iPhone 4 Availability in Italy

Apple’s iPhone 3 and iPhone 3 Gs mobile phone models have now been superseded by the new Apple iPhone 4. Here is a new post on the availability in Italy of Apple’s latest mobile phone the iPhone 4 for those outside Italy who are trying to find an unlocked or contract-less iPhone 4.

The Apple iPhone 4

The Apple iPhone 4 landed in Italy last week right at the tail end of July. It’s arrival attracted plenty of interest with queues forming at both the Rome and Milan.  By all accounts, the launch of the iPhone 4 was a roaring success.

I tried to get hold of an iPhone 4 today, but I don’t want an unlocked version, as I am happy to have one with a contract, seeing as I live and work in Italy.

Anyway, my iPhone 4 hunt proved fruitless, as our local Vodafone outlet has now closed, and the Expert electronics store in nearby Via Canonica only had one 16Gb TIM iPhone 4 in stock – which was an unlocked version of the iPhone 4 and could not be had with a contract.

Via a Twitter conversation with Anyia, a dyed in the wool iPhone and Blackberry fan, I found out that finding a contractless/unlocked iPhone 4 is not likely to be easy.  Italy’s mobile phone providers would much prefer people to buy an iPhone 4 with a contract.  Fine by me, but not for those of you who are after an unlocked iPhone 4.

So, where can you get hold of a shiny new Apple iPhone 4 in Italy this summer?

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Milan’s Ecopass Suspended from 2nd to 20th August

This year, as in each year since its introduction at the start of 2008, Milan’s Ecopass pollution charging system is taking a summer break.  This means that visitors to Milan can drive into the city and not have to worry about having to purchase a pollution charge ticket between the 2nd and 20th August 2010.

As Milan’s authorities point out, there really is no need for pollution levels to be controlled in the northern Italian city during August, seeing as the number of vehicles in circulation during this month falls by an average of 48%.  Quite simply, few cars means virtually non-existent pollution.  If only Milan were the same all year round, adds he wistfully.

Anyway, no Ecopass to pay is good news for those who stay in Milan in August, and it may even encourage those touring Italy by car to make a detour so they can spend a day or two looking around the city.

Actually, August is an excellent time to visit Milan, as long as you do not want to go shopping!  But there are other things to see and do.
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Berlusconi Divorces Fini

Silvio Berlusconi

From spat to full-blown split.  Silvio Berlusconi’s marriage of political convenience to Gianfranco Fini has ended in tears.  Scorned lover Berlusconi even rejected Fini’s last minute attempts to kiss and make up and remain part of Berlusconi’s party of love. End of love in. Period.

Italy’s press are lapping up every moment of the messy end to what had become a untenable relationship.  Despite Berlusconi’s rejection, Fini has declared, much to Berlusconi’s chagrin, that he is not willing to give up his position as Italy’s political number three, which will ensure Fini remains a painful thorn in wounded Berlusconi’s side.

Italy’s tanned supremo is making out that his government will soldier on, even though opposition politicians seem to be of the opinion that the divorce should spark general elections.

It’s not just opposition politicians in Italy who think general elections may be on the cards.  Italy’s finance minister Giulio Tremonti appears to be readying for an election campaign battle too.

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How to Find a List of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy

Italy has an almost endless number of beautiful villages.  Many are unspoiled medieval villages situated on hilltops, others are dotted along Italy’s coastline, and some are tucked away in Italy’s many mountainous corners.  The choice is nothing short of bewildering.  Luckily there is a list.

Someone has thoughtfully created a list of Italy’s most beautiful villages and it can be found over on a website called ‘I Borghi Più Belli D’Italia’.

This official website set up by the National Association of Italian Municipalities, from which one can also purchase an 800 page guide in English to the huge number of beautiful villages of Italy, is addictive.

The website is easy to use too.

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Italy’s Mafia Could become an Explosive Problem

Italian magazine Internazionale contains a section entitled ‘How others See Italy’, or words to that effect.  It was in this section that I came across Alexander Stille’s pertinent and relevant article ‘Married to the Italian Mob’.

It was on the way back on the train from Genoa yesterday that I read our friend Cristina’s copy of the magazine Internazionale which contains articles from major media sources from around the world that have been translated into Italian.

As you may have been able to gather from the title of Stille’s article, it was about organised crime, namely, Italy’s age old mafia problem, which, Professor Stille intimates, may well worsen.

What is more worrying is that Stille appears to believe that one Silvio Berlusconi may well be helping promote organised crime in Italy.  Before you ask, no, slippery Silvio is not running ‘The Mafia Needs You’ ads, well, not just yet.  However,  as Stille implies, to all intents an purposes, Berlusconi does not appear to be discouraging organised crime in Italy.  Indeed, quite the opposite.

The consequences of Berlusconi’s stance on organised crime could be earth shattering.  Literally.

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Big Bugs Cast Shadows Over Italy

There are some mighty big bugs in Italy.  Some of the wasps I’ve seen are huge, and scary.  Luckily, for those of you who are like me: not the world’s greatest bug fans, these miniature giants of the Italian bug world are not often to be spotted.

But they are there, and, boy, are some of them big beasties.  The beast you are about to see, which was apparently some 3 inches (7cm) in length, and thus not exactly tiny in bug terms, was found beetling around the Carso area of Italy.

For the uninitiated, the Carso zone is also, and perhaps better, known as the kras, karst, or karst plateau.  In actual fact, it is this limestone plateau area that straddles the border between Italy and Slovenia which gave the world the term Karst topography.  End of geography lesson.

Aside from being home to big bugs, the Carso area of Italy, which can be found near Trieste, also happens to be rather unspoilt and beautiful, like so much of Italy.

And if you visit the Carso, and are really lucky, or unlucky, depending on your point of view, you might even get to spot one of these not-so-little fellows. … Continue Reading