The Italians are a nation of walkers: it is estimated that there are over 200,000 Italian travelers walking along various paths around Europe. Last year, for example, 24,000 Italians hiked along the Santiago di Compostela...

Italian is the fourth most studied language in the world. Of the over 7,000 known living languages only 3 have more students than those that study Italian. The fellow European tongues of English, Spanish and French take the top three spots.

So why is the Italian language so popular one might ask? What is the draw that keeps the 19th most spoken language at the top of the 'To Learn' list? Mirko Tavosania, director of ICoN believes it has to do with inherent qualities of the language itself.

The images of Julia Roberts enjoying an ice cream in Piazza Navona during the filming of “Eat Pray Love” traveled all around the world: Rome and ice cream, two undisputed symbols of Italian-ness. But ice cream cannot only be found in Rome: if we allow ourselves to be seduced by this Italian delicacy it will take us on an unusual journey of discovery of some of the “sweetest” places on the Italian peninsula.

First created in 1943, a “Vespa” is not simply a scooter but has become, over time, one of the most powerful symbols of “Italian lifestyle”. It followed the evolution of society in post-war Italy, becoming increasingly popular during the years of the Economic Boom and the “Dolce Vita”, until it came to represent a style that encompasses some of the fundamental elements of the “Italian Way”: life in the open air, energy, lightness, close contact with the beauty around us.

Three rules of life to learn when you are traveling, in three very different locations: it sounds like the latest trend from one of the more glamorous travel agencies, instead it is “Eat Pray Love”, the movie directed by Ryan Murphy, starring Julia Roberts, recently released in movie theaters all over the world.