in this issue The Big Five IDJ Loves Car Lovers Automobile Museums Police Cars Are Hot What is a Viotti? Topolino Train Travel in Italy Nicknames

Freely forward this Discover Italy Newsletter in its entirety. At the very bottom of the newsletter you will find a forward link to make it easy. (c) Copyright Kids Europe 2004.

The Big Five

Italy has a long history of automotive innovation. There have been more than fifty automobile brands in Italy, and five large ones remain: Alfa Rome, Ferrari, Fiat, Lancia, and Maserati

Cars From Italy features history, racing, concept cars, news, and models from the big five Italian auto manufacturers.

Designers at the large companies and in independent design firms constantly come out with wonderful new cars. There are actually many more manufacturers of cars that you can learn about.

If you like cars, you will really enjoy auto-spotting in Italy. You may spy a very exclusive or unique car model just walking through a parking lot.

Motorbooks.com has the largest selection of books, calendars and videos for auto enthusiasts!

	IDJ Loves Car Lovers
The Italy Discovery Journal is filled with vehicle variety, offering: 1. Check list of regional license plates that you can check off as you spot them, 2. Check list of country decals that you can also spot and collect, 3. Traffic sign matching game, 4. Check list of Italian car manufacturers, and 5. Pointers to traffic and parking systems and traditions The Italy Discovery Journal is for kids to use to discover Italy for themselves. The ideas in the Journal are often about popular culture and interesting and wierd insights into history. As one customer told me, "If we get a single idea to improve a few hours of our vacation, then it will be worth it!" Learn about the Italy Discovery Journal »

	Automobile Museums
The largest automobile museum in Italy is in Torino: Museo dell'Automobile Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffa. Phone to get hours: 011 677.666/7/8 Museo dell'Automobile "Luigi Bonfanti" features topical exhibits: Via Torino, 1 - 36060 Romano d'Ezzelino, Veneto. Phone 0424 513746 - 513690. The Alfa Romeo Museum is in Arese and the Fiat Museum in Torino. Please check the company websites for location and times. Click on the Galleries link at Cars From Italy to find a list of automobile exhibits. I noticed one in London in addition to Italian exhibits. Tuscany Villa Rentals

	Police Cars Are Hot
Fashion and style are important in Italy, as much for cars as for clothing (see the Discover Italy Newsletter about Fashion). Furthermore the Italian government likes to equip forces like the highway patrol with fast Italian cars. So, while in Italy, watch for police cars and notice that some of them are really fast models. Here is a website about the Italian police, their cars, their uniforms, history. At the bottom of the page linked to above, there are links to the specifics for each of the many different Italian police forces. Notice that there are eight different national police, nevermind local police! I can't say much for readability with everything against black and the English that the webmaster provides is a little rough, but if you want to see Italian police cars, just click around.

	What is a Viotti?
Or, a Moretti, Pagani, Qvale, Savio, Serenissima, Siata, or Vignale? Say Bizzarini just to hear it roll off your tongue -- in Italian a "z" is pronounced like our "ts". When doubled, you hold the sound an extra beat. They are all former Italian car companies. There are more than fifty of them! Read through the "others" pages of Cars From Italy and learn about a fascinating history of automotive innovation. You will begin to understand the tradition of automotive design that runs so deep in Italy.

	Topolino
Topolino means "little mouse" and is the name for Mickey Mouse in Italian. It is also the nickname for a tiny Fiat that Italy began producing after WWII, the Fiat 500. Italian families would pile in by the dozens, so you would actually hear news stories about two Topolini colliding and 15 passengers being injured. The first car I owned was a used, gray Fiat 500, that I would drive into downtown Rome for my summer job as a translator in a boutique facing the Trevi fountain. I realized then one of the values of such a tiny car; I would pull into a parking lot, and the attendant and his helper would each grab a bumper and lift my car into position so as to cram as many cars as possible into their lot. Motorbooks.com has the largest selection of books, calendars and videos for auto enthusiasts!

	Train Travel in Italy
Train travel throughout Europe is fun for kids and easy on parents. You can get to almost any town in Italy in comfort. No navigating, no parking hassles. You will have a chance to meet other passengers and view the countryside as it rolls by. You can easily stretch your legs and enjoy a yummy box lunch purchased from a vendor. Consider taking a sleeper train between major European cities. Children will love the experience of sleeping on bunks in a train. You'll save a night's lodging and wake up at your destination. This rail site offers rails passes and point- to-point ticketing and reservations, go to "Fares & Schedules" to get point-to-point information. Kids love to travel by train in Italy... »

	Nicknames
Here are the names of some Italian vehicles, guess how they got their names: Vespa, wasp Ape, bee Centauro, centaur

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