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Italy (Italian: Italia) [1] is a large country in Southern Europe. It is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites - art and monuments are everywhere around the country. It is also famous worldwide for its cuisine, its fashion, the luxury sports cars and motorcycles, as well as for its beautiful coasts, lakes and mountains (the Alps and Appennines).
Two independent mini-states lie within Italy: San Marino and Vatican City. While technically not part of the European Union, both of these states are also part of the Schengen Region and the European Monetary Union.
Italy is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, bordering France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. The country, which is a boot-shaped peninsula, is surrounded by the Ligurian Sea, the Sardinian Sea, and the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west, the Sicilian and Ionian Sea in the South, and Adriatic Sea in the East. Italian is the major language spoken by the majority of the population, but as you travel throughout the country, you will find there are several distinct dialects corresponding to the region you are in. Italy has a very diverse landscape, but can be primarily described as mountainous including the Alpes and the Apennies mountain ranges that run through it. Italy has two major islands as part of its country: Sardinia, which is an island off the west coast of Italy, and Sicily, which is at the southern tip (the "toe") of the boot. Italy has a population of 59,619,290, and the capital city of Italy is Rome.
The climate of Italy is that of typical Mediterranean countries. Italy has hot, dry summers, with July being the hottest month of the year. In the north, they experience cold winters, as compared to mild ones in the south. Some regions in the south of Italy can experience no rainfall for the whole summer season. The long mountain ranges in Italy impact the weather significantly, as you can experience very different weather going from town to town.
Further reading
Non-Guidebooks about Italy or by Italian writers.
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone - a biography of Michelangelo that also paints a lovely portrait of Tuscany and Rome
Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture by Ross King - a compelling story of one of the greatest structural engineering achievements of the Renaissance. The story of the building of the immense dome on top of the basilica in Florence, Italy.
Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes - An account of a woman who buys and restores a holiday home in Cortona, Italy. Full of local flavor and a true taste of Tuscany.
The Sea and Sardinia by D.H. Lawrence - It describes a brief excursion undertaken by Lawrence and Frieda, his wife aka Queen Bee, from Taormina in Sicily to the interior of Sardinia. They visited Cagliari, Mandas, Sorgono, and Nuoro. Despite the brevity of his visit, Lawrence distills an essence of the island and its people that is still recognisable today.
Italian neighbours and A season with Verona by Tim Parks - Two portraits of nowdays life in Italy as seen by an English writer who decided to live just outside Verona.
Winter Stars by Beatrice Lao - poems born between the Alps and the Tyrrhenian by the oriental poetess, 988979991X
The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo - stories about China by the Venetian traveller
North - The North of Italy is the country's most populated and developed portion. Cities like Turin, Milan, Bologna, Verona and Venice share the region's visitors with beautiful landscapes like the Lake Como area, impressive mountains such as the Dolomites and the Italian Alps and first-class ski resorts like Cortina d'Ampezzo and others.
Central Italy breathes history and art. Rome boasts the remaining wonders of the Roman Empire and some of the world's best known landmarks such as the Colosseum. Florence, cradle of the Renaissance, is Tuscany's top attraction, whereas nearby cities like Siena, Pisa and Lucca have much to offer to those looking for the country's rich history and cultural heritage.
Southern Italy - Bustling Naples, the dramatic ruins of Pompeii, the romantic Amalfi Coast, laidback Apulia and stunning beaches of Calabria, as well as up-and-coming agritourism help making Italy's less visited region a great place to explore.
Apulia (Puglia), Basilicata, Campania and Molise
Italian islands - Sardinia (Sardegna) and Sicily (Sicilia), the large island located to the south of the Italian peninsula (the "ball" to Italy's "boot") also Capri, Ischia, Elba, Procida, Aeolian Islands, Aegadian Islands, Tremiti and Pantelleria
There are hundreds of Italian cities, here are ten of its most famous:
Other destinations
Get in
Italy is a member of the Schengen agreement, so all visa laws that apply to other member states apply to Italy. Keep in mind that, like other Schengen member states, the 90-day counter begins once you enter the Schengen area and is not reset by travel outside it.
By plane
Italy has 500 national airline, Alitalia, as well as several smaller carriers, such as Meridiana or Air One. There are 406 budget routes flown from and within Italy by low cost airlines.
Most of mid-range international flights arrive to the following Italian cities:
By train
By car
Italy borders on France, Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia. French and Austrian borders are open, but cars can be stopped behind the border for random checks. Switzerland is not part of the Schengen zone, and full border checks apply - although they have been known to let coaches straight through.
By bus
With Eurolines [2].
By boat
There are several ferries departing from Greece, Albania, Montenegro and Croatia. Most of them arrive to Venice, Ancona, Bari and Brindisi.
Some regular ferry services connect the island of Corsica in France to Genoa, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Naples and North of Sardinia. Barcelona is connected to Civitavecchia.
Some regular ferry services connect Sicily and Naples to some North African harbours.
There is a hydrofoil service running from Pozzallo on the south-easter coast of Sicily to Malta.
Sicily, Sardinia, Capri, Ischia, Elba, Procida, Aeolian Islands, Tremiti, Ustica, Pantelleria, Aegadi Islands, Pelagie Islands Dino Island
Every major city has a number of local museums, but some of them have national and international relevance.
These are some of the most important permanent collections.
Get around
By train
The Italian rail system has different train types: TBiz, EurostarItalia, Eurostar Italia AV (for Alta velocita or high speed with the ESAV logo), Eurostar City Italia, IntercityPlus, Intercity, Espresso, Interregionale and Regionale, Eurostar Italia and TBiz being the classiest. Generally speaking, for a given distance each tier costs from 40% to 100% more than the one below it. The train cars used by the TBiz and Eurostar Italia services are far newer than those used by the other types, but are not necessarily more comfortable; however many of them provide power sockets which may be useful if you plan on working on the train. On the other hand the cars used by Intercity trains might be split up into distinct, six-seater compartments, which is really nice when you're travelling in groups. A new level has been introduced recently. It is called Intercity-plus and it is just a way to have passengers pay more than the intercity fares. Recently, many of Interegionale trains have been classified as Intercity.
The main practical difference between train types is reliability. Intercity services are generally reliable, but if you need to catch a flight, for example, it might be better to pay extra for the Eurostar Italia. Interregionale and Regionale are less reliable, and stops in many more stations along the way. The other big difference between TBiz, Eurostar Italia, Intercity Plus and Intercity with Interregionale, Regionale and Espresso services is that on the best ones seating reservation is compulsory, where every passenger has a seat allocated to him/her. This means that the train will never (theoretically) be packed with an impossible number of people, but it also means you will need to purchase tickets in advance. Actually, many passengers with tickets for other trains that take a wrong one will have to pay the cheap fine for not having a seat reservation. As a result, on major routes or peak hours, expect to find your seat taken, in this case usually a brief discussion is enough to get your seat. During commuter hours, on major north-south routes during the holidays, or before and after large political demonstrations, trains on the lower train types can become extremely full, to the point where it gets very uncomfortable, in which case you could find yourself sitting on a tiny fold out flap in the hallway, where you'll have to move for everyone passing by.
The pricier train types are usually faster, but there is not a consistent speed difference between trains. The main difference being the number of stops made along the same routes. On some routes, the Eurostar will cut the travel time in half, but on others all trains go more or less at the same speed, and taking the Eurostar Italia might be a waste of money. Just check the Trenitalia website or the printed schedule, usually located near the entrance to each platform, to see how long the trip will take.
On long routes, such as Milan - Rome or Milan - Reggio Calabria, Trenitalia operates special night trains Treni Notte. They depart around 10pm and arrive in the morning. Depending on the train, you may be able to choose between normal seats, couchette and sleeper cabins of different categories. Seats are cheapest, but even sleeper cabins are not prohibitively expensive and are a very relaxing way to travel long distances. Also keep in mind some trains do not provide air conditioning so bring your own water bottle during the hot summer months.
On the train schedules displayed at each station, every train is listed in different colours (i.e. blue, red, green). The arrival times are listed in parentheses next to the names of each destination. One thing to watch out for is that certain trains only operate seasonally, or for certain time periods (for example, during holidays).
The lines to buy tickets can be very long, and slow, so get to the station early. There are touch-screen ticket machines which are very useful, efficient, and multilingual, but there are never that many, and the lines for those can be very long too.
You can also buy tickets online on the Trenitalia website; you will receive a code (codice di prenotatione (PNR)) that is used to pick up the ticket from a ticket machine in the station ("Self Service"). For some (but not all) trains you can also choose a ticketless option, where you print out the ticket yourself. See also below at Trenitalia Ticketless. You can also choose an option to have a "proper" receipt printed on the train, should you need one. By default the site will only show the "best" (usually more expensive) connections - you may select to "show all connections" to see if there are slower but cheaper connections available.
Eurostar trains can fill up, so if you're on a tight schedule you should buy those tickets in advance. In general, you should buy the tickets before boarding the train. The Italian Rail recently (end of 2007) started a campaign against fare evasion, and introduced heftier fines (starting at 50 Euros). If you're really running late and you have no ticket, it's probably best to directly talk with the conductor ('il controllore or il capotreno) outside the train when boarding.
Remember that you must validate the ticket before boarding, by stamping it in one of the yellow boxes (marked Convalida). Travelling with an unstamped ticket is technically the same as travelling without ticket. It is quite important not to forget to validate your ticket as the conductors are generally not tolerant in this particular matter.
The cheapest way to travel in a region is to buy a zone ticket card. A chart displayed near the validating machine tells you how many zones you must pay between stations. To buy a zone card for the next region you would have to get off the train at the last station and because the stops are so short you would have to board the next train (usually in about 1 hour).
As of January 10, 2005 a smoking ban in public places went into effect in Italy. You will be subject to fines for smoking on any Italian train.
There are special deals offered too...some of them are reserved to foreign tourist and others are available to locals. Some deals are passes that allow travel during a chosen period, while other special offers are normal tickets sold at decent prices with some restrictions. Before you choose to buy a pass, check first if it is cheaper than buying a normal ticket (or better, a discounted normal ticket, if available).
If you are travelling a lot, and you're not Italian, you can get a TRENITALIA PASS: you buy a number of days of travel to be used within 2 months, however you still have to pay a supplement on the compulsory reservation services, i.e. TBiz, Eurostar Italia, Intercity Plus and Intercity which will between EUR 5.00 and EUR 25.00 depending on the train type. Details are on the Trenitalia website [10], and also on RailChoice website at [11].
Trenitalia Ticketless
Trenitalia's Ticketless option is only available for single direct trips when booked online. You can book a combined trip comprising more than one train, but then the only option is Self Service, meaning you must pick up the printed ticket from a machine.
A workaround is to book each train segment separately and choose the Ticketless option for each - the total cost is the same.
The Self Service option requires you do perform steps:
Step 3 is not required for legally getting on the train, but without a receipt you will not be able to claim expenses from your employer or from any tax authority.
Keep in mind that sometimes: the machines are out of order; the queue at the counter is very long and slow moving.
By Automobile
Italy has a well-developed system of highways in the northern side of the country while in the southern it's a bit worse for quality and extension. Every highway is identified by an A followed by a number on a green backdrop. Most of the highways (autostrade) are toll roads. Some have toll stations giving you access to a section (particularly the tangenziali of Naples, Rome, and Milan, for example), but generally, most have entrance and exit toll stations. Don't lose your entrance ticket, for if you do, you will be charged for the longest distance (example: if you are on A1 Milano-Napoli at the Milano toll station you'll be charged for the entire 700km distance). All the blue lanes (marked "Viacard") of toll stations accept major credit cards as well as pre-paid card (Viacard) you can buy at tobacconist, Autogrill, or gas stations.
Many Italians uses an electronic pay-toll device, and there are reserved lanes marked in Yellow with the sign "Telepass" or a simply "T". Driving through those lanes (controlled by camera system) without the device will result in a fine and a payment of the toll for the longest distance. Due to agreement with other countries, if you're foreigner, you'll pay also extra cost for locating you in your country.
Even if speeding is very common on autostrade, be aware that there are a number of automatic and almost invisible system to punish speeding and hazardous driving, also italian Highway Patrol (Polizia Stradale) has several unmarked cars equipped with speed radar and camera system. If you don't know the road very well you should probably keep a reasonable speed.
Since 2006, several sections of the italian Highways are equipped with an automatic system called SICVE or TUTOR that check the average speed of the veichles over a long distance (5/10 km), and the coverage is continuosly improved (at the moment, signs are posted at the beginning of the section covered - full list of sections covered is here http://www.autostrade.it/assistenza-al-traffico/autovelox-controllo-velocita.html?initPosAra=3_4).
A good clue of a nearby check system is when cars around you suddenly reduce speed. If you see a lot of cars keeping themselves just under the limit and nobody overtaking, you'd better do the same. Driving outside an autostrada, when cars coming in the opposite direction are flashing lights to you, you're probably driving towards a speed check.
Note that common use of flashlights may be different from your country. Flashing lights may be meant either as a warning to give way or as an invitation to go first, depending on the situation: so, please, be extremely careful in order to avoid any problem.
Speed limits are:
Italian laws allow a 5% (minumum 5 km/h) tolerance on local speed limit. Fines are generally very expensive.
Motorbikes should drive always with the headlights on, for other vehicles that applies only outside cities and on autostrade.
Drunk driving is a controversial issue. The tolerated limit is 0.50g/L in blood; being above this limit punishable by a heavy fine, licence revocation and jail time, but you'll find that people of every age are not significantly worried about drunk driving. All passengers are required to wear their seat belt and children under 10 must use the back seat. Unless clearly posted on the road you are using, you are supposed to yield to any vehicle coming from your right from another public thoroughfare. Signposts used in Italy are patterned according to EU recommendations and use mostly pictograms (not text) but there are minor differences (example: highways directions are written on green background while the white stands for local roads and blue for the remaining).
Avoid using the blue roads for long distances. While autostrade may be expensive, they significantly decrease the time it takes to travel from one place to another, as blue roads often obligates you to drive through several cities and villages.
As can be expected, fuel is considerably more expensive than in North America and Japan, but on par with most of the rest of western Europe. Expect to pay about €1.45 per liter for fuel.
Many tourists report that they got fined (about €100) for entering a ZTL (zona a traffico limitato; Limited Traffic Zone) unknowingly. ZTLs are restricted areas in many Italian cities where vehicles are not permitted except for limited reasons between certain hours. The entrance to a ZTL is marked by signs and cameras, which can easily go unnoticed by tourists driving a car.
By bus
Buy bus tickets before boarding from corner stores and other shops. The payment system for most mass transit in Italy (trains, city buses, subway) is based on voluntary payment combined with sporadic enforcement. Specifically, you buy a ticket which can be used at any time (for that level of service, anyway) and when you use it you validate the ticket by sticking it into a machine that stamps a date on it. Once in a while (with varying frequency depending on the mode of transportation) someone will ask you for your ticket and if you don't have one you get a fine, and theoretically (sometimes happens) you can be asked to present to the Police for a formal report. Usually line enforcers aren't very condescending, especially in northern Italy. In almost every city there's a different pricing scheme, so check in advance ticket formulas and availability.
For tourist may be very convenient to buy daily (or multi-day) tickets that allow you to travel as much as you want in a single (or more) day. Every major city also has some type of City Card, a fixed-fee card allowing you to travel on local public transportation, visit a number of museums and giving you discounts on shops, hotels and restaurants.
Check for both these possibilities at local Tourist's Office or on city's website (which is often of the form www.comune.cityname.it as for example www.comune.roma.it).
By thumb
Hitchhiking in Italy is related with the hippies and "on the road" kind of culture. Therefore, it is considered out-dated and useless. You will rarely find Italians hitchhiking unless there's a serious problem with the bus or other means of transportation. Hitchhiking in the summer in touristy areas works okay because you'll get rides from Northern European tourists, and it works okay in very rural areas as long as there is consistent traffic (because you're still playing the odds), but hitchhiking near large cities or along busy routes is extremely frustrating. Hitchhiking is not recommended for women travelling alone. Hitchhiking along expressways and highways is forbidden. Off the Autostrada things are also a bit difficult: Italians are generally very friendly and open people, but they're less likely to pick up hitchhikers than anyone else in the world. It is easier to hitchhike out of the Bronx than it is to hitchhike in Italy.
By Boat
Approaching Italy by sea can be a great experience and is a good alternative to traditional onshore "tours". A yacht charter to Italy is a fulfilling way to experience the country. Although the yacht charter industry is smaller than one would expect for this incredibly popular tourist destination, there are many reasons to choose a yacht over a more conventional onshore approach. The Italian coast, like the French coast, attracts luxury yacht charters of the highest standards. "Touring" Italy from a private yacht is surprisingly convenient and comfortable. Italy's dramatic coastline is best appreciated from the sea and the Italians know it! You may take a swim whenever you like, and many of the most famous sights are within easy reach of the seashore. Cruising on a private yacht also offers you a certain relief from the crowds and traffic that are traditionally unavoidable in Italy's most popular destinations. There are major distinct nautical regions in Italy: Tuscany, Amalfi Coast, Sardinia and Sicily. Each has its own flavor and focus. Be sure to plan your itinerary carefully as each region is rewarding in its own particular way.
Not surprisingly, Italian is the language spoken by the vast majority of Italians. The northern part of the Trentino-Alto Adige region (South Tyrol) is predominantly German speaking with Ladin, a Rhaeto-Romance language related to Switzerland's Romansh, also spoken by a minority. There is a small French-speaking minority in the Valle d'Aosta region and Slovene is spoken by a minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area. There are several small pockets of Greek-speaking communities in the southern regions of Calabria and Puglia.
Local dialects are widely spoken as second language, often its accent is also maintained while speaking Italian. There is a big variety of dialects, often viewed as a result of centuries of division (Italy was not fully unified until 1871) with small difference of accent even in adiacent towns.
English is spoken fairly commonly on the well-travelled path, expecially in touristic areas where is widely spoken by sellers and tourist operators. German, French, Japanese and Spanish are often spoken in these areas as well, but a few less.
In the cities you can often speak English with younger people, aged between 14 and 35: almost everyone had to take English in school since the 80's, though the result depends on the person. At least the most basic phrases usually stuck, and normally there's at least one per group who with a decent level of English. On the other hand, senior citizens rarely know English, but they'll try to help you anyway with gestures or similar words. Spanish is spoken by a considerable number of people but not widely, anyway it's very similar to Italian language and they can be understood if the speakers communicate slowly between them. German and French is known by some persons but could be hard for you to find them.
But you'll want a good phrasebook for anything remote although even this may not help for the smaller towns and villages as many areas still speak dialects that you won't find in any phrasebooks.
Italy is part of the Eurozone, so the common currency of the European Union, the Euro (€), is legal tender in Italy.
Italy is quite an expensive country. It has many luxury hotels and posh restaurants. It may cost €40.00 a day if a person self caters, stays in hostel, avoids drinking and doesn't visit too many museums. However, staying in a comfortable hotel, eating out regularly and visiting lots of museums and galleries, may cost a person at least €100-150 a day. Hiring a car may double expenses, so one should visit with enough budget.
All the bills include the service charges, so tipping is not necessary. Tipping the taxi drivers is also not necessary, but a hotel porter may expect a little something.
If you plan to travel through countryside or rural regions you probably should not rely on your credit cards: in many small towns they're accepted only by a small number of shops (particularly restaurants).
Unless it says otherwise the price includes IVA (same as VAT) of 20%. On some product, such as books, IVA is 4%. If you're a non-EU resident, you are entitled to a VAT refund on purchases of goods that will be exported out of the European Union. Shops offering this scheme have a Tax Free sticker outside. Be sure to ask for your tax-free voucher before leaving the store. These goods have to be unused when you pass the customs checkpoint upon leaving the EU.
Italian fashion is renowned worldwide. Many of the world's most famous international brands have their headquarters in Italy. The two key areas for high-class shopping are Via della Spiga and Via Montenapoleone (and surroundings), in Milan and via Condotti in Rome, but you'll find flagship stores in almost every major city.
Italian food inside of Italy is different than Italian in America or western Europe. Italian food is based upon a few simple ingredients and Italians often have very discriminating tastes that may seem strange to Americans and other visitors.
For instance, a sandwich stand might sell 4 different types of ham sandwiches that in each case contain ham, mayonnaise, and cheese. The only thing that may different between the sandwiches is the type of ham or cheese used in them. Rustichella and panzerotti are two examples of sandwiches well-liked by Italians and tourists alike. Also, Italian sandwiches are quite different from the traditional Italian-American "hero", "submarine", or "hoagie" sandwich. Rather than large sandwiches with a piling of meat, vegetables, and cheese, sandwiches in Italy are often quite small, very flat (made even more so when they are quickly heated and pressed on a panini grill), and contain a few simple ingredients, rarely, if ever lettuce. The term panini may be somewhat confusing to travellers from Northern Europe where it has erroneously come to mean a flat heated sandwich on a grill, in Italy the term is equivalent to "bread rolls" (plural) which can be simple rolls or sometimes with basic filling. However instead of a sandwich why not try piadinas which are a flat folded bread with filling which are served warm.
Americans will notice that Italian pasta often has a myriad of sauces rather than simply tomato and alfredo. Also, Italian pasta is often served with much less sauce than in America.
Structure of a traditional meal: Usually Italian meals for working days are: small breakfast, one-dish lunch, one-dish dinner. Coffee is welcomed at nearly every hour, especially around 10AM and at the end of a meal. At the weekends and in restaurants (for other occasions), they typically consist of the sections described below.
A traditional Italian meal is separated into several sections: antipasto (marinated vegetables, etc), primo (pasta or rice dish), secondo (meat course), dolce (dessert). Salads often come with the secondo.
Like the language and culture, food in Italy is extremely different region by region. Pasta and olive oil are considered the characteristics of southern Italian food, while northern food focuses on rice and butter(although today there are many many exceptions). Local ingredients are also very important. In warm Naples, citrus and other fresh fruit play a prominent role in both food and liquor, while in Venice fish is obviously an important traditional ingredient. As a guideline, in the south cuisine is focused on pasta and dessert, while at north meat is king, but this rule can be very different depending on where you are.
A note about breakfast in Italy: Breakfast in Italy is very light, often just a coffee with a pastry (cappuccino e brioche) or a piece of bread and fruit jam. Unless you know for certain otherwise, you should not expect a large breakfast in Italy. Cappuccino is a breakfast drink; ordering one after lunch or dinner is considered highly strange and considered a typical "tourist thing".
Another enjoyable Italian breakfast item is cornetto (pl. cornetti): a croissant or light pastry often filled with cream or nutella.
Lunch is seen as the most important part of the day, so much that they have one hour reserved for eating and another for napping. All shops close down and resume after the two hour break period. To get around this businesses stay open later. And, good luck trying to find a place open during the so-called "pausa pranzo" (siesta time). This may not apply to the city center of the biggest cities or to shopping centers.
In Italy cuisine is considered a kind of art. Great chefs as Gualtiero Marchesi or Gianfranco Vissani are seen as half way between TV stars and magician. Italians are extremely proud of their culinary tradition and generally love food, and talking about it. However they are not so fond of common preconceptions, like that Italian food is only pizza and spaghetti. They'll also distaste "bastardized" version of their dishes that are popular elsewhere, and many Italians have a hard time believing that the average foreigner can get even a basic pasta dish "right".
You should consider that Italy's most famous dishes like pizza or spaghetti belong to southern regions cuisine, and eating in different areas can be an interesting opportunity to taste some less well known local specialty.
When dining out with Italians read the menu and remember that almost every restaurant has a typical dish and some towns have centuries-old traditions that you are invited to learn. People will be most happy when you ask for local specialties and will gladly advise you.
For a cheap meal you may like to track down an aperitivo bar (somewhat similar to the concept of tapas) which in the early evening (about 5pm) serve a series of plates of nibbles, cheese, olives, meat, bruschetta and much more, all this food is typically free to anyone who purchases a drink but is intended to be a premeal snack.
The tradition of Aperitivo is particulary felt in Milan. There you can often make a dinner out of it.
Almost every city and region has its own specialities, a brief list of which may include:
Cheese and sausages
In Italy you can find nearly 200 kinds of cheese, including the famous Parmigiano Reggiano, and 300 types of sausages.
If you want a real kick, then try to find one of the huge open markets, usually on Saturdays, to see all the types of cheeses and meats in action.
Italian restaurants and bars charge more (typically double) if you eat seated at a table rather than standing at the bar or taking your order to go. There is usually small, very small print on the menus to tell you this. Some menus may also indicate a coperto (cover charge) or servizio (service charge).
Traditional meal includes (in order) antipasto (starter), primo (first dish - pasta or rice dishes), secondo (second dish - meat or fish dishes), served together with contorno (mostly vegetables), cheeses/fruit, dessert, coffee, spirits. Italians usually have all of them served and restaurants expect customers to follow this scheme; elegant or ancient restaurants usually refuse to make changes to proposed dishes (exceptions warmly granted for babies or unhealthy people) or to serve them in a different order, and they absolutely don't serve cappuccino between primo and secondo.
Sequence of dishes: When eating with a friend or a partner, agree whether you want primo (pasta or rice dishes) or secondo (meat dishes - if you want vegetables too look under contorni and order them as sides). When pizza is ordered, it is served as a primo (even if formally it is not considered as such), together with other primi. If you order a pasta/pizza and your friend has a steak you will get your pasta dish, and probably when you've finished eating the steak will arrive. It's slightly frowned upon to ask them to bring primo and secondo dishes at the same time (or "funny" changes like having a secondo before a primo). They may well say yes...and then not do it. Bad luck if you're doing the Atkins diet...
Restaurants which propose diet food, very few, usually write it clearly in menus and even outside; others usually don't have any dietetic resources, as Italians on a diet don't go to the restaurant.
Smoking: Italian restaurants are completely non-smoking or have a non-smoking area which is well separated from the smoking area; even if Italians have a friendly approach to laws and rules, this particular law is respected almost everywhere, though. Better anyway to precisely ask for an effective smoking or non-smoking area. When not available, it's normal to step out the restaurant door to smoke, you will find many people doing so and this is often a good moment to meet new people too.
When pets are allowed (not a frequent case), never order ordinary dishes for them; in particular, never ever order meat for your pet, this would seriously upset waiters and other customers. In case of need, you might ask if the chef can kindly propose something (he usually can).
Better to leave tips in cash (not on your credit card).
Pizza is a quick and convenient meal. In many large cities there are pizza shops that sell by the gram. When ordering, simply tell the attendant the type of pizza you would like (e.g. pizza margherita, pizza con patata (potato), pizza al prosciutto (ham), etc.) and how much ("Vorrei due fette - two slices - per favore"). They will slice it, warm it in the oven, fold it in half, and wrap it in paper. Other shops also sell by the slice, similar to American pizza shops. Getting your meal on the run can save money--many sandwich shops charge an additional fee if you want to sit to eat your meal. Remember that italian pizzas have a thinner base of bread and less cheese than the foreign sold ones.
Bars, like restaurants, are non-smoking.
Italians enjoy going out during the evenings, so it's normal to have a drink in a bar as pre-dinner. It is called Aperitivo. Within the last couple years, started by Milan, a lot of bars have started offering fixed-price cocktails at aperitivo hours (18 - 21) with free, and often a very good buffet meal. It's now widely considered stylish to have this kind of aperitivo (called Happy Hour) instead of a structured meal before going out to dance or whatever.
While safe to drink, the tap water in some paeninsular parts of Italy can be cloudy with a slight off taste. Most Italians prefer bottled water, which is served almost exclusively in restaurants. Make sure you let the waiter/waitress know you want regular water or else you could get frizzante (or fizzy club soda water) water. The exception to this is Rome where they have exceptional pride in their quality of water. This goes right back to the building of aqueducts channeling pure mountain water to all the citizens of Rome during Roman times. You can refill your drinking containers and bottles at any of the constant running taps and fountains dotted around the city, safe in the knowledge that you are getting excellent quality cool spring water - try it!
Italian wine is the most exported all over the world, and names like Barolo, Brunello and Chianti are known everywhere. In Italy the wine is a substantial topic, a sort of test which can ensure you respect or lack of attention from an entire restaurant staff. Doing your homework ensures that you will get better service, better wine and in the end may even pay less.
The vino della casa (house wine) can be an excellent drinking opportunity in small villages far from towns (especially in Tuscany), where it could be what the patron would really personally drink or even produce. It tends to be a safe choice in decent restaurants in cities as well. As a general rule, if the restaurant seems honest and not too geared for tourists, the house wine is usually not too bad.
Italians are justly proud of their wines and foreign wines are rarely served, but many foreign grapes like cabernet sauvignon are finding use.
Although wine is a traditional everyday product, beer is drunk as well, particularly when going out for a pizza with friends.
Beer does not belong to the Italian tradition as wine does: even if pubs serving beer are very common they tend to have both little choice and quality. If you are looking for good beers you won't find any problem, you just have to look around a little bit more. First of all, Italian beer market is dominated by international brands and their local belongings, which is fairly comfortable if you are a casual drinker, like most Italians are. Major Italian beers include Peroni, Moretti and Raffo. Instead, if you are serious about beer drinking, you'll probably be better to find one of the many micro-breweries around the country. They often are run by local beer enthusiasts turned brewers, running small breweries with a pub attached. Their association is called Unionbirrai [12].
Other drinks
In major cities and touristic areas you can find a good variety of accommodations, from world-class brand hotels to family-managed bed & breakfasts and room rentals, but hostels are really few. Camping is a good way to save money and they're usually well managed, but especially during summer, managers tend not to accept last-minute groups of young people (given the high chance of problems that such groups of Italian guys tend to cause), so you'd better book in advance. Farmstays are an increasingly popular way to experience Italy, particularly in rural areas of Tuscany, Piedmont, Umbria, Abruzzo, Sardinia and Apulia. They provide a great combination of good and healthy food, wonderful sights and not-so-expensive prices. If you prefer self-catering accommodations, it's quite simple to find them on the wonderful Amalfi Coast and, generally, near the sea.
For English-speakers looking to study in Italy, there are a few options. In Rome, Duquesne University, John Cabot, Loyola University Chicago and Temple University maintain campuses. Right outside of Rome the University of Dallas maintains its own campus in Marino. Penn State University has a program that sends architecture students. St. John's University has a graduate program in Rome for International Relations and MBA.
It depends on how you want to learn. Are you interested in studying in a huge touristy city like Florence or Rome? Or, are you interested in learning from a small town on the Italian Riviera. The smaller cities have better opportunity to learn Italian because there's not a lot of English going around. No matter where you decide, Italy is one of the best spots geographically to travel while you're not studying.
Think about learning what the Italians are best at: food, wine, Italian language, architecture, motors (cars and bikes) and interior design.
Work in Italy is very competitive. Unemployment rate is considerably high, compared to other major European countries, and mostly made up of young adults and female. There's a huge underground black market though, where you'll find most of these individuals working. This doesn't mean working in some kind of obscure crime syndicate: most "black" workers can be found in small business as bars, pubs, small shops or construction workers. Although this kind of jobs are illegal (but legal consequences are most on the employer) they're probably the easier thing to find if you're looking for a temporary job.
If you're thinking about establishing a small business be sure to get in contact with local Chamber of Commerce and an accountant and they will help you sorting out the mess of Italian laws, and such.
Stay safe
Like most developed countries, Italy is a very safe country to travel. There are few incidents of terrorism/serious violence and these episodes have been almost exclusively motivated by internal politics. Examples include the 1993 bombing of the Uffizi by the Italian Mafia. Almost every major incident is attributed to organized crime or anarchist movements and rarely, if ever, directed at travelers or foreigners.
Petty crime can be a problem for unwary travelers. Travelers should note that pickpockets often work in pairs or teams, occasionally in conjunction with street vendors. The rate of violent crimes in Italy is considered "moderate," and while a portion of violent crimes are committed against travelers, it is normally not a problem. However, instances of rape and robbery as a result of drugging are increasing. Travelers should be careful when going out at night alone.
Travelers should also be sure to ask for prices before making transactions with most vendors. Taking pictures with jovial, high-spirited costumed mascots will be followed up with a demand for payment. Some other examples are when gelato is purchased or a shoe shine is desired, prices should be asked for beforehand, since reports of extreme price gouging has occurred.
Beware of being tricked on prices even in restaurants, bars, and hotels. If they see you are a tourist, it's somewhat common to give you a higher bill than you're supposed to pay, and you MUST complain to get the right price or even getting your change back!
Out of the restaurant, you might occasionally be asked to show your bill and your documents by Guardia di Finanza agents (a police specialized in tax subjects - sometimes in uniform, sometimes in civilian clothes); whatever they show you, ask for the badge, and if uncertain, immediately try to call #113 (similar to America's 911 - English spoken) and ask for policemen in uniform to help you, as it could be a trick to pickpocket you. This type of tax agent activity is frequent (they want to know if the owner regularly recorded your payment) and completely legitimate, but pickpocketers find it a good excuse to approach their victims. Call 113 or enter the first shop.
There are many bars in Italy that cater to tourists and foreigners with "home country" themes, calling themselves such things as "American bars" or "Irish pubs". In addition to travelers, these bars attract a large number of Italians who, among other reasons, go there specifically to meet travelers and other foreigners. And while the motivation for the vast majority of these Italians is simply to have a good time with new friends, there can be one or two petty criminals who loiter in and out of these establishments hoping to take advantage of travelers who are disoriented or drunk. Traveling to these places in groups is a simple solution to this problem.
For emergencies, call 113 (Polizia), 112 (Carabinieri), 115 (Fire Department), 118 (Medical Rescue), 1515 (State Forestry Department), 1530 (Coast Guard).
Stay healthy
Italian hospitals are public and offer completely free high standard treatments for EU travelers. However emergency assistance is granted even to non-EU traverels.
The US Center for Disease Control recommends two vaccines for people traveling to western Europe: Hepatitis A (even though Americans are not at an increased risk) and Hepatitis B.
When engaging in sexual intercourse, adoption of normal means against STD is recommended. HIV/AIDS/HBV rates are similar to those of EU countries.
Prostitution in Italy is not illegal though authorities are taking a firmer stance against it: brothels are illegal and pimping is a serious offence, considered by the law similar to slavery. In some areas, it is an offence even to stop your car before a prostitute to contract.
Italy has a small incidence rate of "Mad Cow" (bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)) disease--about 14 cases per million head of cattle. Since 2001, when Italy had its high of 48 cases of reported BSE, the reports have dropped to 38 (2002), and 29 (2003). Travelers concerned with this should visit the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) website for information on how to limit their exposure.
Italians are generally open and friendly; if you use the regular politeness you will have no problems.
Southern Italians often use their hands to gesture frantically while talking, and it's not considered rude at all in southern Italy. This spontaneous attitude toward hand gestures is usually very funny and surprising for strangers, and there is a real gesture language standard that differs radically from other countries and from what is shown in films.
Italians, especially those in the North, are very different from the stereotype of "pulcinella, pizza and mandolino" seen in American "B" movies (and you won't find roads full of Fiat 500's). Not surprisingly, for many people this stereotype is quite offensive, also considered the small but quite frequent hostility of north inhabitants to southern Italians. The same goes when talking about the stereotype of Italians and the Mafia.
During WWII, Italians had a difficult time under the dictator Benito Mussolini, especially after the infamous alliance with Adolf Hitler fell and the Germans turned into enemies. After 60 years this still is a very sensitive subject and you should simply avoid it, unless you want to seriously discuss. Avoid jokes on the subject too. All Fascist symbolism is prohibited by law and it is well enforced; punishments extend from fines to several years in prison. Just like in Spain and other former-Axis countries and Axis-occupied areas, foreigners are not exempt from this law.
Italy has a very high population of senior citizens, and it is wise to be respectful. Do things like offering your seat on a bus if the situation arises. It will be absolutely appreciated.
Italians are almost open to discuss everything but the wages, they never speak about their salary and asking it is considered impolite.
Religion is a sensitive topic, but usually young people are more open minded and willing to discuss it. You may consider that Italians have been Christians for the past two thousand years, so, especially for the new-born Christians, conversion through example may be the best approach.
Talking about politics and complaining of politicians is nearly a national sport, and if you criticize something about the Italian government you will surely find someone who will agree with you. On the other hand, since you're a foreigner, you might be considered ill-informed and you could embark on an endless discussion aimed to correct your 'wrong' beliefs that may be embarassing. However, asking someone directly their political belief can be considered rude. Soccer is the national sport and is taken very seriously, even more than politics.
Taking pictures in Italy is not a problem, but you may find people not willing to be photographed, just ask before. It's not recommended to take photo of children: Italian parents can get very upset with it.
Consider that Italians and French people have a great opinion and mutual respect for themselves but they have a developed rivalry for commerce, arts, tourism, culture and sports (a friendly hate-love). Issuing that French foods or products are better than Italian ones would not usually provide you troubles, but Italians won't appreciate it. It's better if you avoid the point because you could meet impolite persons as in any country, anyway it's more common that they will answer you with a joke or trying to change your ideas with argumentation and good points.
Travelers who prefer hitchhiking as prefer method of traveling should use caution when using the thumbs up gesture. The thumbs up gesture, in some parts of Italy, is considered to be a taboo gesture and some may find this to be offensive. Although the meaning of this thumbs up is disputed in many online sources, it has something regarding to gladiator fights and the audiences during the ancient Roman times or sometimes a sexual connotation. Consider waving your hand up in the air rather than using a thumbs up gesture when drawing attention to drivers. On the other hand, if used in an appropriate manner, the thumbs up generally means approval to many Italians.
Important travel warnings:
Internet Access
The Italian government has recently passed a law requiring all public-access internet points to keep records of web sites viewed by customers, and even the customer's ID. Hotels providing Internet access are not required to record ID's if the connection is provided in the guests room, meanwhile if the connection is offered in the main public hall then ID's are required.
Publicly available wireless access is forbidden unless the provider has a special government license. This has caused only major phone-like companies to be able to afford that, so wireless access is generally expensive.
Internet Scams
There have been several people recently who have been the victims of elaborate scams through Amazon.co.uk as the media agent. The scam involves using Amazon standard reply to the buyer which requests a MoneyGramme to be sent to: [email protected] Catrin Mora, Via Mosca 58, Rome, 00142, Italy.
Avoid trading with this person/email address as you are likely to end up being a statistic with little or no backing from either Amazon or the Police.
The telephone system is well diffused in all parts of Italy. Both the wire and mobile systems are widespread.
Telephone numbers used to have separate prefixes (area codes) and a local number. In the 1990's the numbers were unified and nowadays, when calling Italian phones you should always dial the full number. For historical reasons you can still hear of prefix and local number. The number of land lines start with 0. The number of mobile lines start with 3. Numbers starting with 89 are high-fee services. If you don't know somebody's phone number you can dial a variety of recently-established phone services, the most used are 1240, 892424, 892892, but nearly every 12** combination has a different service. Note that most of them have high fees.
To call abroad from Italy you have to dial
To call Italy from abroad you have to dial
The Italian calling code is 39. To phone another country, dial 00 followed by the calling code and subscriber number.
In case of emergency call the appropriate number in the list below. Such calls are usually free and calls to 112, 113, 115, 118 can be made from payphones for free without the need of inserting coins. 112 (standard emergency number in GSM specification) can be dialed in any case for free from any mobile phone (even if your credit is empty or if you are in an area covered by a different operator)
Note: this list is not complete (please help us to expand it) Always bring a note about the address and the number of your embassy.
If you are in an emergency and do not know who to call dial 112 or 113 (out of major towns, better to call 113 for English-speaking operators).
Payphones are widely available, especially in stations and airports. The number of payphones has consistently reduced after the introduction of mobile phones. Some payphones work with coins only, some with phone cards only and some with both coins and phone cards. Only a limited number of phones (just a few in main airports) directly accept credit cards.
Mobile phones are heavily used. The main networks are TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile, part of Telecom Italia, formerly state controlled), Vodafone, Wind, and 3 (only UMTS cellphones). Note that cellphones from North America will not work in Italy, unless they are Tri-band. Nearly all of the country is covered by GSM signal, and the most part (2007) is covered by UMTS signal. A convenient way, if you are coming from abroad and you are going to make a consistent number of calls, is to buy a pay-as-you-go SIM card and put it in your current mobile (if compatible and if your mobile set is not locked). Please note that you may incur in subscription fares. Please note that, as a measure to counter crime and terrorism, you are required to give a valid form of identification to be able to use the SIM card. Subscription-based mobile phones are subject to a governative tax, to which pay as you go contracts are not subject. Sometimes hotels have mobile phone for customer to borrow.
Costs for calls can vary significantly depending on when, where, from and where to. The cost of calls differs considerably if you call a wired phone or a mobile phone. Usually there is a difference in cost even for incoming calls from abroad. If you can choose, calling the other party's land line could be even 40% cheaper than mobile. Beware of premium rate calls (prefix 892, 899, 12) which can be very expensive. Many companies are shifting their customer service numbers to fixed-rate number (prefix 199), this numbers are at local rate, no matter where are you calling from.
According to national regulations, hotels cannot apply a surcharge on calls made from the hotel (as the switchboard service should be already included as a service paid in the room cost), but to be sure check it before you use.
Calls between landlines are charged at either the local rate or the national rate depending on the originating and destination area codes; if both are the same then the call will be local rate. Note that local calls are not free.


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*FIERY* AKA=Daniel Stetson from Maryland is a Scammer/
Sold me a DEI/515R Battery Backup Siren.What he *Didn't Say* was "It "WILL
NOT WORK" WITH OUT THE KEYS"/.I didn't know that.
So he should have said he didn't have keys/lost the keys/ate the freakin' keys to make it work!!!!!!Freakin' *PUFF QUEEN*.
I bought *Fagot* for $10.00.I hope you choke on it!!!!!!!/Drag ***!

subset: commoncrawl


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"Monsters University"
Pixar Animation Studios
1 hour, 44 minutes
When "Monsters Inc." came out in 2001, I remember being slightly underwhelmed. It was fun, but "Toy Story" had been such a revelation that Pixar's latest seemed a little silly by comparison.
Upon further reflection, I find it one of the most imaginative and most enjoyable of the Pixar films. John Goodman and Billy Crystal do a spectacular job of bringing their digital characters to life, and the story is as clever and heartwarming as any from this vaunted animation studio. At age 3, my son learned how to work the DVD player on his own using our copy of "Monsters Inc." as his test film. I don't know if it is repeated viewings that has made me enjoy it more or the overall quality of the film itself, but regardless, "Monsters" is one that has risen in my estimation over the years.
That said, "Monsters Inc." would not have been the film I would've chosen for a Part Two. That honor would have gone to "The Incredibles," a stellar film that is constantly rumored to have a sequel in the works, but nothing has come down the pipe yet. Luckily the film that did come down the pipe is a heck of a lot of fun. Not only is "Monsters University" one of the most enjoyable kids films I've seen this year, but it's also one of the gentlest.
"Monsters University" is not so much a sequel as a prequel, but rather than spending a lot of time trying to get kids caught up on the timeline or remind them who is who, the film behaves as if it were a standalone entry — a wise choice, I my opinion. Our heroes consist of a couple of unique and incredibly charismatic monsters, only two in a world that includes such an amazing variety of creatures, undreamt of even in the most fertile imagination.
The shorter of the two, Mike, a giant green horned eyeball with legs, once again voiced by Billy Crystal, dreams of being a scarer, the equivalent of being a professional ballplayer in the monster world. Scarers, through an elaborate system of teleportation and kid's closet doors, provide energy for the monster world via the screams of children. As a young monster, Mike works hard, gets good grades, and eventually find himself on the doorstep of one of the greatest scare colleges there is, Monsters University.
Enter Sully, a tall blue furry bearlike monster voiced by John Goodman, who is blessed not only with the natural ability to scare but with a famous name to boot. Sully's dad is "that" Sullivan, a famous scarer and university legend. Where Mike has all the technical knowledge in the world, his inate cuteness keeps him from being scary. And while Sully, all bravado and confidence, could scare the wings off a vampire bat, it takes more than just a good roar to become expert at such complicated and intricate work as scaring. It doesn't take a college education to see that these to rivals are going to have to learn to work together. I hear a Randy Newman song coming on.
While Pixar movies are not known for being particularly dark or gruesome, one of the things I really liked about "Monsters University" was how light It was. Though fun and lighthearted, often the stakes in these movies are awfully high. Take the original "Monsters Inc.," for example. By the end of the movie Mike and Sully were defying death at every turn.
By contrast the greatest risk in "Monsters University" is the threat of not graduating. This time around Mike and Sully are joined by a typically eccentric group of characters, including at least one repeat from the original film, that of Randall the chameleon voiced by Steve Buscemi. All of the voice work is top notch and the animation, per Pixar's usual standards, is excellent.
But as is usually the case with one of these films, it's the writing that really shines. Somehow the screenwriters have managed to capture nearly all of the fun of "Animal House" while maintaining a deserved G rating.
Yes, it's a little silly and lightweight, and no the original film didn't call for a sequel, but so what? "Monsters University" is great fun and now my kids can look forward to their future favorite DVD.
Grade: A-
"Monsters University" is rated G — good for the whole family.
Chris Jenness is a freelance graphi designer, artist and movie buff who lives in Nikiski.


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"I think Carlos right now is going crazy," Guillen said. "I think, just looking at his at-bats, I think he's guessing at the wrong pitch. He's very out front with the breaking ball and very late with the fastball. I told (bench coach) Joey Cora during the game it seems like he's between every pitch. One thing about it, he's looking for one pitch in particular. … He's swinging at a lot of bad pitches," Guillen said. "Right now he's swinging too much."
"When he is swinging the bat good, he's got to drive it to right-center. Right now he is just swinging too much, not looking for a particular pitch."
"One thing about Carlos, he's seen a lot of pitches in the past," Guillen said. "Now, whatever he sees he swings at. Last night, his last at-bat, I don't think he swung at one strike. I don't think it's just Carlos, anybody, use me as an example. When you swing at bad pitches, you're going to make a lot of outs."
Here are Quentin's plate discipline numbers. His O(utside)-Swing% is down to a career best 22.8%. His F(irst)-Strike% is also down to 49.2% from 57.5% in 2008 and 58.2% in 2009. His contact numbers are down though.
Quentin also has a .175 BABIP. Brutal…


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|Manufacturer: Elegant Home Fashions #7015
|The Lisbon bath furnishings are an attractive addition to any bath d?cor. Add style and storage to your bath with these refreshing furnishings! Pieces are made from MDF and have a white finish with wood curving on top rail. They also have a glass window with a white curtain.
|A white finish gives a clean, classic look and is a versatile finish.
|Wood hardware creates a rugged, outdoors feeling. Choose from a large selection of wood hardware options for the look and feel that you desire.Wood cabinet hardware will look great even after years of regular usage.
When can I expect my order to arrive?
Items are shipped via UPS Ground or FedEx Ground within 3-5 business days. Please note products from Elegant Home Fashions only ship to the continental United States.
Product ships from Atlanta, GA 30093.
Please contact our Customer Service department at 1-800-530-TAIL(8245) for assistance with warranty questions or claims.


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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Junior Will Tashman (Atherton, Calif.) was named the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball Player of the Week on Monday, becoming the third different MIT player to earn the award this season. The junior averaged 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in a pair of road wins this week while shooting 50% from the field and making 17-of-21 free throws.
Tashman had 21 points, including 11-of-12 from the foul line, and 14 rebounds in a convincing 83-55 win at Coast Guard on Wednesday. He then added 16 points and 7 boards to help Tech survive a tough test at Babson on Saturday, winning 72-63.
Teammates Noel Hollingsworth (Salt Lake City, Utah) and Jamie Karraker (Morgantown, W. Va.) have each received NEWMAC weekly honors twice previously this year. The Engineers have accounted for five of the seven conference awards so far in 2011-12.
With the two victories, the Cardinal and Gray extended its program-record winning streak to 16 games and is now 4-0 in NEWMAC play. Tech will have a week to prepare for its next game, hosting WPI on Saturday, January 21 at 3:00 p.m. as part of a home double-header for the MIT men's and women's teams.


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Whats the advantage to upgrading the ignition coil in my 86 gl wagon? Ea82. I was just curious, i was reading on the 'online repair manual' thing on the 80s subaru website and they had a section on the thing. I was looking on ebay and i can get one for like 10 bucks, so if it does anything worthwhile, and it seems like an easy install, why not. So whats the point?
Welcome to Ultimate Subaru Message Board, my lurker friend!
|Welcome to Ultimate Subaru Message Board, an unparalleled Subaru community full of the greatest Subaru gurus and modders on the planet! We offer technical information and discussion about all things Subaru, the best and most popular all wheel drive vehicles ever created.
We offer all this information for free to everyone, even lurkers like you! All we ask in return is that you sign up and give back some of what you get out - without our awesome registered users none of this would be possible! Plus, you get way more great stuff as a member! Lurk to lose, participate to WIN*!
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Guest Message by DevFuse
Ignition Coil question
Started by fauxden , Dec 01 2009 10:43 AM
3 replies to this topic
Posted 01 December 2009 - 10:43 AM
Posted 01 December 2009 - 10:48 AM
From what I have read on the board here,upgrading the coil is a complete waste of time and money. And, can actually lead to ignition trouble down the road. Best to stick with a stock one.
Posted 01 December 2009 - 10:50 AM
From what I have read on the board here,upgrading the coil is a complete waste of time and money. And, can actually lead to ignition trouble down the road. Best to stick with a stock one.
+1 this isn't the part to put any upgrade money into. you can search and read ALL about it on here, it's been discussed before.
Posted 02 December 2009 - 04:33 AM
Save your money & time! Here's my experience.
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users


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The jazzed-up Windows PC version of Microsoft's motion-sensing Kinect controller will officially launch on February 1, the company announced at the Consumer Electronics Show yesterday. Reflecting the fact that it's intended more for professional uses than home consumers, the Windows Kinect kit will cost $100 more than the Xbox 360 bundle--$249.
"The ability to sell Kinect for Xbox 360 at its current price point is in large part subsidized by consumers buying a number of Kinect games, subscribing to Xbox Live, and making other transactions associated with the Xbox 360 ecosystem," Kinect for Windows GM Craig Eisler explained.
Kinect for Windows, on the other hand, will be supported entirely by the hardware sales, as the software development kit and runtime will be offered free to developers.
While the beta SDK released last year supported the Xbox 360 sensor, the new SDK will require the official Kinect for Windows platform. However, things made using the beta for Xbox 360 hardware will still work for now, as Microsoft has extended the license by three years to June 16, 2016.
The Kinect for Windows sensor boasts the addition of a 'Near Mode,' which can see close objects better than the Xbox 360 version--down to 50cm clearly, or 40cm with a little degradation.
Microsoft also plans to introduce an academic price of $149 "later this year."


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English High Court Bans Publication of 0-Day Threat To Auto Immobilizers 168
An anonymous reader writes "The High Court — England's highest civil court — has temporarily banned the publication of a scientific paper that would reveal the details of a zero day vulnerability in vehicle immobilisers and, crucially, give details of how to crack the system. Motor manufacturers argued that revealing the details of the crack would allow criminals to steal cars. Could this presage the courts getting involved in what gets posted on your local Bugzilla? It certainly means that software giants who dislike security researchers publishing the full facts on vulnerabilities might want to consider a full legal route."


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Car details navigation
Review: Hero Maestro
Driven September 2012
Scooters seem to be the flavour of the year. Honda, Suzuki, Piaggio – all of them have enticed buyers with their little runabouts, the only big name left to join the party being Yamaha, with the motoscooter it showed at the Auto Expo this year.
Apparently, demand is so robust that the manufacturers can't churn out enough of them. Which brings us to the Maestro, Hero's entry in the scooter segment this year.
We have great expectations from the Maestro. And that optimism comes from the fact that it is based on the Activa – Hero would need to be truly gifted to mess up a winner like the Activa. So, is it better than the 'original'?
Well, it did manage to impress on our first proper ride. The proportions are bigger than the Activa's, but somehow Hero has managed to disguise the bulk. Fit-and-finish is top notch. The headlight looks smart and the tinted visor sitting on top of it is a nice touch. Other subtle design elements include the part body-coloured rear-view mirrors.
The instrument cluster is a mix of analog speedo and digital fuel gauge and trip meter. This by itself makes other scooters, with their dated instrument clusters, look so last century. Add to that the switchgear and the soft palm grips, and the Maestro becomes a new benchmark for its competition to follow.
Hero is calling the Maestro a men's scooter and by no means is that marketing jargon. Seat's height is low, so shorter riders can place feet firmly on the ground. Handlebars are placed upright to add to the already comfortable riding position. The seat is wide enough to accommodate even XL-size posteriors (both yours and/or your pillion's) without any overhang. On longer rides, the Maestro feels comfortable thanks to the riding position and adequate seat cushioning.
The 109cc motor is borrowed from Honda as well. Hero has pretty much kept the entire motor intact. It pumps out the same 8bhp and 9Nm of torque, which is enough for puttering down to the grocery store and back. Which reminds us, the Maestro also comes with a larger boot to stow some of those shopping bags in.
Of course, those largish proportions do make the Maestro a tad heavier than the Activa. But the upside to that is it also improves ride. The suspension is good – on our test, it swallowed most bumps well, without unsettling either scooter or rider.
Overall, the Maestro surprises you with Hero's capabilities. If someone were to ask us which "Honda" scooter to buy, we'd definitely recommend they look at the Maestro first.
The numbers
109cc single-cylinder, 8bhp, 9.1Nm, automatic, 110kg, 43.6kpl, Rs 57,000 (on-road, Mumbai)
The verdict
An impressive new entry into the scooter market – it'll have the other manufacturers worried.
Abhinav Mishra


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New guy: "I have a harem of four women"
QuoteNew guy: "I have a harem of four women"Well, you did much better than me as I would have had to leave the room in order not to laugh in his face.
Some people love to be shocking. Perhaps that's him.Otherwise, he may have had a fantasy that you would look at him murmuring, "That's so ... stimulating!" and things would go from there.
Quote from: cass2591 on September 22, 2009, 06:32:27 PMQuoteNew guy: "I have a harem of four women"Well, you did much better than me as I would have had to leave the room in order not to laugh in his face.Or how about "You know, that sounds like the ideal setup for a woman stuck with an unbearable man. That way they each would only have to put up with him 1/4 of the time."
There was a gal that showed up at one event in the windy, windy springtime wearing a "bog dress" (for the unknowing - a bog dress is just a piece of material that you wrap and pin at the sholders, very toga like)she had not sewn up the "open side" and was wearing NO underwear (upper or lower)and was obivious to the material blowing straight out from her side, like a flag.I think you did fine by your "flat" responses - and hopefully his "harem" will wake up and dress for the weather
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By MARK PRATICO II
For The Trentonian
HAMILTON � When Charles Wheaton transferred to Trenton Catholic Academy as a sophomore, it would have seemed a little farsighted to predict the success the Mikes were going to experience during the three seasons that followed.
Wheaton�s high school career came to a bittersweet ending Monday night when the top seeded Mikes fell to second seed Gill St. Bernard� s 6-5 in penalty kicks in the NJSIAA Non-Public South Jersey Group B final.
The two sides battled to a 1-1 draw through 100 minutes of soccer.
While his sophomore and junior year were impressive, nothing really measures up to the milestones reached by TCA in Wheaton�s senior season. The Iron Mikes finished with a record of 19-2-2 (PK loss counts as a tie), were runners up in the Mercer County Tournament and for the second consecutive year fell just short of a state championship berth.
�It was a wonderful thing to come to TCA and build a team and play with these guys and share my experiences with them,� Wheaton said.
Wheaton, a talented forward/midfielder, will hope to move on to the collegiate level next fall, but he knows that while wearing the blue and white jersey, he along with fellow seniors Matt Stout, TomTom Jonhson, Lendee Henry and Alvin Suah set a precedent for the young program�s thirteen returnees to follow for years to come.
�It was a great program to play for. I really appreciate Coach (Sean) Miller giving me the chance to play and helping me reach the next level. I�m really going to remember what I did for the team and what they did for me,� said Wheaton, who battled through the whole season with injury.
The Mikes were the faster presence on the field, but the Knights had a substantial size advantage as their towering defensive trio of Ryan Osterman, Matt Decker and James Reiner posed a challenge for young TCA attackers Fumba Tulay and Peter Hall to try and solve.
TCA took a 1-0 lead with five minutes left in the second half when Hall converted a penalty kick, but Gill equalized thirteen minutes into the second half when Bijan Eizadkhah poked in a pass from Reiner.
After twenty minutes of added time where both teams had chances for glory, the daunting shootout became the decisive factor. The five shooters from TCA were poised and sharp as Hall, Derek Carpio, Wes Reyes, Henry and Wheaton all struck the back of the net, making it look easy. The Knights quintuplet of Eizadkhah, Jack Lowe, Jae Wong, Tim DiBisceglie and Justin Durcan answered every TCA strike by converting their kicks.
In the first shot of the sudden death round, Hall, who was attempting the difficult task of converting a third penalty kick, sailed his shot just over the right crossbar, and Eizadkhah converted the next shot to end TCA�s season for the second straight year.
TCA was without starting goalkeeper Jean Miguez who suffered a dislocated shoulder during the county championship, but backup keeper John Riggs was exceptional recording twelve saves.
Although it was a heartbreaking defeat, the Iron Mikes will be able to look back on their season fondly after the hurt of Monday�s defeat beings to heal.
�Gill was a really good team. They really came out to play us these past two years. We kept our heads in the second half and played tough,� Wheaton said.
If Wheaton continues to work both on and off the field, his future at the next level could be bright. For the Iron Mikes, time and togetherness will ease the hurt, and if they continue to put in the work on and off the field, a state championship is by no means farsighted.
Gill St. Bernards (20-2-1) 0 1 1
Goals: G-Eizadkhah; T-Hall. Assists: G-Reiner; T-none. Shots: Gill 15; TCA 14. Saves: TCA: G-Renna 10; T-Riggs 12.
Penalty Shootout Goals: G-Eizadkhah 2, Lowe, Wong, DiBisceglie, Durcan; T: Hall, Carpio, Reyes, Henry, Wheaton.


text:
The Eclipse [wikipedia.org] line was phased out by 1989. Heck, Data General wasn't even a company anymore by 2001.
Welcome to Slashdot, where a joke gets you a -1. Some mod needs another cup of coffee.
Even though I've owned a copy of IntelliJ IDEA for over a year, I still use Eclipse everyday for Java development. Latest version is great and the extensions available for it make it even better.
You must be exaggerating, since GW-BASIC required you to manually type in line numbers, just like on an Apple II. Eclipse may be bloated and sluggish, but at least you don't need to type in line numbers.
Suddenly GW-Basic is rivalling Eclipse as an IDE!
You must be exaggerating, since GW-BASIC required you to manually type in line numbers, just like on an Apple II. Eclipse may be bloated and sluggish, but at least you don't need to type in line numbers.
Now go figure out where they put the "turn on line numbers" function in Eclipse this quarter...
Should have used emacs...
I recently wanted to play around with uzebox and I ran into issues setting up eclipse, the documentation was unsurprisingly hard to find, I ended up just getting Atmel AVR Studio. It wouldn't really be fair to compare them.
{setting it up for some off the wall piece of hardware is difficult when the solution designed specifically for that purpose works out of the box... not really fair}
It did appear a little heavy and I wouldn't consider using it for most projects and especially not at work where I have well
Adobe + Eclipse = Computer Gonorrhea
The only way it could be worse was is Oracle was involved. WAIT! Oracle owns Java.
So it's really:
Adobe + Eclipse + Oracle = Computer AIDS
I don't use Flashbuilder that much, as I prefer their other tool, but I've never had a problem with any version of Flashbuilder on my Mac. It might be worth a try if the Windows version isn't working for you.
Flash Professional might be another option.
I have FlashBuilder on my Mac, I only use it when deploying a project to iOS - it is awful. One example: With the latest version (4.7) I deleted a project through the OS X Finder on my hard drive, that I had previously built with FlashBuilder. Afterwards it refused to start up, immediately crashing/closing, even after a reinstall of the entire Adobe suite (a recommendation on various forums.) It took a few hours combing through posts to find a helpful one that mentioned some obscure user data directory
Have you adjusted the heap memory settings in eclipse.ini?
Here's the guide I wrote [publicstaticfinal.com] for using the IBM JVM for RSA and RTC, Oracle/JVM settings are similar.
Thank you for that link, as it's probably quite useful.
However, addressing Eclipse rather than you, I've never used any other IDE that required a user adjustment in heap memory settings. There's something wrong with that.
It's just the way Java works, and Eclipse is all Java. To make it work like any other program just set the min heap size small and the max heap size huge.
(Smalltalk was the same. Ah Smalltalk, I knew thee well.)
I always found Eclipse to be very fidgety, and I've only ever been able to get one non-java project debugging properly inside of it. Conversely, netbeans
(My money's on this comment being modded down by eclipse fanboys, ah, but what the hell, I'll post it anyways.)
It's made by Oracle. Enough said
What I really want to type is Java is dying and a security nightmare, but sadly this ancient relic like IE 6 and Cobol won't die fast enough. I hate having apps requiring one version that conflict and constantly infects the same systems over and over again due to the +100 security holes!! I have read many posters switching to c++ for these reasons
Like SCO you hurt the Foss by using Oracle products.
All that you touch
All that you see
All that you taste
All you feel.
All that you love
All that you hate
All you distrust
All you save.
All that you give
All that you deal
All that you buy,
beg, borrow or steal.
All you create
All you destroy
All that you do
All that you say.
All that you eat
And everyone you meet
All that you slight
And everyone you fight.
All that is now
All that is gone
All that's to come
and everything under the sun is in tune
but the sun is eclipsed by the moon.
"There is no dark side of the moon really. Matte
I suppose you'll be quoting Pink Floyd's "Bitcoin" next...
Eclipse and Java make a bit of a unique pair. Java is massively verbose by today's standards, but it's strict typing and highly declarative approach allows your IDE to do amazing things when it comes to refactoring or code analysis. Then there's the fact that Eclipse is by no means just a Java IDE, but that's just part of its giant eco-system.
Eclipse is one of the reasons I was super sad that Oracle bought Java instead of IBM. IBM at least proved they can make a good product using Java, using its strengths and subverting its weaknesses.
Uhm, Java IS the standard these days.
Depending on the kind of development you are on, maybe. There's plenty of people moving to shinier things though, mainly due to Java's excessive verbosity and lack of support of functional features. For insance, you see Fortune 500 companies placing ads for Scala developers. And people don't move to Scala because they have nostalgia for the C++ era's compile times. There's plenty of growth out there by other second tier languages who people choose to increase speed of development. And there's of course C#, which actually attempts to evolve at a decent rate.
So while Java is still a very used language in industry, you won't see any language getting any uptake today if they replicate Java's love for boilerplate.
We could also talk about the tools that are often used with Java that just promote the mindless verbosity. We all remember how terrible EJB 1.0 and 2.0 were. But then we got Spring and Hibernate, which are only slightly better than the disease. You can choose between monstruous XML formats with no real type checking, leading to a whole lot of runtime errors, or annotations that are slightly less verbose, and yet are just as prone to runtime errors. You end up needing such high test coverage to double check for those 'helpful' technologies that you might as well have been using a purely dynamic language in the first place: It's not as if the compiler protects you from careless mistakes in annotations or XML files. To offset this, we need an IDE and some complex configuration, raising the bar for building even the simplest application. No wonder people found Rails so refreshing when it first came out.
Why would IBM buy Java? They roll their own JVM.
I've been using Eclipse on for pretty much 10years now and by and large, the tool has been pretty darn soliod. its a memory pig so get over it. I throw 1.5G at the heap and though it rarely if ever gets close to it, the amout of speed it performs mosdt operations is amazing.
There are warts which I find personally lousy (like Mylyn of the built-in profiler, and much of the built-in text validators), but thankfully most of those can be trivially turned off and tweaked to speed up usage even more. With a few choice plug-ins, you can do a lot of the hard lifting without effort.
I've only had cursory usage of Netbeans/Idea, but Kepler is really a dream to use. Note, almost every first few months of a new release are generally ass, and Juno was entirely ass so be warned. Just because one version of Eclipse may be a flake, don't discount the platform.
My 2010 era machine runs it fine with 8 gigs. Some folks have really old machines as the corps now look at IT as an expense rather than an asset and tax write off.
No one besides a secretary should have an XP machine with 2 gigs of ram in 2014. You throw productivity away otherwise.
I've been using Eclipse for a few months on CentOs virtual machines for MapReduce development. The Maven m2e plugin is a huge boon. I never noticed Eclipse freezing unless it was doing something like cleaning the workspace, or updating the Maven local repo, or something like that, in which case it tells me it's doing something.
I started doing more Java SE work, so I loaded the same setup onto my workstation that hosts the VMs, which is a pretty decent Win7 machine, and now sometimes it just freezes, then ca
...and I'm still waiting for it to load!
except you can use emacs to do things
Edit the code in emacs then let eclipse open it if the boss is watching.
One of the most awesome things that the Eclipse people did was switch to a foundation built on OSGi after the first version.
Eclipse is a showcase that showcase the power of a modular component framework.
The silly thing is that Eclipse is actually close to being the poster child for how not to do an application on top of OSGi. Equinox itself (the OSGi layer) is fine, but Eclipse effectively works very hard to not use the power it provides, instead doing its own weird things with class loaders that mean that you're stuck in a horrible limbo land where nothing quite works as you might hope.
It's great.
There a lot of shitty plugins when used as an IDE, like the Javascript ones that add JS validation and builders to your web projects, bring the IDE to a standstill when every they run.
Eclipse is six of one, half a dozen of the other. I've used it for many years, but the Kepler release has decided that it's going to do something Eclipse never did in the past: crash. Hard. As in *poof* -- it's gone.
It's also been freezing up under Debian at random.
The windows build seems more stable, and that's what I use for most debug sessions, but I *prefer* to work on my Linux box due to the better resolution and nicer interface devices than my laptop.
But hey, it's a big project (both Eclipse
Well, I love it for just about all my C/Android/Java Servlet programming.
The only thing I can't really use it for is LINUX kernel programming/device driver development.
Just too big.
But I would like to thank everyone who works on the plugins for Eclipse, especially Toad which is one of my favorites and svn plugin.
Kisses and hugs to you all.
Eclipse is my saviour. I needed a UI to program under and I haven't really been happy with one since the pre-.NET versions of Visual Basic (horrendous language, lovely development environment for me - I honestly think we lost something in not taking that UI further in open-source development environments).
Got back into C99 and Eclipse with CDT was phenomenal. Bit of faffing with the config at first but I was able to get a development environment consistent across platforms, with all the tools you could ever want.
The debug UI is fabulous, to me. The customisability of the workspace (get out of my damn way and let me code, oh except for that one REALLY useful feature that's earned the right to be there all the time, etc.). In a way, it's my development "Opera" - hugely customisable to my particular odd way of working.
Plug it into gcc in its various flavours (native Linux, MinGW, Cygwin, etc.) and it's quite happy. Move your program to a Linux VM for testing and you can take the development UI with you if need be.
Plug in every kind of tool imaginable, including fairly decent versioning management (not its strongest suit but more than capable). Upgrade simply by making a copy of the eclipse folder and then running the upgrade over the top.
And - at the end of the day - when you have to write that Android wrapper for your program, or the website or online documentation of your masterpiece, you can do without even having to come out of it.
Eclipse is what got me back into my programming and allowed me to push out several apps for my employers on a whim. None of the other programs managed that.
And, best of all, it's free and keeps moving onwards. All the people I've heard whinge about Eclipse (which I've only been using since before Galileo) complain about it being heavy/buggy. It's something I've honestly not experienced and, damn, my buggy programming must test it to the limit sometimes. If you're developing on a "light" machine, I can't see how you're helping yourself. But I'm not using a supercomputer here, just a handful of fairly decent laptops / desktops.
I think Eclipse is a little like Windows. Keep it clean, don't experiment too much with random third-party junk, and make backups of the working config (so easy in Eclipse that I have a folder of every named release that I've ever used just in case I needed to rollback) and it'll stay up and stay working. Mess about with it too much and it'll turn into an unmanaged piece of junk.
I can't honestly say that I've ever seen it crash, though. And we're talking Windows (XP / 7) / Linux (Slackware and Ubuntu, several versions), desktop / laptop, old clunker and shiny new machine, and quite a lot of stuff plugged in (CDT, Android SDK, several SVN connectors as they've changed over the years, Valgrind, etc.).
It works fine for me. I like the fact I can just copy over the whole eclipes 'install' directory from one computer to another and it just seems to work.
Same with workspaces, just copy that whole thing over. Works fine.
I also use a mercurial plugin with it to save my code to bitbucket. Again, works like a dream.
It's never crashed or slowed down for me (though I rarely update it, because it just works)
However, I mainly code in C++ with it and have only produced one commercial java/android project with it...th
It works fine for me. I like the fact I can just copy over the whole eclipes 'install' directory from one computer to another and it just seems to work.
Same with workspaces, just copy that whole thing over. Works fine.
That's exactly the problem with Eclipse. Sure, you can copy over the whole "install" directory -- but what if you're working on another computer that has Eclipse already installed and you just want to copy over your preferences? What if I want to share my color scheme with another user? What if I want to upgrade to a new version of Eclipse and keep my old preferences?
What if I want to create a single project file that anybody on my team can open, regardless of where their Eclipse installation or workspac
It needed 2G of RAM 5 years ago... and growing. emacs has handed the bloatware crown on.....
mark, remembering brief
I'm trying to remember when emacs was bloated enough to hurt performance. It was small and fast in 2000. It was bigger but still fast in 1990. 1985 was big and slower than the competing editors but still faster than some big do-it-all tools. Really, it was only bloated when you compared it to a basic editor like vi or edt, or if you were on a seriously underpowered computer (don't use emacs on a micro like Amiga or PC-XT, get microemacs instead).
Each honest calling, each walk of life, has its own elite, its own aristocracy based on excellence of performance. -- James Bryant Conant


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Women Making Havdalah
I am a single woman and I usually try to hear Havdalah on Saturday night at the synagogue. But sometimes I don't feel like going out. So when I say Havdalah by myself, should I say all the blessings as usual?
The Aish Rabbi Replies:
A woman who recites Havdalah should say the blessings over wine, the spices, and the concluding blessing ("HaMavidil bein Kodesh le'chol").
There is a dispute over whether a woman should recite the blessing over fire, "Borey me'orey ha'aish." (Perhaps you could recite the blessing without saying God's Holy Name.)
Although it is not customary for women to drink Havdalah wine, if a woman recites the Havdalah, then she should drink it.
(Source: Halichos Bas Yisrael 15:93-94.)