Italy Luxury Cruise $ALE: Luxury Cruise from Venice & Luxury Cruise from Rome

Italian Tourism Italy Cruise is offering an exclusive amenity package on 2011 Oceania Cruises luxury cruises around Italy and 2012 Oceania Cruises luxury cruises around Italy. There is a few more days to book a 2011 luxury cruise from Rome or a luxury cruise from Venice and receive the following:

• 50% of published rates+
• Free airfare+
• Pre-Paid Gratuities+
• $100 Shipboard Credit+
• $100 Canyon Ranch Spaclub Credit+
• $100 Shore Excursion Credit+
• Welcome Champagne Bottle
  
  
  Plus up to $1000 On Board Credit
  
  
  
  
Available on selected sailings for limited time. Call 305.914.0220 for details or email Italian Tourism Italy Cruise.
Plus up to $1000 On Board Credit EXCLUSIVE OFFER from Italian Tourism

EXCLUSIVE ITALY CRUISE AMENITY PACKAGE IS OFFERED FOR A LIMITED TIME ON THESE CRUISES AROUND ITALY - CALL 305.914.0220 OR EMAIL ITALIAN TOURISM FOR DETAILS.


GRANDEUR OF ROME
Cruise from Athens to Rome | 10 days
Apr 13, 2011 onboard Insignia
Athens (Piraeus) • Ephesus (Kusadasi) • Santorini • Zakynthos • Taormina • Amalfi/Positano • Olbia/Porto Cervo • Monte Carlo • Florence/Pisa (Livorno) overnight• Rome (Civitavecchia)
Full brochure fares from $6,998 per guest*
2 for 1 fares from $3,499 per guest* with FREE airfare plus ITALY CRUISE Amenity Package*


GRECIAN GLORY
Cruise from Venice to Athens | 10 days
May 6, 2011 onboard Marina
Venice overnight• Dubrovnik Kotor • Corfu • Zakynthos • Monemvasia • Santorini • Ephesus (Kusadasi) • Delos • Mykonos • Athens (Piraeus)
Full brochure veranda fares from $7,398 per guest*
2 for 1 fares from $3,699 per guest* with FREE airfare plus ITALY CRUISE Amenity Package*

BLACK SEA SERENADE

Cruise from Athens to Istanbul | 12 days
Jun 27, 2011 onboard Nautica
Athens (Piraeus) • Mykonos • Ephesus (Kusadasi) • Sinop • Trabzon • Sochi • Yalta • Sevastopol • Odessa • Constanta • Nessebur • Istanbul
Full brochure fares from $8,998 per guest*
2 for 1 fares from $4,499 per guest* with FREE airfare plus ITALY CRUISE Amenity Package*

VENETIAN RADIANCE


Cruise around Italy from Barcelona to Venice | 14 days
Oct 29, 2011 onboard Insignia
Barcelona • Provence (Marseille) • Monte Carlo • Florence/Pisa (Livorno) overnight• Rome (Civitavecchia) • Sorrento/Capri • Amalfi/Positano • Taormina • Corfu • Bari • Split • Ravenna • Venice overnight
Full brochure fares from $9,998 per guest*
2 for 1 fares from $4,999 per guest* with FREE airfare plus ITALY CRUISE Amenity Package*

SPLENDID ESCAPES


Cruise from Athens to Rome | 10 days
Nov 14, 2011 onboard Marina
Athens (Piraeus) • Ephesus (Kusadasi) Nauplion • Katakolon • Taormina •
Amalfi/Positano • Olbia/Porto Cervo • Florence/Pisa (Livorno) overnight•
Monte Carlo • Rome (Civitavecchia)
Full brochure fares from $5,998 per guest*
2 for 1 fares from $2,999 per guest* with FREE airfare plus ITALY CRUISE Amenity Package*


For more about this Italy Luxury Cruise $ALE and more Luxury Cruises from Venice and Luxury Cruises from Rome call 305.914.0220 or email us to contact an Italy Cruise expert.

Italy Tours: Venice Packed for Carnival

Italy Tour to Venice for Carnival

Italy Tours from all over the world packed Venice this week for Carnival.  Italian Tourism officials report Venice hotels hung out their no vacancy signs as thousands of costumed celebrants gathered in Venice for the finale of Italy's most famous carnival celebration Tuesday night.

Masks have always been a central feature of the Venetian carnival, which attracts Italy tours from all over the world. Traditionally Venetians and Italian Tourists alike wore them between the festival of Santo Stefano (St. Stephen's Day, December 26) and the start of the carnival season and midnight of Shrove Tuesday. They have always been around Venice. As masks were also worn for the Ascension and from October 5 to Christmas, people Venetians and Italy travelers could spend a large proportion of the year in disguise

Venetian masks can be made in leather or with the original glass technique. The original masks were rather simple in design and decoration and often had a symbolic and practical function. Nowadays, most of them are made with the application of gesso and gold leaf and are all hand-painted using natural feathers and gems to decorate.

The mascherari, or mask-makers had their own statute dated 10 April 1436. They belonged to the fringe of painters and were helped in their task by sign-painters who drew faces onto plaster in a range of different shapes and paying extreme attention to detail.

Over 280,000 visitors arrived last weekend filling all available beds not only in Venice hotels but also on the Lido island facing it and the neighboring city of Mestre across the Venice Lagoon on the mainland.

"This is the highest occupancy we've ever seen in the three areas, a far cry from last year," said Vittorio Bonacini, head of the Venice Hoteliers Association.

Carnival traditionally concludes on Fat Tuesday at mid night, also known as Mardi Gras, with a procession of gondolas and other traditional boats along the Grand Canal, under the Rialto bridge to the dock at St Mark's Square, with all palaces and homes illuminated only by LED candles as thousands of balloons are released to usher in the beginning of Lent.

Because this year's Mardi Gras coincides with International Women's Day, the celebration has been dedicated to women.

Other famous Italian carnival celebrations in Italy include the one in Ivrea, near Turin, where the traditional 'battle of the oranges' left hundreds of 'victims' at the weekend, and one in the Tuscan seaside town of Viareggio where a traditional parade of allegorical floats takes center stage.

Italy tours to Venice, Florence and Rome are available with Italian Tourism, where you will find the best deals on Italy tours.