As a prefacing remark, allow me to get on my "soap box" again, to emphasize 
the importance of the Italian American Community developing Web Sites, and 
putting as much information on those Web Sites as possible to make it as EASY 
for the Community to inform itself as possible!!

I have said before, and I will say it again, and again, ad naseum, that the 
INTERNET is second in importance, only to the Gutenburg Press in making 
INFORMATION more Easily, and Inexpensively Available, to the widest possible 
audience!!!

Those "Fuddy Duddies" who fear the "encroachment" of the Internet on supposedly 
"sacrosanct" grounds, are well advised to embrace this "New Information Age"
technology, as a "tool" to "promote" those "Old Age" icons they have held 
dear. 

"Those who adapt to a changing environment, survive.Those who don't, perish"  
 

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ONLINE LIBRARIES CONTRADICT NOTION THAT ITALIANS DON'T READ

It is generally believed that Italians are the worst readers. The number of 
visitors logging onto the nation's combined online libraries contradicts 
this. This service registers more than 40 million visitors per year and 
120,000 persons logging on each day. 

These data were revealed at a conference on the subject organized by Italy's 
Ministry of Culture. The unified catalogue of on-line libraries provides six 
million entries provided by 46 state libraries in the country, and 1,400 
local, university and cultural institute libraries. 

Books going back as far as 1830 can be borrowed, as well as contemporary 
periodicals and musical scores from the 16th century forward. The combined 
library resource's website is: www.superdante.it. [Note: I had difficulty 
acessing it, because it was being "upgraded"]
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REPORT ON TOURISM GIVES INSIGHT INTO ITALY'S VACATIONERS

According to a report on tourism in the year 2001, one out of two Italians, 
a total of 27.2 million people, took a vacation last year. 

One million vacationers connected with the internet to choose and book their 
holiday destinations. The chairman of Unioncamere, the association of Italian 
Chambers of Commerce, presented the report at Milan's International Tourism 
Fair. 

The survey revealed the profile of the nation's vacationers to be young and 
mostly from Italy's northern regions. Also learned was that the number of 
retired people who travel is on the rise. 

Seven million Italians go on a holiday twice a year and apparently income or 
occupation does not influence the wish to go on a holiday. 

Only 9.4% of Italy's vacationers seek foreign destinations, which means that 
90.6% of all Italian travelers vacation on home soil. Of all travelers 
combined, at least 15% have traveled in Italy as well as abroad.