IF you are from Spain and you are working either in a Fortune 500 company or in the Foreign Ministry and you are told to be assigned in Italy, then don’t panic. Take it as a promotion and enjoy that piece of news. After all, it is assumed that you are a Roman Catholic because most Spaniards are and being assigned in Italy and taking your family there is a privilege of a lifetime. Italy is the seat of Roman Catholicism and it’s nice to be literally close to the Pope. Well not actually but it is. I mean, Italy doesn’t contain the Pope because he is in the Vatican City, an entire sovereign state. Its host city is Rome, the capital of Italy. And let’s not forget that Rome has been there before the birth of Christ so it must be a very formidable country. After all, you may want to visit the Colloseum while being assigned in Italy and witness time go back to the past by looking at this architectural masterpiece.

But it may be better if you see the movie Jumper first because it is the only Hollywood movie allowed to be filmed in the Colloseum. Another thing to watch out for before immersing yourself to the Italian lifestyle is to learn Italian. There are lots of Italian language schools in Rome and they earn a lot indeed because there are many tourists here. They offer anything from two-week crash courses to six-month ones. The six-month courses are actually divided into three stages – basic, intermediate and advanced. So that will be a total of three semesters at all. After graduating from the advanced course, you can already pass yourself off as a native.

Italian language schools are very accommodating indeed. During your first day of school, you will be asked to jot down even one sentence in Italian and read it in front of the class. You may sound awkward at first but don’t be conscious because your classmates are all adult foreigners like yourself. You may even befriend them and who knows they can be business partners in the long run. Another scheme they do here in Italian language schools is to let you be immersed with an entire Italian family. Of course, you must shoulder all the expenses while you are living with them. The advantage here is that they can complement whatever you learn in school because they will help tutor you in the current lessons of the day. They will even tour you around in crowded places so you can eavesdrop on authentic conversations among Italians and so you can try to understand these conversations. You can also dine with your host family so you can taste authentic Italian food, not just the tiramisu or the lasagna that you often eat back home in Spain which is not authentic Italian food but the foreign variant only.

So better start packing up now if you’re told to be assigned here in Spain. And expect to speak Italian at home. There are other places to explore in Italy after all and not just Rome. There’s Tuscan, Milan, Nice….even Palermo across the Mediterranean.

In fact, did you know italy is home to some of the most glamorous celebrities too? Donatella Versace frequents her native city regularly, a European cultural break from the States; similarly, at Lake Garda, you could see star of the casino (poker online) flick “Ocean’s 11″, George Clooney! You really are in good company!

The best way to travel between all these wonderful destinations, the most effective and stress-free, would be by train. Europe trains are a highly reliable service and so are ideal for young language students who have little experience travelling alone. They also allow flexibility which is perfect for those who get the travel bug once abroad - in this case, you could tailor your journey to not only see more of Italy but more of the whole continent too!

AS Italy’s students are entering their school and winter is still a few months away, travelers here during the holidays must reserve their hotel and plane bookings now. There are many international airports here in Italy but the most famous one is located in Rome which is the Leonardo da Vinci International Airport. Italy is located in the Italian Peninsula and is part of the European mainland and along this line; foreign visitors here can also cross the landlocked border from France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.

All of these borders are unguarded as part of the Schengen agreement which was signed in the 1970s. But because of the recent terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001, these borders may be subject to inspection by Customs agents of the respective countries but this is definitely not a difficult situation if the tourist simply has nothing to hide.

So you can either come here by train which has trips daily from France, Croatia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Spain. The tourists will love to be here especially during winter because the hit destination here as far as foreigners from other parts of the continent is the Alps region. And it is not just the Alps that Italy can offer. There are also numerous mountains in Spain which snows the whole season of winter and it’s definitely nice to spend the holidays here.

So pack up your things and leave now. Oops, I don’t mean literally now because you have to book all your tickets in advance. Major airlines from all over the world converge their planes at the Leonardo da Vinci international airport in Rome as folks come here to celebrate Christmas. After all, the seat of Catholicism is here and it is widely believed that this is the first Christian church. And so there are nine days here to hear Mass prior to Christmas Eve and prior to that, four weeks of preparation which they call Advent.

In the commercial side of things, malls here in Rome and other cities such as Venice and Milan have the Christmas spirit. But that is still two months away though. For now, what Italian kids would love to expect in the coming weeks is Halloween. In Halloween here, they have adopted the Westernized or the Americanized style of tricking or treating. Although this is discouraged by the Church, the younger generation has the sense of freedom to enjoy this experience.

Stroll around the Mediterranean beaches in the middle of autumn and you’ll see a deserted beach just like what you find in the video of All Saints’ Pure Shores. Beaches here tend to get colder in winter to as much as -3 degrees Celsius. Still, if you plan to have a garden wedding here, then don’t let that ruin you. All you need is practicality though as you need layers and layers of clothing to protect you from the cold. So you need a customized wedding dress for that. Mind you, that may be the most beautiful customized bridal gown the world has seen.

ITALY is surely a nice place to visit either in Halloween or during the Christmas season. Because it is an all-Catholic country, expect Italy to have four holidays this weekend – All Saints Day on November 1, All Souls Day on November 2 and of course the next two succeeding days fall on a Saturday and a Sunday, the nominal holidays of the Gregorian calendar in the Western world.

Because of these extended holidays, Italians celebrate ahead on the night of October 31. We know of course that this is the season of Halloween. It is when the children do their treat-or-trick. But adults too enjoy this night as a party of all parties ending the Oktobeerfest or the month-long beer festival. Although Italy has been known to its wine, it has its own version of Oktobeerfest which it has acquired from Germany.

Thus, Halloween here in Italy doubles as a culmination of Oktobeerfest. For the religious, it is also a culmination of another sort – the Rosary Month. During the day, dozens of rosary-shaped balloons are flown over each city and a special prize awaits the person who can retrieve a certain balloon. Prizes vary from having a night of stay at one of Milan’s posh hotels to a trip around the great Venetian canal.

Also during Halloween, elaborate spooky costumes are found in the city of fashion, Milan, these are converted into wacky designs for a great fashion show. It is the middle of winter fashion week here in Milan and everybody is eager to see some Halloween kind of party – especially a lingerie-filled fashion show. They do this usually on the evening of October 31 with lots of house music and tequila.

The day after, November 1, is All Saints Day and everyone goes to the cemeteries to pay respects to their deceased loved ones. They usually offer food before the foot of their graves so it is not surprising to see tiramisu being left behind by the relatives of the dead.

Of course, you can’t come here in Italy unprepared and by the time you’re reading this post, it may probably be November 7, 2007 already so it may be high time for you to start reserving your holiday trips to Italy for the Christmas season instead. During this season, the most serene places to go to are the Vatican City and Venice. Vatican City is the headquarters of Catholicism and what better way to spend the holidays than to see Pope Benedict XVI deliver his homily at St. Peter’s Square during Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, Venice is one beautiful city to visit during the holiday season as it is lighted up with all Christmas lights you can think of.

Or else visit Venice during New Year and savor the fireworks at the Venetian Canal. Venice is really a nice city you know. This is the only city in the world that sits on top of a lagoon and this is also the only pedestrian city on earth. So what are you waiting for? Reserve your flight and hotel stays in Italy now.