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| English Texts |
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English Texts
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1 –Vacation in Italy – a dream
This story begins one day in winter in a small town in America. I dream of traveling in Italy during the upcoming
holidays with my family. My family is small. I have a wife and two children, a boy and a girl. None of us speak
Italian. My kids learn everything quickly. For me to learn I must study a lot and practice with many exercises.
Fortunately, I have a friend who speaks (Italian )very well. With his help I hope to learn a little Italian quickly.
My friend says that I must practice a little every day.
2 –Vacation in Italy – a project
My family wants to plan a holiday in Italy. Naturally, they want to leave for vacation immediately. In (these)
times of economic difficulties, the cost of living is (already) too high for our family. But if we save a little (during
each of) the next few months, perhaps we can organize this trip. The project of organizing a trip is a lot of fun.
the desire is to leave, but also interesting! This is a good opportunity to gather brochures and bring the family
together around the kitchen table. The project is an opportunity to speak, to discuss and to pass the time with
family.
3 – Vacation in Italy – the surprise
On Sunday my family gathers together in the kitchen for breakfast. My wife cooks very well, but during the
week doesn't have time to make breakfast. The kids usually just drink a cup of chocolate and eat biscuits.
While on Sunday we have time to eat a more substantial breakfast. so my wife prepares a nice omelet with eight
eggs for the four of us. The omelet has cheese and a bit of bacon in it. Of course, there’s never a lack of
bread, butter and jam. My wife and I drink a large cup of black coffee. When breakfast is ready, my wife calls
the family to the table. My daughter is always late. Bon Appétit. At the end of breakfast I announce to my
family that I have a surprise: This summer we (will) go on holiday to Italy!
4 - Vacation in Italy – Where do we go?
Italy is a beautiful country! With so many exciting destinations - two weeks is certainly not enough to see what
the peninsula and the Islands have to offer. Before deciding we should analyze the possibilities. What would
be most interesting? The sea, mountains, countryside or cities? The Sea with sandy or rocky beaches? The
mountains in summer or winter? Let’s not forget that the ancient Romans invented the Spa. Spas were the first
hotels in history. Also, the ancient Romans invented the holiday! The vacation can be relaxing or full of
sporting activities. The countryside offers the farm B&B, while all cities have museums, palaces, squares and
churches. There are many cultural attractions to visit. Then too, there is gastronomic tourism. In Italy one can
eat well in all regions! Many gastronomic specialties have no rivals in the rest of the world. The white truffles of
Alba, the salami of Emilia, Buffalo mozzarella to cite just a few examples.
5 - Vacation in Italy – Research the destination
Looking for possible destinations is easy with access to the web. There are countless Web pages in Italian.
Some are translated in English, but if we are looking in Italian we’ll find many more destinations. Another
advantage of surfing the web in Italian may be the surprise of finding lower prices. It seems obvious that
destinations with pages in English can attract customers from abroad; foreign customers are willing to pay more
for the rooms. Of course doing research in Italian is also an excellent opportunity to study and learn more.
A good idea for doing research in Italian is to use an Italian search engine. Both Google and Yahoo exist in
Italian versions. Simply putting .it (in Italian read: dot it) after Google or Yahoo to access the site in Italian. But
for true Italian research we use an Italian search engine like abcItaly.com or PrimItaly.it. PrimItaly is a site
specializing in searches for holiday destinations. Accommodations are offered by category according to their
type: from farm to villa. We can search by city, State or region. We recommend first searching the region and
then search in the province. The name of the province must be written in full.
6 - Vacation in Italy – My First Research
Before I begin the research, I want to define my preferences! What interests me more? What a question! It’s
easier to say what doesn’t interest me much. I am not interested in staying on the beach. So, seaside
destinations are less interesting for me. As much as I want big cities - there is too much confusion. I prefer
small cities. I'm interested in cultural destinations. Perhaps a music festival. But most of all I’m interested in
the country side and the mountains. In Italy life is still simple, without stress. So, let's see what we find on the
Internet. Beginning with Google.com entering "Umbria jazz" - the Umbria is a region North of Rome. The main
town is Perugia. It is 170 km away, which is less than two hours by train. The train costs very little, less than
twenty dollars. Too bad, that music festival is in mid-July. That’s not a good time. Second search: "jazz
Sorrento" - end August is a great time! Sorrento is located south of Rome, on the Amalfi coast South of
Naples. Wow! There are several trains. Three hours from Rome to Naples, Central station, then another hour
from Naples to Sorrento. Let's see what my family thinks!