Poveglia in Venice - Italy's most haunted island

Poveglia is a small island located between Venice and Lido in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. A small canal divides the island into two parts. Unless special permission is given to step foot on the island for whatever reason, the island is off limits to all.

In recent times, some legends have arisen about the island. According to legend, during Roman times it was used to isolate thousands of plague victims, and during the three occasions when the Black Death spread through Europe, the island was effectively used as a lazaretto and plague pit - it was considered an efficient way of keeping the infected people separated from the healthy. According to this version, over 160,000 people died on the island throughout its history. The island used in 1576 to accommodate those hit by the plague was not Poveglia, but Lazzaretto Nuovo.



Another legend surrounds a building erected in 1922 on the island, which was used for various purposes, including usage as a mental hospital. The legend states that a particular mental health doctor tortured and butchered many of the patients, before going "mad" and jumping to his death from the bell tower. According to that same legend, he survived the fall, but was 'strangled by a mist that came up from the ground'. Its ruins remain to this day. The institution in question has been described as a retirement home, but evidence on the island shows that despite the controversy, at least part of the building housed mental patients.

Geotourism - Greece

This company was established in January of 2002 in the island of Samos, the polymorphous island of Aegean. From July of 2002 moved in Akarnania at the entrance of Amvrakikos gulf in town of Vonitsa.

They have started an attempt to organize and elevate mildly forms of tourism believing in the necessity of that direction.

Some of the activities that are offered are sailing and diving..

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IN GERMANY

Singing/Music

One of the most popular recreational activities of the early German immigrants was singing. They sang not only in church but also formed singing groups, known as Liedertafel. Carl Linger founded the first Liedertafel in Adelaide in 1858, which still exists as part of the South Australian German Association. The " Adelaider Liedertafel 1858" is the oldest continuously operating male choir in Australia. In 1862 a Liedertafel was established in Tanunda (Barossa), which is also still in existence. Music was an important social activity and every German settlement of significant size in the 19th century had a brass band. Usually the girls learned the piano and the boys learned brass instruments.

Singing is still a popular activity in the German-speaking clubs of Australia. The Club Tivoli in Melbourne still has its "Liedertafel Arion", founded in 1860. At the SAADV in Adelaide people can also join the German Folk Dance Group (Deutscher Volkstanzkreis) and the German Folksong Choir (Deutscher Volksliederchor). There are similar choirs for women and men at Melbourne's Club Tivoli as well as in clubs in other Australian states.

IN GERMANY

SKI RUNS

Skiing is a group of recreational activities using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding.

A piste is the name given to a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. The term is most often used in Europe; in North America, a piste would more often be referred to as a trail, a slope, or a groomed run. Piste is French for trail or track.

IN FRANCE

Horseback Riding

Equestrian travel as a way to practice a fascinating sport and at the same time to interact with a different culture and other peoples. You will find that a common love of the horse is very effective in forming bonds of friendship quickly with people all over the world.

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IN FRANCE

Skiing

The ski buff will find a wealth of slopes in France. In the winter, the Alps and the somewhat less pricey Pyrénées and Vosges offer more than a hundred excellent skiing facilities - both for ski alpin (downhill) and ski de fond (cross-country). The island of Corsica also features both types of skiing from December to April.

*Consult the Club Alpin Français in Ajaccio (04-95-22-73-81).

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IN FRANCE

Hiking

There are a huge network of hiking paths throughout France. The most popular of these are in hilly regions such as the Alps, the Ardennes, Beaujolais, CHampagne, the Jura, the Massif Central, and forested ares in the Ile-de-France.

*People who are interested on hiking, or want information on trails and hiking courses, contact the Comité Départemental de la Randonnéé Pedestre in each region.

IN ITALY

Bocce

Bocce (sometimes anglicized as bocci or boccie) is a ball sport belonging to the boules sport family, closely related to bowls and pétanque with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire. Developed into its present form in Italy (where it is called Bocce, the plural of the Italian word boccia which means "bowl") It is played around Europe and also in overseas areas that have received Italian migrants, including Australia, North America and South America (where it is known as bochas; bolas criollas in Venezuela, bocha (the sport) in Brazil), initially amongst the migrants themselves but slowly becoming more popular with their descendants and the wider community.

IN SWITZERLAND

Toboggan

GO LONG. Ready for RETRO FUN. Take your family or posse to Pradaschier - Europe's longest tobaggan run. Toboggan? Yeah. Toboggan. No skills but intense thrills. Load up the tribe and lift your feet. In seconds trees fly by and everything becomes a blur of fun as you 40km per hour. No roller-coaster comes close.

YEAR ROUND. The Pradaschier Toboggan Run is open in both summer and winter. A 6-person aerial cable car takes you up to the mountain station. The run sits on rails and is therefore independent of the weather and can be used year-round. Night owls may prefer to experience this singular sensation when it is open at night, illuminated by spotlights.

HOW TO GET THERE. Special round-trip: train ride Chur - Brambrsch, hike from Brambrsch to Pradaschier, use of the toboggan run 2 times, return to Chur by Swiss Post Bus. This is a guaranteed Switzerland must do.

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IN GERMANY

Volkmarching

Volksmarching is a leisurely walk through a scenic and/or historic area over a pre-marked trail. The walk is non-competitive and the participants can travel at their own pace, thus making this an excellent recreational activity for the entire family.Volksmarching is a great way to meet new friends and a fun way for individuals to receive exercise who would otherwise get very little.

You Can Go on a Volksmarch
Nowadays volksmarches are usually 10 kilometers and 5 kilometers in length. The trails are measured, often marked, and events are held on weekends. You can see a calendar of events in your area by logging on to http://ava.org

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Play Boules

This is a game of boules this activity is perhaps the sports that is closest to French hearts. similiar to british law bowling or italian bocce, the Frence version is traditionally played with metallic balls on a dirt surface beneath plane trees with a flass of pastis at hand.

In Greece

Lycabettus Hill

St George's chapel on top Mount Lycabettus

Panoramic view of Athens from Mount Lycabettus

Athens’s second most famous rock, this limestone cliff is 908 feet above sea level; imagine the view. You can ride the funicular up to the top ($9) if you’re tired from sightseeing (though the walk to the funicular is also uphill), or take the old-fashioned route, beginning on Loukianou Street and winding up through the charming neighborhood of Kolonaki to Lycabettus’s peak. There you’ll find the small chapel of Agios Georgios, a costly café and restaurant called Orizontes, and the most incredible views of the light changing over the city at sunset.

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