Gelato is churned at a slower rate than ice cream so less air is mixed into the ingredients.  That leads to a denser product.  Plus, it’s stored differently and eaten at a lower temperature.  There’s a lower fat content, which along with the fresh ingredients, leads to a more intense flavor—particularly fruit ones. 

While the consistency is closer to soft-serve than hand-dipped ice cream, it’s never served from one of those big silver machines.  Similar to hand-dipped, flavors at the gelateria are laid out in a glass display case and are dished out with a flat spatula rather than an ice cream scoop.

Not all gelaterie are created equal (although, really, it is hard to find bad gelato in Italy), so look for “nostra produzione,” or “produzione propria” for homemade, quality gelato.

And that’s why having gelato is a “must” on any trip to Italy.

Cinepanettone is an Italian genre, specifically a comedy film that is released in December (or thereabouts). The word comes from cine, short for cinema (which means the same thing in Italian and English) and panettone, the traditional Italian cake served at Christmas time.

According to Italian filmmakers, the cinepanettone was born after the blockbuster success of a 1982 movie, Sapore di Mare, a light-hearted comedy. The producer immediately ordered another film with a similar plot but set on the ski slopes, instead of the beach, for a holiday release date. And throughout the history of the genre, the formula has remained the same: easy jokes, catchy soundtrack, raunchy humor, the latest sexy “it” girl, and plenty of cleavage.

Even though it’s a safe bet that there’s never been a cinepanettone Oscar winner over the past 25+ years, plenty of Cinecittà actors have starred in them. In fact, actor Christian DeSica, who appeared in that 1982 flick, has been a mainstay. Italian movie-goers have also been a mainstay, as the cinepanettone is always a box-office hit, despite the critics.

1. Do Your Research.
This one is a given for most parents, but it can’t be emphasized enough. Look into the hotels you’re booking and see what kid-friendly amenities they have. Going in the summer? Kids will probably want a pool to cool off in. Did you make sure to book a non-smoking room? Is there enough room in your suite for the kids to stretch out and play in?

2. Remember Your Kids.
While you may be going to Italy for the romance and the art, remember that your kids might not know a Botticelli from a bottle o’ Pepsi. While you shouldn’t avoid the culture, you should definitely make museum visits quick and easy. Check out the museum’s website and plan which paintings you want to see most so that you can get in and out quickly (before the kids’ attention span runs out). Does your daughter idolize Disney princesses? Find a real castle to visit. Does your son love race cars? Head to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (or one of the other dozen car related attractions in Italy). Are your kids beach bums? Head to the coast and check out some of Italy’s amazing beaches.

3. Keep Them Active.
Take your kids to a piazza and let them run around for a while. Rent bikes and cycle around the city ala Audrey Hepburn. Take them on a short hike in Cinque Terre. The more energy your kids get out during the day, the more restful your sleep will be.

4. Simplify.
Simplify your travel. Traveling the long way with family can seem grueling and tedious. Driver in Italy has vehicles that can transport your whole family, from small a cozy at 3 to multiple generations at 8. By leaving the driving to Driver in Italy, you can enjoy the travel along with your family, rather than having to be the chauffeur yourself. If you’re thinking about taking a trip to Italy with children, Driver in Italy is the way to travel.

The World Cup 2010 is in full swing! For those fans of the Azzuri who are in Rome and Florence and want to catch some of the football action, we’ve compiled this list of places where you can watch the matches with other Italia fans!

Rome

Villa Borghese – One of only 7 places where FIFA (World Cup Sponsor) is hosting their FanFest. With the FanFest, FIFA is trying to bring some of the atmosphere of the World Cup venues into some of the world’s largest and most football obsessed cities. Admission to the FanFest area is free and games are broadcast throughout the day on large, outdoor screens.

Florence

Florence has placed large outdoor screen throughout the city, including ones in Piazzale Michelangelo, Via Villamagna and Piazza Santo Spirito. Around Tuscany has a great Google Map with all the locations on their website.

Where ever you watch, make sure to enjoy the game and celebrate responsibly! Forza Azzuri!

Rome, the Eternal City. What is it that makes Rome one of the most visited cities in Europe? We’ve compiled a list of five reasons that Rome might be the top city to visit on your trip to Italy.

History

From the Colossuem to the Forum to the Pantheon to Vatican City, history is all around you in Rome. Dating back to the 8th Century BC and home to important structures and artifacts from the building of Western Civilization, you can’t throw a stone in the center of Rome without hitting something more than a couple centuries old.
Please note: We don’t recommend throwing stones at history.

Art

Some of the most famous works of art are housed in Rome, including the paintings on the Sistine Chapel, the rest of the Vatican collection, the works in the Galleria Borghese and the Capitoline Museums.

Romance

Before there was the phrase “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” there was the phrase “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” a phrase that dates back to the fourth century. Rome has long been a destination for travelers who want to immerse themselves in local culture and traditions and for travelers looking for a little Romance. It’s no wonder that Rome is the romance movie destination of choice for Hollywood.

Cusine

We’ve already covered the basics of Italian cuisine (and I’m sure your mouth was watering just reading that). Is it any surprise that visitors flock to Rome on all sorts of Food and Wine tours of Rome?

Shopping

Many of the top Italian designers call Rome home to the flagship stores including Valentino, Hermès, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci, Versace, Bulgari, Chanel, Armani, Dolce e Gabbana, Prada, Ferragamo and Campanile. All of those stores are on one street: the Via Condotti. Add to that other flagship stores, street vendors and the local merchants (with some of the most lovingly crafted leather goods in the world) and Rome is your power shopper’s paradise.

Image: The Iceman commeth, a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (2.0) image from ph-stop’s photostream

Formula 1 race cars are single seater racers (similar to American Indy cars). The “formula” of Formula 1 is the set of rules that all cars must fit into. These rules limit everything from the size of the chasis, the minimum requirements of engines and the amount of fuel and tire changes during races. The rules can (and usually do) change from year to year; the most controversial of the rules changes for 2010 was to ban fuel stops during races, requiring all cars to begin races with a full tank. Despite these restrictions, F1 cars can reach over 220mph and pull up to 5gs during some track corners. These aren’t cars for your Sunday drivers.

Nearly every country that participates in Formula 1 racing hosts a race, or Grand Prix, in their home country. The soon to be launched USA Team will begin hosting races in Austin, TX in 2012. Many of the races take place in beautiful and exotic locales such as Bahrain, Malaysia and Abu Dhabi. In Monaco, the race is held through the streets of the city (on the same course that was featured in the recent Iron Man 2).

Image: Ferrari Fan at USGP 2005, a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (2.0) image from special_k_'s photostream

Formula 1 drivers are employed by teams. Italy is currently home to two F1 teams: Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and Scuderia Toro Rosso. Both teams use Ferrari engines (as does Switzerland’s BMW Sauber Team), but the Ferrari team cars are constructed by

the legendary automobile company.

To Italians, Formula 1 is as big a cultural and sporting event as Football and the affectionate nickname for football fanatics also applies to F1 fans: Tifosi. The tifosi, generally Ferrari Team fans, have been known to flock to Italian and other European Grands Prix, completely decked out in red, supporting their home team.

There are Grand Prix nearly every weekend during the Formula 1 Season; The Italian Grand Prix will take place on September 12, 2010 in Monza, Italy. There’s still time to plan your trip and Driver in Italy can help with all your Italy tour arrangements.

I was born in Canada and moved to Italy when I was twelve, where I began to merge my North American upbringing with the beautiful culture and language of Italy.

Over 15 years ago, I started Driver in Italy, with a view to creating the most efficient, professional and personal private driver service in Europe. Meeting people from all over the world, helping them get the service they need and showing them our destinations is our focus, and part of what makes my company special.

Roberto is ready to answer your questions about Italy and beyond! Simply go to the Ask Roberto page and ask away. In addition to responding to each question, Roberto will regularly select a question from the submissions and profile the response in a blog post right here on the Driver in Italy Travel Blog!

Italy is home to some of the most famous art in history. Art is found all over in Italy: framed and on display, in the middle of a courtyard and sometimes art is the building you’re standing in. Instead of trying to cover all of Italy’s art in one entry, let’s break it down a couple places at a time. Today: The Uffizi Gallery and The Galleria dell’Accademia.

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy is one of Italy’s most popular tourist attractions and is housed in a former palace that dates back to 1560. While serving as a state building, the Uffizi’s original occupants, the Medici family, filled it with art and sculptures. In 1765, the Museum was opened to the public as one of the first modern museums.

The Birth of Venus

Today, The Uffizi Gallery is home to some of the most recognizable paintings in the world. These include:

• Sandro Bottecelli’s The Birth of Venus (pictured, right)
• Caravaggio’s Bacchus and Medusa
• Titian’s Venus of Urbino
• Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo
• Leonardo da Vinci’s The Adoration of the Magi
• Raphel’s Madonna of the Goldfinch

The Uffizi Gallery can be very busy and wait times to get in during the summer season can top 5 hours. Booking a ticket in advance will reduce your wait time.

While you’re seeing Art in Florence, a trip to the Galleria dell’Accademia is a natural stop. The Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze, which houses the Galleria, is Europe’s first drawing academy and still a functioning art school today. While providing a much smaller collection than that of the Uffizi, the Galleria dell’Accademia is home to perhaps the most famous statue in art history, Michelangelo’s David. Originally placed in the nearby Piazza della Signoria, the Accademia has housed the statue since 1873. Many other Renaissance paintings including those by Michelangelo, Botticelli, Paolo Uccello, and Giambologna are included in the collection.

Driver In Italy can make your art trip to Florence even easier by providing transportation, tickets, and your own professional, English-speaking tour guide. Check out the Guided Visit to the Uffizi & Accademy Galleries package on our website for more details.

There are few countries in the world that can compete with the Italian love of food. Beyond being simple nourishment, food is a way of life for Italians and it’s not hard to understand why. With Italy’s Mediterranean climate making lands fertile for all variety of crops, Italians can trace their food history all the way back to the fourth century BC. While “Italian food” to you may be synonymous with spaghetti and pizza, there is so much more to Italian cuisine. There’s even a whole industry of Italy tourism dedicated solely to the food inclined (or beverage, if you’d like a wine tour of Italy).

The differences begin before the food is even on the table. Eating is a family event for Italians and a traditional dinner consists of at least 4 courses: Antipasto (appetizers), Primo (a first course, usually a starch), Secondo (second course, your meat or fish) and Contorno (side dish of vegetables, sometimes served alongside the Secondo). While a full traditional dinner may not be an every day event for an average Italian, the spirit of the feast lives on in the amazing restaurants you’ll no doubt visit during your tour of Italy.

You can stick to your old standbys of pizza and spaghetti during your Italy vacation, but it’s much more fun to try new things… you’re on vacation, after all! Gnocchi, potato dumplings in sauce (pictured above), are one of my favorites and you haven’t really had spaghetti or risotto until you’ve had a real Italian spaghetti carbonara or Seafood risotto in a coastal town. For a Secondo, try some ossobuco (braised veal shanks) or whatever the catch of the day is. If you’re really adventurous, have an Insalata di Mare (seafood salad, usually consisting of squid, scallops and octopus) for your Contorno.

We could really go on and on about the food in Italy (and probably will do more later). For now, if you want to know more about Italian cuisine (and see new mouthwatering pictures every day) check out the great Italian food blogs Parla Food and Not Only Pizza.

The Giro D’Italia (or Tour of Italy) is Italy’s answer to the Tour d’France. For three weeks in May or June every year, cyclists and cycling fans from around the world come to Italy (and nearby countries) to watch one of the most exciting cycling events of the year.

The first Giro d’Italia was run in 1909, but while the event may be over a hundred years old, this year marks the 93rd Giro (the race was suspended during both WWI and WWII). The race consists of 21 stages, ranging from just over 5 miles to 159 miles. At the end of each stage, the overall leader is given a pink jersey to wear. At the end of the last stage, the cyclist with the fastest time wins the Giro. There are also special awards given based on mountain times, points and youth classifications.

While the Giro began in Italy, in recent years the stages have branched out across Europe. This year’s Giro began on May 8th in Amsterdam. After spending the first three stages in the Netherlands, the race will move today to Italy, kicking off in Savigliano. The stages will make their way thoughout Italy before ending in Verona on May 30th.

As an annual event, the Giro d’Italia is something that you don’t want to miss on your May tour of Italy. When you’re traveling to Italy, make sure to check the Giro schedule and plan to be in one of the Italian towns that the race passes through. Driver in Italy can put together a special Italy package to take to to one or all of the Giro stages so you don’t miss any of the action