After the flurry of renovations and new museums and monuments that came along with Jubilee Year 2000, and the continent-wide price hikes that accompanied the introduction of the Euro in 2002, Italy seems to be taking a bit of a breather on large-scale changes. The overall downturn in tourism figures since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq have hurt hotels and other local businesses, but have also meant that prices on tourism facilities have largely held steady-ish over the past two years (or at least didn't rise as fast as local inflation). As for smaller and more specific changes and novelties in Northern Italy, here they are, city by city.
Bozen (Bolzano)
In August 2003 a research team determined that the final moments of Ötzi -- the famous ice man whose body and accouterments were preserved for 5,300 years inside a glacier, then, since 1998, in a museum in Bolzano (www.athropolis.com/news/iceman.htm) -- were anything but calm. The Ice Man was apparently caught in a thrilling battle, shot at least once in the back by an enemy arrow, and dragged away by a valiant companion who patched up Ötzi's wounds before our hero gasped his last breath in an icy crevasse high in the Alps.
Courmayeur-Entrèves
The tunnel under Mont Blanc connecting Italy with France -- the longest in the world -- reopened to traffic in 2002, 3 years after a massive fire.
Genoa
The Palazzo Bianco (White Palace) will remain closed for renovations until late 2004.
Lake Como
The sweet old lady who ran the Milano Hotel in Varenna since time immemorial has retired. This tiny inn was long the best value on any lake, with tiny, simple rooms overlooking gorgeous Lake Como and costing virtually nothing. The new owners are busily renovating the spot into a three-star boutique hotel -- and prices have already jumped by more than 30%. At less than $140 for a double room, it's still a reasonably priced place to stay, the new owners couldn't be friendlier, and, of course, the rooms still have those killer views, but it's sad to see such a marvelous gem of a truly budget hotel change forever.
Across the lake in Menaggio, more sad news: The husband at tiny, homey, and utterly cheap Albergo-Ristorante Il Vapore passed away in 2002. While his widow and family are keeping the hotel running, they have, for now, closed down the excellent restaurant he ran.
Milan
The facade of the Duomo in Milan has gone under scaffolding for a thorough cleaning of indeterminate length (though at press time they're saying "end of 2004"). A new museum, the Museo Diocesano, has opened on Corso di Porta Ticinese to display all the best works collected from small churches throughout Milan and the surrounding region in one place. There are medieval sculpture, paintings, and crucifixes galore, along with Flemish tapestries, Renaissance paintings by Tintoretto, and Romantic ones by Francesco Hayez.
Meanwhile, the inimitable 18th-century opera house La Scala, home turf to Giuseppe Verdi, Arturo Toscanini, and Maria Callas, has closed its doors yet again for another renovation (it pulled this same stunt from 1999 to 2001). Until the gala reopening of the '06 season on December 7, 2005, performances are being held at a venue way out in the 'burbs, and La Scala's noted theatrical museum (lots of costumes, Verdi scores, and old record players) has been moved temporarily to digs near The Last Supper.
Padua
The brilliant and beautiful frescoes by Giotto that carpet the interior of the Scrovegni Chapel, which are head and shoulders above the Gothic master's far more famous frescoes in Assisi, have finally been fully restored to their vibrant, glorious colors and tones. That's the good news. The bad news is that they've gone from being in a dusty chapel beloved by art aficionados into a major tourism turnstile where bus groups disgorge to shuffle through just like at The Last Supper in Milan. And they now limit the number of people who can enter the chapel to 25 at a time and then shoo them out after just 15 minutes! You'll have to visit after 7pm if you want a special ticket that gets you half an hour inside. If you don't book ahead at this one, you probably won't get in.
The centralissimo Hotel Leon Biano was closed in 2002 for extensive renovations that will keep this top hotel in the center of Padua out of the game until at least late 2004. At least we can still stay at the owner's nearby Hotel Majestic Toscanelli (www.italyhotelink.com/padova.htm) in the interim.
Treviso
The Museo Civico (tel. 0423/5245) has largely shut down for a massive renovation. Many of the works it used to house may stay permanently in what was, when we went to press, a temporary home in the newly renovated Santa Caterina. The restoration of Santa Caterina (in the summer of 2003) is great news, for this monastery with wonderful frescoes by Tomaso de Modena was for a long time virtually inaccessible by dint of opening only 1 day a month; now it's open 6 days a week.
Turin
Though this hasn't yet started affecting the city as we go to press, over the lifetime of this edition, Turin will be gearing up to host the 2006 Winter Olympic games, so expect some changes to come as they spruce up in preparation for worldwide attention. For more info, check out www.torino2006.org.
Meanwhile, in the center of town, the Palazzo Madama -- Museo Civico di Arte Antica (Civic Museum of Ancient Art) is still partially closed: The long, ongoing renovations are now slated to end in 2006, but the good news is that the grand entrance hall and staircase designed by Juvarra is open once again, and it's free (they used to charge admission).
Venice
There's a new Venice Card (www.venicecard.com) on offer that gets you significant discounts on sightseeing and transportation all across town.
The campanile in St. Mark's Square with its brilliant view over the piazza, the domes of St. Mark's Cathedral, the striped Doge's Palace, and the boats bobbing in the bacino (bay) where the Grand Canal empties into the Venetian lagoon -- has reopened to the public (Apr-Sept; 6€/$6.90) -- and, unlike most bell towers in Italy, it has an elevator, so you don't have to climb endless spiral stairs. The Associazione Chiesa di Venezia (www.govenice.com), which curates most of Venice's top churches, now offers audio guides at some of the churches for just .50€ (60¢).
The wonderful family-run Hotel Bernardi-Semenzato (tel. 041-521-1052) has opened a second annex -- just four rooms, but any increase in the number of rooms available at this gem of a budget hotel is welcome.