlets (50 square metres) with a bathroom, a bedroom, a living-room , a kitchenette and a veranda.

The restaurant, directly situated by the “sea” is near the hotel. The cuisine, above all seafood-specialities, is guaranteed by a thirty-year-experience in the cooking field. In a comfortable atmosphere the restaurant houses two banquet-halls(total capability 250 people),an ideal place for unforgettable banquets. There is also a wide terrace, facing the sea, available for the hotel guests

Planning a trip to Italy? The top 3 destinations in Italy are Rome, Venice and Florence; for example, in order to make it easy to find an hotel in Rome, you can have a look at our advanced search. Simple as 1-2-3, the same method can be applied to find an Hotel in Florence, or to compare price for different accommodations in Venice, from bed and breakfast to Hotels.

Laptop on Cruise

July 3rd, 2008

For many of us personal computers and laptops have an important role in work and life. We all know that, and apparently cruise lines know that too.
That is the reason why they put a lot of effort into facilities and services that will cover information technology needs of passengers.
For many people it is enough just to exchange few emails with their families or friends during vacation and they can do that from internet caf© located either on the ship or in the port.

However, there are a certain number of cruisers that don’t want to separate from their laptops even during their precious vacation time on ship. This could be for various reasons: catching-up their work if needed, keeping on internet activities or games or having access to personal files such are photos or videos,etc…

There are some things to keep in mind when you decide to bring laptop to cruise:

Before booking check with cruise line or travel agent is there and what kind of internet access is available on ship. That really depends from one ship to another.

Few scenarios are possible:

• No internet access at all, in this case you can use your laptop in your cabin or anywhere else but only offline

• Internet access trough ship’s local area network, you will need network cable to connect and probably ship’s IT personnel to help you with setup

• WI-FI access is best and most comfortable solution, available mostly on new, modern ships. You can use your laptop wherever you want, in your cabin or in any public area where WI-FI signal is present. Of course, your model needs to have wireless access antenna to use this feature.

Note that lines charge internet access and it’s usually not included in fare. Prices may vary and you better check them in advanced.

Another important issue to consider is security. You cannot carry your laptop with you all the time and it’s good to know few things on how to avoid headache caused by loosing valuable data or such-like …

• First make a good backup of all of your data on some media like CD or memory stick and keep it on safe at home. If you do that, whatever happens to the laptop you will have your data and be able to recover from loss.

• Remove your business data from laptop before trip if they are not absolutely necessary. In case it’s stolen, for sure the last thing you want is that potential thief has a top classified data from your company. This happens more often than you would think and in some cases consequences can be disastrous. So remove your business data on CD mentioned above, keep it on safe place and put them back on after vacation. If it is really necessary to have business data on it even on a cruise you may consider using software encryption to secure them.

• Secure access to your laptop with password. Most basic password protection is the one implemented in your operating system (Microsoft Windows mostly).In most cases this will protect you from non welcomed users. For extra protection it is also possible to use BIOS password. BIOS is basic computer setup menu which can be accessed if you press DEL (or some other key depending of manufacturer) key during machine startup. This function is usually being displayed as “press DEL to enter setup” on most laptops. Three kind of passwords are possible to enable that:

1. Boot password - to allow only authorized booting up of operating system.

2. Hard disk lock password - to secure your hard disk with password in case it has been removed from your laptop and used in some other machine.

3. BIOS access password - is to secure entering BIOS settings where first two passwords can be turned off.
Those advanced measures are not recommended to be handled by inexperienced users. If you decide to use BIOS passwords it is highly recommended to ask for a professional assistance.

• If your cabin has a safe and laptop can fit in use it. Since this is not the case on most of the ships, another option is to check if your machine has a security lock slot. If it does, you can purchase a security cable which enables you to lock laptop to some non movable object and prevent theft. Recently on market
can be found another type of security cables that use VGA port if your model does not have security slot.

• Avoid making naive mistakes like having a sheet of paper with passwords in carrying case or such-like

• Do not leave your laptop on public places like hotel lobbies or airports without keeping an eye on it

Of course, not all measures mentioned above should be necessary but that’s all up to you to make the best judgment on how to protect your assets.
Taking a few simple precaution measures can spare you of trouble and definitely can prevent ruining your vacation.

Tony Brandis is the author and web publisher
of TrueCruise.com,
cruise portal with informations, resources, guides, vacation deals and more.
For more interesting stuff visit: www.truecruise.com

The Most Popular Travel Destinations In The World

May 19th, 2008

Every country is beautiful in its own manner and is really worth visiting, but there are some countries that attract much more tourists than others.
There is the list of the 5 of the most visited countries of the last several years:
1) France (76.7 million visitors a year)
2) Spain (51.7 million visitors)
3) U.S. (41.9 million visitors)
4) Italy (39.8 million visitors)
5) China (36.8 million visitors)

This is the data of 1998:
1) France (70 million visitors)
2) Spain (47,7 million visitors)
3) United States (47 million visitors)
4) Italy (34,8 million visitors)
5) United Kingdom (25,4 million visitors)

The top 4 has remained the same since the end of the last century, but fast developing and becoming more and more popular China replaced the United Kingdom on the fifth place. You can also see that china is going to overcome Italy in amount of tourists. You can also see that the total amount of tourists has increased - people became to travel more.

So, the most popular country with a big odds given is France. Without any doubt the most famous and popular city in France is Paris. It receives a huge amount of visitors any season. In summer the whole Cote d’Azur with Nice and Cannes becomes the most fashionable and prestigious beach resort.
Spain, mostly visited in summer is also very popular beach destination with its resorts of Costa Brave, Costa Dorada, Costa del Sol. Spanish islands - Canaries and Balearics also attract millions. Barcelona and Madrid are on the top of the list of the most visited Spanish cities.

United States have the third place with the significant number of tourists, but mostly they are Americans. New York is the most visited by tourists city and Florida and California are known for their beach resorts.
Italy, full of ancient attractions and sea resorts is also among the leaders. Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence - everybody knows these symbols of Italian bloom and the tourist stream never exhausts.

Among other popular travel destinations we can name Thailand, although after tsunami it suffered a lot of problems. Now it begins to rise again. According to some questionings it is named the best place for swimming and beach rest.

These are the destinations popular worldwide. However every country has its own favorites. For example, it’s known that Americans prefer to spend their holidays in Mexico, many French like to visit Martinique and so on.
In conclusion I can say that nothing threatens France’s leadership in the list of the most popular countries but people open new, exotic destinations which popularity is growing up.

For booking a hotel in any part of the world, please, go to http://www.bb72.com.

Christmas Matters

May 12th, 2008

Every year I vow to make Christmas easier, simpler - less stressful.

Have I ever? One year I tried forgetting Christmas here in the UK and spent it in the Canary Islands. It was quite extraordinary really. Christmas day was spent around the pool. The staff brought round ‘Christmas’ cake at various intervals (not the fruit stuff but madeira cake) and Santa Claus arrived on the beach by parachute. The hotel was full of people trying to get away from the stress of the season. All regretted leaving families but felt the need to just ‘get away’. The guy in the next room spent every Christmas away from his wife and family. His wife, children and grandchildren loved to do the whole British Christmas experience - he just wanted time to chill out and spent a good deal of his time alone. He didn’t feel this was extraordinary at all!

One thing that did strike me was the friendliness and service from the hotel staff. How much holiday did they get? - they all seemed to be working so hard. I asked the receptionist. He explained that they had no concept of a long Christmas holiday. In fact the only time they did not work was Christmas Eve when they were given 24 hours leave from that afternoon to attend Christmas Mass with family and then to eat a celebratory meal with family and friends. No presents were exchanged - this happened on the Feast of the Epiphany 6 January when traditionally the wise men had brought their gifts to Jesus - and even then the presents to each other were single and modest. On Christmas day all staff had returned to work by late afternoon - as did all workers throughout the island.

There was a lot to think about as we picked up our champagne at breakfast and then spent the day smothered in sun cream, snoozing in the sun.

I still love Christmas and the Christian celebrations which remind us of its true meaning. It’s the shopping that gets me down. And to be quite honest I hadn’t managed to avoid this - I just had to be more organised and distribute presents to friends and family well in advance of travelling to warmer climes. I suppose the problem is I like giving presents to people - although I spend a good deal of time worrying about their appropriateness. So - I don’t have a formula for present giving but I do try to cut down on spending without appearing to be scrooge, I try to support charities with what I buy, I try to simplify the shopping process, I try to begin the process early. And all you can do is try!

Am I correct in thinking that Christmas shopping still falls largely to the female of the species? Is it just women who begin worrying in February about buying for the children or grandchildren. Is it the female mind that sees something in June which would be ‘perfect’ for Aunt Mathilda at Christmas? The internet offers wonderful opportunities to ease the pressure on shopping and having moved from a bustling city to a small island last year where choice is very limited this is a growing activity, not to say obsession in our household.

But is this the way Christmas has to be for us?

About The Author

Lois Reeve has been a personal and careers adviser for twenty years. She coaches individuals to achieve work related goals.

Lifelong interest in the female perspective on all issues. Looking to create a discussion forum on the web with a free ezine to introduce topics of interest to the fastest growing community on the web - females!

Website: www.femalematters.org

loisreeve@cwgsy.net

Barbados and the 2007 Cricket World Cup - Be Bowled Over!

April 22nd, 2008

When you hear the word cricket, do you think of a small, chirping insect or a rousing team sport, older than baseball and basketball, that has been enjoyed in the English speaking world for centuries? If it’s the latter, chances are you are from England, or Australia, or perhaps even the Caribbean.

It’s true. The Caribbean may be known more for her enchanting sunsets, tropical cuisine and sandy beaches, but few people realize the islands hold fast to the traditions and recreation brought over from early English settlers. Barbados, in particular, holds a fanatical enthusiasm for the game of cricket, a game vaguely similar to American baseball, yet possibly more strenuous and requiring more agility of its players. The Bajan love for cricket is so strong, it’s no wonder the island will be part of the coming championships.

Preparations for the Cricket World Cup 2007 are in full swing on the eight Caribbean island venues of Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago, which opens on March 13th 2007. Barbados will be the focal point of cricket on April 28th, 2007 when it plays host to the Cricket World Cup final. Barbados will also host a total of six “Super 8″ games in the knockout stages of the tournament.

Thousands of people are making plans to witness the biggest sporting event in the region’s history. Although accommodation will be at a premium for the number of cricket fans expected to descend on the island from February to May, they will be booked up quickly. So if you’re interested in a Caribbean holiday in the near future, why not see the best of both worlds in Barbados? Enjoy the beautiful, serene beaches and cheer your favorite team to victory in the world series of cricket. Booking the holiday through BarbadosBarbados, too, has its benefits. A personalized itinerary accommodating sport and leisure is always available.

Consider a Caribbean holiday in 2007, and prepare to be bowled over!

Billy O’Dell, with his wife Carolyn, is the owner of BarbadosBarbados.com, an online concierge to Barbados, and of Food Affairs, a popular Bajan catering service.

Tour Royal Buckingham Palace

April 20th, 2008

England?s rich and time & again horrendous history is maybe most echoed in it’s buildings, and nowhere is this more visible than in those properties connected to the Royal Family & their social gatherings

For a monumentous period now the English Monarchy has been deemed as being decisive to the achievement of the UK. They have fascinated travellers for years & carry on to stimulate the love of overseas day-trippers of all age band. Buckingham Place has been branded the Capital’s home of the British monarchy since Queen Victoria became inaugurated as queen in eighteen thirty-seven. it’s one of a minute number of operating royal palaces enduring in in Great Britain at the moment.

Buckingham Palace is used generally as an office, but can additionally be transformed into an entertainment venue for the 50,000 invitees asked to the Palace annually. There are well over six-hundred digs, including 19 state housings, 52 royal & visitor bedrooms, seventy eight bathrooms, ninety two offices, but more impressively an in-house theatre and swimming pool. Discover Buckingham Palace England. One of the many wonders to visit in London.

Throughout the spring and summer, overseas guests can move around the handsome state libraries, that help shape the heart of the Palace. These fabulous rooms are decorated with a collection of the top possessions from the Royal collected works, including sculptures by Canova and also paintings by the many well-regarded artists such as Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto.

Decorative Holiday Candles

April 12th, 2008

Supplies:
A glass, religious candle or votive

Colored tissue paper
White glue

Water
Craft brush
Ribbon

(9-inch tall glass religious candles work great for caroling because the wind won’t blow out the flame and the base doesn’t get hot. Even the children can carry them. The candles cost about $1.00 each at dime stores or ethnic groceries.)

Directions
1. Make a glue solution that is equal parts white glue and water.

2. Measure your candleholder and cut a piece of tissue paper that is 1-inch taller and wide enough to wrap around it.

3. Brush the glue solution onto the glass, then cover it with the tissue paper. Tuck the excess paper under the base of the candle.

3. Brush more glue on top of the paper and allow the candleholder to dry.

4. Finish with a decorative bow.

You can use a grouping of your candles as a centerpiece before giving each caroler one of their own.

You have permission to reprint this article electronically or in print, free of charge, provided that each article is:

1. Printed in its full form with no changes
2. Includes an active link
3. A courtesy copy of your publication is sent to the above contact

4. And the following byline appears at the bottom of each article:
About the Author: Rondi Hillstrom Davis is the co-author of the award-winning book Together: Creating Family Traditions. To check out her website that’s jam packed with family ideas, visit http://www.togetherparenting.com

About the Authors Janell Oakes and Rondi Davis are co-authors of the award winning book, Together: Creating Family Traditions. They want to give you the most important gift you can give your family. You can be a part of an irresistible offer available for one day only.
http://www.TogetherCreatingFamilyTraditions.com

They’ve asked several of their friends to join in making available hundreds of dollars of complimentary gifts as a special present to you.
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We don’t want you to miss out on this amazing 24 hour offer.

The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

March 30th, 2008

On September 12, 2005, the newest member of the Disneyland family of theme parks and resorts opened to the public. Hong Kong Disneyland is located on the island of Lantau, positioned to look out over Penny’s Bay and the Chinese Sea. Started as a joint operation between The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong SAR government, Hong Kong Disneyland brings the magic of Disney to a whole new environment, respecting the aspects of the culture of the country where it makes its home. The park boasts 2 glamorous hotels, the Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel.

Hong Kong Disneyland has some of the attractions that will be familiar to visitors of Disney’s other parks. Main Street looks like a piece of Americana transplanted, with the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad for a trip around the park. There’s also Adventureland, with the exciting Jungle River Cruise and all of the animal sights and sounds. Tarzan has made his home in Adventureland, where guests can take a ride on a raft to cross to Tarzan Island where they can visit Tarzan’s Tree House. For those who love the movie The Lion King, there is a musical performance based on the story as well - The Festival of the Lion King.

In the original Disneyland, Fantasyland is well known for the symbol that people think of when speaking of Disney - Cinderella’s Castle. Hong Kong Disneyland’s version is the castle of Sleeping Beauty, where children can explore the fairy tale and their own imagination. They can also visit the grotto of another Disney princess, Snow White. Cinderella is there too, represented by a beautiful carousel ride. There’s everyone’s favorite bear at The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride. More popular Disney rides include the Mad Hatter Tea Cups and Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Children and grown-ups can watch a 3-D movie with all the favorite Disney characters at Mickey’s PhilharMagic or The Golden Mickeys at Disney’s Storybook Theater.

The fourth area, Tommorrowland, gives visitors a Disney vision of the future. The three main attractions include 2 of the fastest most exciting rides in the park. Space Mountain is a literally rocketing rollercoaster. Orbitron lets you pilot your own jet through the sky of whirling planets. You can also play a cosmic game of Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters with the whole family. In 2006 guests will have a new adventure to enjoy. Autopia will have visitors driving futuristic electric cars around a track meant to envision the roads of tomorrow.

Visitors can choose to stay inside the park at one of the two beautiful new hotels. The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is designed to take you back in time to the grandness of the Victorian era. The European influence is obvious in the 400 luxuriously appointed rooms. Guests can enjoy spa services at the hotel as well. At Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, the 600 guest rooms are decorated in an art deco style, meant to bring back the allure of the golden age of Hollywood.

Although the park exposes local visitors to traditions and exhibits from the Western world, local culture is honored as well. At the opening ceremonies children sang in English, Cantonese and Putonghua. The Hong Kong Children’s Choir was followed by other local traditional performances such as Chinese acrobats and dancers performing a Lion Dance. The ceremonies were attended by members of the local government as well as representatives from Disneyland theme parks in other countries. The culture of the Hong Kong region is also reflected in the cuisine served throughout the park. Yes, guests can find food that is more often served in the West, but also local dishes that they’ll enjoy as well.

For more information on Disney hotels and parks visit www.Disney-Hotels.org - a complete guide to accomodations, dining, recreation and much more at Disney World and Disneyland.