Little Market of Borgo Parioli
Via Tirso 14 to Via Metauro 21
Sat and Sun
10am-8pm
Closed 4th Sunday of month
Antique vases, books, furniture, jewelry, silver

Market of Fontanella Borghese
Piazza Borghese
Mon-Sat
9am-7pm
Antique books, prints, jewelry

Mercato dei Fiori (Flower Market)
Via Trionfale 47
Thursday
10:30am-9:30pm
Flowers

Market of Piazza Vittorio
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele
Mon-Sat
6am-1:30pm
A little of everything

Porta Portese
Viale Trastevere
Sunday
5am-2pm
A little of everything

Portaportese 2
Between Via Togliatti and Via Prenestina
Metro stop Anagnina
Sunday
6am-2pm
A little of everything

Mercato di Via Sannio
Via Sannio (San Giovanni neighborhood)
Mon-Fri
10am-6pm
Clothes and accessories

Monthly Markets

First Sunday:

Underground
Underground parking Ludovisi, Via Crispi 96
Metro Barberini
10:30am-7:30pm
All year except July, August, September
Collection items, jewelry, knickknacks, a little of everything

Ponte Milvio
Lungotevere Capoprati, Flaminio
Sunrise-sunset
Sat-Sun
Antiques

Second Sunday:

Villa Chigi
Via Valnerina
7:30am-sunset
Antique illustrated books, art, magazines

Giardino d’inverno
Via Panama 25
10am-7pm
Second and fourth Sundays
A little of everything

Anticaglie a Villa Glori
Viale Maresciallo Pilsudski
Sat-Sun
9am-8pm
Antique porcelain vases, paintings, furniture

Third Sunday:

Antiquariati a Testaccio
Piazza S. Maria Liberatrice
Metro Piramide
8am-8pm
Antiques

Mostra Mercato Cinecitt
Cinecitt neighborhood
8am-sunset
Modern objects, a little of everything

Antique Market dell’EUR
Piazza Struzo
10am-sunset
Antiques

Fourth Sunday:

Piazza Verdi
Sunup-Sundown
Antiques

Market of Piazzale Ankara
Flaminio neighborhood
8am- sundown
Antique paintings, furniture, books

Curiosit d’altri tempi (Curiosities from other times)
Viale Kant
Sunup-sundown
Antiques

OTHER MARKETS

Borghetto Flaminio
Piazza della Marina 32, underground market
Sundays
10am-7pm
A little of everything
L3.000 entry charge ($1.50)

Big Deal
Via Cassia
Sundays
9am-7pm
A little of everything

Soffitta Sotto I Portici
Piazza Augusto Imperatore
Third Sunday
10-sunset
Antiques

Il Circo del Mercanti (The merchants’ circus)
Corner of Palatenda di Via Conca d’Oro and Ponte delle valli
10am-7:30pm
A little of everything
L3.000 entry charge ($1.50)

In the past, it was not uncommon for a male relative of the groom to go to the future bride’s father or uncle to discuss the notion of marriage. Periodically, a messenger would be sent with a message making the bride’s parents aware of the groom’s intent to marry their daughter. On a rare occasion, the groom had a desire to propose directly to the woman himself. He did so by serenading her before bestowing a diamond ring, thought to be produced by the flames of love. Once the two families were in agreement, the couple’s official engagement was declared.

The bride gathered a collection of domestic goods including clothes for both her and her future husband, linens and other household items to bring to the grooms home before the wedding. Bridal showers were held at which the bride obtained money and other gifts from family and friends. A monetary gift is also given by the parents of the bride.

As with Americans, the custom of having a bachelor or bachelorette party before the wedding is shared by the Italians. However, in Southern Italy this tradition is not normally carried out by either the bride nor the groom.

Most brides would wear green the evening before the ceremony. It was believed that being clothed in this color would bring luck and abundance to the groom and herself in the future.

Old church traditions strongly advised against uniting in marriage unless it was auspicious. Couples were forbidden to enter the matrimonial state during Lent and Advent. The months of May and August were also established to be inappropriate when choosing a wedding date. May was prohibited out of respect for the Virgin Mary and August was believed to bring misfortune and malady. Sunday’s, except during the months mentioned above, were presumed to be the most fortuitous.

Wearing a veil to protect her from harmful spirits, the bride frequently arrived to the wedding mass late. Her tardiness, depending on how many minutes, had significant meaning to the groom. Legend had it that the groom should carry a piece of iron with him to fight off the evil that may be drawn to him due to his blissful circumstance. At some Italian weddings today, they release a pair of white doves into the air exemplifying devotion and blessedness.

At the reception, the best man welcomed the guests with alcoholic beverages. Strong drinks were served to the men and sweet liquors to the women. The drinks were served before the dinner, giving everyone the opportunity to salute the newly wed couple.

The luxurious wedding brought together the family and friends of both the bride and groom to rejoice, marking the beginning of their new relationship. The focal point of an Italian wedding has always been the food. When the multi-course dinner was served, it sometimes consisted of more than 14 different courses. The antipasto which included foods such as olives, mortadella, stuffed mushrooms and calamari, was served first. Wine and other beverages accompanied the extensive feast. Afterwards, wedding cake was offered with coffee or espresso. Long ago, taking the place of wedding cake, decorated boxes or bags filled with sugared almonds, called confetti, were sent to the guests. The number of confetti presented was often five, representing health, wealth, happiness, fertility and long life. Today, these bridal favors are commonly handed out by the bridesmaids to family and friends as a token of love and a way to remember the couple’s special day. However, they are from time to time embellished with flowers or ribbons and used as a fashionable place setting.

As you can imagine, the cost of a traditional Italian wedding could be very expensive. The bride’s family was responsible for the financing of this grand event. To slightly ease this heavy burden, the bride would carry a satin bag in which guests would place envelopes containing money. When not in the bride’s possession, the purse was guarded by her grandmother or mother. At some receptions, all the men would dance with the bride, having to deposit money into the purse in order to do so. They would also all kiss the bride, making the groom jealous, but more importantly bringing good luck to the new man and wife.

There was also another popular custom that often took place in an effort to collect money for wedding expenses. The best man would cut the groom’s tie into tiny pieces. They would then be sold to the guests at the reception. The money received was used as a contribution to help pay for the band. It is customary today, that the grooms family assist in paying for part of the cost of a lavish, traditional wedding.

During the reception, friends of the groom would sneak away from the festivities to play practical jokes on the wedding couple. Some of the more common pranks were to put itching powder in their bed, or to nail their front door closed, making it difficult for them to enter.

In some parts of Italy, frequently in the southern regions, the bride and groom would shatter a glass or vase at the end of their wedding day. The amount of pieces it cracked into, symbolized the number of years they would be happily married.

“Per cent’anni!!!” (for a hundred years).

In the United States, Valentine’s Day evokes images of fifth graders exchanging Pokemon cards in fits of puppy love…adults drinking wine by a romantic candlelight dinner.

The character who seems to embody the spirit of Valentine’s Day is the baby-like Cupid, whose arrows inject people with amore.

But the Roman mythological Cupid is not the reason for Valentine’s Day, and the United States is not the birthplace of the Hallmark-card giving holiday. Though there are varying accounts of the exact origin of Valentine’s Day, most point to Valentine’s day’s beginnings in the early part of the first millennium in Rome.
In Terni, you can visit the Basilica dedicated to the legend of Saint Valentine. This picture shows the beautiful Church built in honor of the legend of a priest who presided over love.

You can visit the Saint Valentine Basilica in Terni, Italy.

Originally a Christian holiday, Valentine’s Day is actually Saint Valentine’s Day, named for early saints of the Catholic religion (though, there are varying legends as to after whom which Saint Valentine the holiday was actually named). An official Catholic web site describes three Saint Valentines as martyrs, all of whom are listed under the martyrdom date of February 14. Saint Valentine is a singular name that is used largely to encompass all three saints and their respective histories. While one Saint Valentine’s life can be traced to Africa, very little is known about him. But the other two Saint Valentines have historical roots in Rome.
Besides the three martyrs given by the Catholic web site, many other legends of Valentine’s Day’s origins exist, most dating back to the first millennium in Rome.

The picture shows Saint Valentine presiding over the engagement of two lovers. Both lovers have their hands placed on flowers, a key part of one of the legends surrounding the priest whose holiday bears his name.

Martyr

In one account, Valentine’s history is traced back to a time when Claudius II was the Roman Emperor. Valentine was a priest when Christianity was a new religion. Claudius forbade Roman soldiers from marrying because he feared that as married men, they would not want to fight and would opt instead to stay home with their families. Valentine defied the order and married couples anyway. The punishment for his offenses was death. Valentine was beheaded on February 14 and he was given Sainthood after his death.

Protector of Engaged Couples

Another legend of Valentine’s activities has him as Bishop giving young girls and boys who went to see him flowers from his garden. Two of these young lovers, to whom Valentine had given the flowers, fell in love and got married. Saint Valentine blessed their marriage. Their union was so happy and beautiful that many other couples sought the Bishop’s blessing. In order to keep up with the demand of his blessings, he set aside one day each year when he would give all couples his general wedding benediction. Because of this, people began to call him the protector of engaged people.

Regardless of which specific legend is true, clearly stories about Valentine point back to an official in the Catholic Church, whose blessing was sought by couples all over Italy. Whoever Valentine was, he is known for his ability to inject love into the relationships of many couples.

It is through the remembrances of Saint Valentine, regardless of the specific martyr, that Catholics in Rome began observing February 14 as a Christian holiday. As Catholicism spread across Europe, so did recognition of Saint Valentine’s Day.

In England and France, people began to notice that birds paired off together halfway through the second month. This helped the holiday spread as a day for lovers. Writers like Chaucer and John Gower even referenced this phenomenon in some of their works, thus adding to the consecration of February 14.
A holiday remembrance that began in Rome spread to England and France, eventually to the United States and fifth grade classrooms everywhere.

“Are you going to live there?” he asked. “Or are you just going for a Three Coins in a Fountain-style pilgrimmage.”

I read between the lines of his arch question. If I said I was going to Italy to live, I’d win respect. But if I owned up to the latter choice I’d be lumped with the fanny-pack-toting masses. What’s wrong with a pilgrimage? I thought. So what if I want to visit all the obvious sites? I wanted to smite the snob and be proud of my tourist intentions, but I chickened out.

“I guess we’re living there,” I said nonchalantly. Then I changed the subject.

When my parents were in Venice 30 years ago, they went to see Rodin’s statue The Thinker. As they waited to see the statue, they saw an American couple walking in the opposite direction. “Rodin’s Thinker, check!” the woman said as the man crossed something off in a guide book.

In my family, the Rodin’s Thinker couple were always the bad example. You should never be so focused on plowing through a place that you forget to really see. But it’s possible to be too fervent about avoiding the obvious. As a tourist, its hard to find the middle ground between turning foreign lands into amusement parks and shunning the justly famous. After all, there’s a reason everyone visits the Duomo in Florence.

The scene around the Trevi Fountain of Three Coins in a Fountain fame embodies all sophisticates find distasteful about gaudy tourism. The fountain itself is a stone explosion of opulently muscled men and writhing horses. The steps surrounding the fountain are always thronged with tourists and those who profit from the free flow of lire.

According to the myth, anyone who tosses a coin over their shoulder and into the fountain’s pool will someday return to Rome. If this is true, then nearly every tour bus that chugs through the narrow streets is full of return visitors. Tossing a coin in the Trevi Fountain probably ranks near the top of any tourists Rome checklist, right after the Vatican, the Parthenon and the McDonald’s at the Spanish Steps. At night, the dark snaps with camera flashes as tourists capture their ceremonial coin toss on film.

My first visit to the Trevi Fountain was at night after a long outdoor dinner at a small trattoria. My friends and I were swigging from an open bottle of red wine, and we’d polished off a couple more bottles with dinner. The air was warm, and it smelled of spring. We were happy to be where we were.

We sat on the stone steps in front of the fountain and took in the scene. Young men in white dress shirts sold browning roses from plastic buckets. Tourists of all ages were crowding the fountain’s edge to toss their coins. A group of Japanese girls took turns throwing coins over their shoulders while their friends giggled. An old Italian couple sat close, holding hands.

Remembering the scene now, it sounds hokey, and it was. But still, it was touching. All those people were there from so many different places to share an experience. My acquaintance was joking, but in the end, he was right. Our visit to the fountain did feel like a pilgramage. And we all made sure to toss our coins before we left that night.

Prior to a public holiday, traffic leaving Bangkok is extremely congested because of the great exodus of Thais to upcountry areas for the holiday break. For Bangkokians remaining in Bangkok over the holiday period, traffic flows freely and travel becomes quick and efficient within the city. This is therefore a good time to be in Bangkok. Travelers might also find the festivities interesting and easily accessible due to the freedom on the roads.

Banks, however, are closed on public holidays, as are all government departments. Sightseeing attractions remain open, as do most department stores and recreation facilities. So come, be prepared, and have a good time.

January:
1 New Year Day

February:
7 Chinese New Year Day*
21 Makha Bucha Day

April:
6 Chakri
12 Songkran Day
13 Songkran Day
14 Songkran Day

May:
1 National Labour Day
5 In lieu of Coronation Day
9 Ploughing Ceremony Day
20 Visakha Bucha Day

July:
1 Mid Year Closing Day*
19 Asarnha Bucha Day
20 Buddhist Lent Day

August:
12 H.M. The Queen’s Birthday

October:
23 Chulalongkorn Day

November:
Loy Kra Thong (full moon)

December:
5 H.M. The King’s Birthday
10 Constitution Day
25 Christmas Day
31 New Year Eve

The place is at present not a ‘destination’ resort it has no accommodation. But you could easily stay in Ogden, which has an up-and-coming ‘historic district’ as well as the usual car-oriented urban sprawl, and drive up to the slopes. It’s also possible to stay close to the mountain in (or close to) Huntsville a spacious backwater town beside a reservoir on the floor of a high basin, surrounded by mountains. Then you’d be able to spend your evenings in Utah’s oldest tavern (opened 1879), the Shooting Star a splendidly authentic relic of times past, thanks to the owners’ determination to change nothing. It is a simple, scruffy place, with booths, a bar, a juke box, pool table and not much else. On the walls are not only a stuffed moose and an elk but a stuffed St Bernard dog apparently a beast of record-breaking enormity. The place is equally famous for its offensively huge Starburgers, which come with sausage as well as multiple burger patties etc.

Snowbasin’s mountain (shown on page 500) is not one of those Olympic hills that make a good race course but a lousy basis for a holiday. There is a lot of terrain, it is pleasantly varied and it is served by eight lifts including a fast quad chair and two gondolas, all three installed in 1998.

The two gondolas serve mixed mountainsides, the left-hand Strawberry accessing mainly long open blue runs but also leading to a lightly wooded steeper slope at the extremity of the area and, with some climbing, to a range of seriously steep chutes. The area’s Middle Bowl is more complex, with lots of different slopes and gullies presenting different challenges. The John Paul fast quad chair, on the extreme right, serves great black slopes, on- and off-piste, with just one blue alternative way down. Above it, a small cable-car goes up to Allen’s Peak, serving a short black slope that was mogulled when we were there but will be glass-smooth when it serves as the start of the Olympic downhill race course. The course has been designed by Bernhard Russi who else? It drops 844 metres and is already claimed to be a modern classic. The parts of it that were open when we visited in 1999 were certainly impressive. Between the race course and the area boundary is a splendid area of off-piste wooded glades and gullies.

Snowbasin has a simple base lodge with a self-service restaurant and an outdoor terrace, as well as ski school and lift ticket sales. When we visited in 1999 it clearly had a long way to go before it is ready for the Olympics. There was furious construction going on at the lift bases, though not much sign yet of the large-scale real estate developments that are surely being planned.

At 400in, the average snowfall here is not in the Alta league and the resort had a very thin start to last season but it’s way ahead of Vail and the rest. And there are other attractions. Not the least is the amazing view, from the top of the Strawberry Express gondola, of the Great Salt Lake and surrounding plain. Another is the excursion to cutely named Powder Mountain, a few miles away across the other side of the Huntsville basin. This has (as you might hope) a reputation for powder. But it’s a simple resort and not very challenging hill, mainly of interest to locals.

‘In Europe, Deer Valley and Alta would by now be linked; as it is, even Deer Valley and adjacent Park City are separated by a fence.

There are big differences in snowfall. The biggest dumps are reserved for Snowbird and Alta, close together in Little Cottonwood Canyon; combined with some super-tough terrain, the snow record of these small resorts makes them the powder capitals of the world.

Brighton and Solitude get very similar amounts of snow. Their terrain is less challenging than that of Alta and Snowbird, but the snow is just as good, and it doesn’t get skied out within hours of opening time. In the course of our research for this edition, your editors forced themselves to make a return visit to Utah and at last to ski the Utah Interconnect a day-long tour from Park City to Snowbird, taking in Brighton, Solitude and Alta, with a lot of ‘back-country’ (off-piste) stuff along the way. It was a day we shall never forget. Apart from anything else, it left us with an abiding desire to go back to see more of the beautiful Big Cottonwood Canyon that Brighton and Solitude occupy.

The 2002 Winter Olympics will be based in Salt Lake City, so you’ll be hearing a lot about Utah. But don’t expect to hear much about these resorts of the Cottonwood Canyons: they don’t have the infrastructure to cope with Olympic events, and Snowbird and Alta in particular are not reliably accessible. If a major storm hits the canyon, it could be a couple of days before anyone gets in or out. The American TV networks don’t allow risks of that kind to jeopardise their programming.

Park City, the main ‘destination’ resort of the area, is hosting (in partnership with next-door Deer Valley) the lion’s share of the events. But it’s unknown Snowbasin that gets the prestige downhill and super-G events.
Park City gets detailed coverage in its own chapter on page 506. Snowbasin is a quite extraordinary resort, for which we predict a great future. Right now, it has the distinction of being the only resort in these pages with absolutely no visitor beds. You can stay nearby, but you can’t stay at Snowbasin. Even so, we thought readers would be interested to learn something about the hill where the Klammers of 2002 will be earning their medals, and where the more adventurous tourists of 2003 will boldly go. Over the page, therefore, is a trail map and a mini-report on this and the other Olympic resorts.

An unusual and interesting holiday exploring the Utah powder can be had by staying in Salt Lake City. The resorts are all within day-trip driving distance, accommodation and car hire are cheap, and the town has the kind of nightlife that only a real American town can offer. What are you waiting for?

The museum is open every day, expect Mondays, Tuesdays and public holidays from 9.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. The admission fee is 20 baht.

Wat Pho:
Wat Pho, one of Bangkok’s oldest and largest temples, is located at the southern corner of the Grand Palace compound. Wat Pho was built by Rama I about 200 years ago. It houses the gigantic gold Reclining Buddha, 46 metres in length and 15 metres high surrounded by 95 pagodas. Wat Pho was Thailand’s first university. The admission fee is 10 baht.

The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo:
The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo, located on Na Phra Lan Road near Pramane Grounds, occupy about a square mile of land. They are surrounded by high white walls, making the location obvious. These are two of the most frequented tourist sites. The Palace, begun in 1782, is composed of more than a hundred highly decorated buildings. Wat Phra Kaeo is known as the most beautiful temple in Thailand. Wearing shorts or improper dress is forbidden.

The complex is open daily from 8.30 a.m - 3.30 p.m. The admission fee is about 125 baht (including tickets to the Coin Pavillion, Phra Thi Nong Vimanmek and the Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall)

King Rama IX Royal Park:
King Rama IX Royal Park occupies 200 acres. It was opened to commemorate His Majesty King Rama IX’s 60th birthday in 1987. The park consists of a public park, a water park and extensive botanical gardens. A central building houses displays on the work and life of His Majesty King Bhumibal Adulyadej.
The admission fee is 10 baht. It is open every day from 6:00 a.m to 6 p.m.

Most of the main towns are linked by good tarmac roads and access to the parks is also by tarmac in most cases. Within the parks and in rural areas there are all-weather improved dirt roads.

You can hire self-drive or chauffeur-driven cars from a number of reliable touring companies and the major credit card companies are represented. Rates vary considerably and are further complicated because Tanzania has recently officially changed from miles to the metric kilometre system. Many charges will be quoted in miles, at rates varying from 300 / - to 500 / - per mile for self-drive.

If you take a taxi, make sure it is licensed. The major groups have metred vehicles. The smaller operators, often owner-drivers, have yellow lines on the side of their vehicle. If a cab has no metre you should agree with the driver on the price of the journey before you set off. If you are staying at an out-of-town hotel you will find it cheaper to use the hotel’s own bus service.

The use of local country or urban buses is not advisable for visitors, unless you are looking for adventure and a particular chance to meet the people. Some of the Inter-city buses are of a good standard and relatively cheap.

Driving Licence of your own country or International Permit and International Plate on arrival at the Tanzania frontier. In any case consult your own motoring Organisation before leaving home. Domestic driving licences are valid for 90 days but must be endorsed at a Police Station on arrival.

The main railway line spans the country from East to West. This and a number of branch lines link most of the towns. The leisurely overnight mail trains between Dar es Salaam and Kigoma provide excellent sleeping and catering facilities. A single journey will cost about USD60, meals are extra.

There are four flights a day between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar coast All major towns are linked by internal air services operated by Air Tanzania Coporation while places of special tourist interest are served by regular flights of local light-aircraft companies.

For many areas, especially the remoter parks and places of interest, air charter Is the most convenient way of travel. Indeed, it can work out cheaper than surface routes in some cases. It is considered a normal method of travel in Tanzania and the large number of public and private landing fields are evidence of its popularity. Modern single and twin-engine aircraft can take you to any part of the country, Nearly all places of interest, including the remoter parts of the National Parks, the camps on Lake Victoria and the forts and oases of the North-West Zone are accessible by air.

By the way, don’t forget that Tanzania drives on the left, also remember that in the Parks and on the open road elephants and other game have the right of way.

There are three main roads in Pattaya; Central Pattaya, North Pattaya and South Pattaya. Central Pattaya Road is lined by condominiums, fast food restaurants and souvenir shops. North Pattaya Road is more sedate with open-air drinking spots.

Many tourists prefer the sports activities here, including water and jet-skiing, wind surfing, sailing, para sailing, sport-fishing and scuba diving. Land based activities include golf, target shooting, horseback riding and tennis.