A Cruise Dedicated to Chocolate Will Set Sail Around Europe in 2020

I have a feeling that this news is going to excite a whole lot of people out there. Combine two great things – chocolate and travel – and what do you get? The Eurochocolate Cruise.

The cruise is a collaboration between Costa Cruises and the annual Eurochocolate Festival, and it will set sail in April 2020 from Civitavecchia, Italy. The cruise will take guests through the Mediterranean for eight days.

Chocolate-themed cruise to set sail in 2020 It's every chocoholic’s dream come true. Travel https://ift.tt/2WfRW0P

Posted by Getlivenews on Thursday, October 24, 2019

If you’re lucky enough to book a spot on this excursion, you’ll be treated to eight days of chocolate tastings, chocolate workshops, a visit to the Chocolate Museum in Barcelona. Oh, and the boat itself is stocked with chocolate fountains, chocolate sculptures – even chocolate experts to answer all your chocolate questions.

The ship will also stop in Genoa, Palma de Mallorca, Malta, and Catania. Carlo Schiavon, Costa Cruises’ Italy country manager, said,

“We try to offer unique experiences to our guests […] and this is possible also thanks to prestigious partnerships like the one with Eurochocolate. [It] will allow us to have for the first time aboard a cruise ship the vibe, the fun and the tastes of the greatest international festival dedicated to chocolate.”

Make it a #SundayFunday to remember by booking your next Costa #cruise with our Fall for Savings deal! Receive up to…

Posted by Costa on Sunday, October 27, 2019

The annual Eurochocolate festival takes place in Perugia, Italy, attracting around 900,000 visitors each year. Next year’s festival is set to kick off on October 16 and run until October 25.

I really need to get in on this whole “chocolate tourism” thing…what have I been doing with my life?

This looks like an excellent trip. Let us know if you plan to go!

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Bars in Italy Are Using Pasta Straws to Get Rid of Plastic Waste

Lately, companies have caused a stir (see what I did there?) by getting rid of plastic straws or only distributing them when customers specifically ask for them.

In Italy, bars and restaurants are now using pasta straws for drinks to cut down on plastic waste. What could be more Italian than drinking out of a pasta straw?!?!

Here in Italy bars are starting to use pasta as straws to reduce plastic use. Our technology amazes the world another time. from europe

The European Union voted to ban single-use plastic items by 2021, and it looks like the Italians are getting a head start.

Interestingly, there’s already a company in the UK called Stroodles that sells pasta straws. Maxim Gelmann, the founder of the company said, “Stroodles is not just a straw company and there is a much bigger picture, as I feel I can leave a long-term impact by creating a ripple effect by triggering many small changes all across the world, especially among people that are less conscious of sustainability and their respective actions and behaviors.”

??? Stroodles team at the Improving Air Quality in Mayfair event by @newwestendcompany

Posted by Stroodles- Pasta Straws on Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Gelmann added,

“The approach is to do this in a fun and non-preachy, non-finger-pointing manner. I rather aim for people to engage with a Stroodle and then themselves start asking themselves the right questions, like ‘Why is there a pasta straw in my drink?’ Thus, little realizations like that and them coming to their own conclusions, rather than being sold/preached. [It’s] much more powerful in creating behavioral and mindsets change. And … maybe next time one is offered a plastic bag, they will behave differently.”

I haven’t seen these in the U.S. yet, but maybe they’ll be coming soon?

The next step? Let’s work on getting pasta cups!

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You Can Get Paid $770 a Month to Move to a Beautiful Region in Italy

Packing up your entire life and moving to a small village in southern Italy might sound kind of intimidating. But what if you were getting paid $770 a month to do so?

Molise, Italy, just started a campaign to pay newcomers $770 per month for three years, under one condition: You must establish a business in one of its underpopulated villages. The initiative is designed to boost Italy’s decreasing population numbers.

“If we had offered funding, it would have been yet another charity gesture,” Donato Toma, the president of Molise, told The Guardian. “We wanted to do more; we wanted people to invest here. They can open any sort of activity: a bread shop, a stationery shop, a restaurant, anything. It’s a way to breathe life into our towns while also increasing the population.”

Photo Credit: iStock

Towns must have fewer than 2000 residents to be eligible. Those towns will also receive about $11,000 to build infrastructure and promote cultural activities so that newcomers have a reason to stick around.

Photo Credit: iStock

“It’s not just a matter of increasing the population. People also need infrastructure and a reason to stay, otherwise we’ll end up back where we started in a few years,” Donato explained.

There are already some great reasons to move to Molise. The mountainous area has gorgeous, idyllic olive groves and cliffside views.

Photo Credit: iStock

The area has suffered from a massive population decline, however, as young people leave the region to pursue job opportunities elsewhere. Italy’s population as a whole is also on the decline — the number of Italian citizens fell by 677,000 between 2014 and 2018.

And that is non buono.

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Every year, half a million Italian…

Every year, half a million Italian people claim they are possessed, demanding an exorcism. Demands for exorcisms are also growing globally. In response to the rise, the Vatican even held a week-long exorcism course for 200 priests.

The Italian Mafia is involved…

The Italian Mafia is involved in nuclear waste trafficking: they have bought nuclear power plant waste and dumped it in Somalia. The Camorrah in Naples do this too. Except they dump it in Naples.

This Italian Pastry Chef Turns His Desserts into Amazing Miniature Worlds

I’d feel bad eating one of Matteo Stucchi‘s desserts because each one is a miniature work of art, and they are all incredible.

The Italian pastry chef has been at it for 26 years, and his desserts are all little worlds that you have to see to believe.

Take a look at Stucchi’s great creations.

1. The gazebo

2. Planet Earth

3. Setting up the perfect shot

4. Ice skating

5. Gone fishin’

6. Backpacking

7. Swimming laps

8. Putting in the work

9. Lava?

10. Radioactive

11. Fairy tale

12. Polar Bear Club

13. Cutting down trees

14. Spooky

15. Arachnophobia

Bon appétit! Or maybe just keep one in your freezer to admire…

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The cheese Parmigiano-Reggiano…

The cheese Parmigiano-Reggiano is a large target of organised crime in Italy. From 2013 to 2015 an organised crime gang stole 2039 wheels of it from warehouses in northern and central Italy.

Gorgeous Italian Village Wants to Pay You $10,000 to Move There and Start Procreating

We all have those moments when we feel a little bit at a loss for what to do with our lives. Ever feel like you just wanna get away from it all and start again?

Well, you may be in luck: this small Italian town is literally paying people $10,000 to move in and start a family. Yep, it’s 100% real, and 150% making me reconsider my life choices.

Photo Credit: 9gag

The town of Locana, Italy is offering new residents $10,000 to move there and procreate. The new initiative is an attempt to lure more youth to the town, which is rapidly shrinking.

Photo Credit: 9gag

The mayor, Giovanni Bruno Mattiet, explained his generous new offer.

“Our population has shrunk from 7,000 residents in the early 1900s to barely 1,500 as people left looking for a job at Turin’s big factories,” he said. “Our school each year faces the risk of shutting down due to few pupils. I can’t allow this to happen.”

The small Alpine village is not looking to attract slackers who just need a check, though.

“We’re looking to draw mostly young people and professionals who work remotely or are willing to start an activity here,” the mayor added.

The $10,000 will be paid out over the course of three years.

Photo Credit: 9gag

Originally, the deal was available only to fellow Italians or to foreign residents of Italy. However, the mayor has become desperate enough to extend the offer to non-Italians, which means you totally have a shot. I mean, what else are you going to do for the next three years?

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