High-Tech Treasure Hunt in a Beautiful Italian City...

I am sitting here web dreaming and I stumbled across a web site that is infused with life and fun. Suddenly I realised why it is familiar, it is the company owned by an old friend, who also very kindly designed my web site for me. Being nosy and with admiration at the hard work and energy of this company I looked at one of the projects H-farm have given life to and want to share it here with you because it is just so much fun!

A lot of couples ask me to help arrange additional activities for their wedding weekend or week. Some of these extra activities are wine tasting, cooking classes, vespa tours and boat trips to name a few so when I saw this I though how this could be a totally different fun way of interducing your guests to their host city. If your guests are anything like my friends it becomes a treasure hunt with a healthy level of compertition!  

The WHAIWHAI web site describe this guide as unconventional: they are collections of jumbled short stories that become readable one at a time as you solve enigmas and send your answers via text message. Each city has a unique character. That’s why each guidebook tells a different tale, through a collection of short stories about its most fascinating places. The narrative plunges you into the city’s ambience, while the individual short stories are the keys to discovering it and learning about it. With WHAIWHAI, you’ll move away from the beaten tourist track and go where the city’s more unfamiliar spirit is hidden.



So basically Whaiwhai is a high-tech Italian touring game that is part “Amazing Race” and part treasure hunt, with a bit of DaVinci Code-style storytelling mixed in.

In Venice, for example, you trace the disappearance of a fictional magic scepter stolen from the Chinese emperor Khubla Khan by Marco Polo. A secret code sent via text message starts the game. You advance to landmarks like the Piazza San Marco, where new codes are sent after correctly answering questions.

Fusing fact and fiction, Whaiwhai (which means “to search for” in Maori), was created by the Italian game developer Log607, and is available for four Italian cities: Rome, Florence, Venice and Verona.

Sold in Italy since 2008, where it is a cult hit, whaiwhai is now available in the United States through SelectItaly.com in both English and Italian for $33.75. A $75.95 kit includes a book, city map and an Italian SIM card (for local text-messaging).

The game lasts from two and nine hours, with the option to pause any time for gelato.

Top 5 reasons for a destination wedding



Wedding in Rome



Not that you need 5 reasons to have a destination wedding in Italy but we thought we would post this anyway...

1) You Actually Spend Time With Your Guests - At a destination wedding, your guests typically stay a day or two, so there is more opportunity to interact and spend time with them compared to a standard 5-hour wedding at home.

 2) Cost - Destination weddings are not as expensive as you might think. In fact, most destination weddings are considerably less expensive than traditional weddings (assuming you are not paying for travel for your entire guest list). You should also keep in mind even if it compairs to the costs of a wedding at home you get so much more for your money hosting your wedding in Italy!

 3) Every Wedding Requires Travel Now - When was the last time you went to a wedding and nobody had to travel?  No matter where you hold your wedding, over half the guests would have to travel somewhere. So why not have everyone travel to Italy? The location for your wedding shouldn't just be where it's convenient, it should be where you want to get married.

  4) You Like To Travel - If you are a person that wants to see the world, travel and experiance other coltures why not make it a part of your wedding? Few things in this world could be more romantic than a destination wedding in Italy. The country's natural beauty, rich cultural history, and fantastic food lend itself perfectly to a destination wedding.

 5) It Minimizes Tensions - Once you've made the big decision to have a destination wedding, everything else is easy. There's less to fight about with fiancé or parents or future in-laws. Really. I promise.


So, my recommendation to everyone is to have a destination wedding. Take a leap  of faith and be prepared to have the most amazing day of your life!

Why get married in Italy?

Maybe the question should not be why you should go to Italy, the birthplace of the phrase la dolce vita (the sweet life), but where in this country of art, ancient history, ethereal vistas, top-notch cuisine, and abundant wine (Italy leads the world with more than four million acres of vineyards) is the ideal destination for you!

                                                                       photo by Edoardo Agresti  

Northern Italy

From the small villages lining Lake Como to the cities of Venice, Milan, Padova, Verona and many more packed with art, architecture, fine dining, and fashion. Northern Italy offers old-world culture mixed with modern cities and historic attractions. On top of this the North of Italy is also perfect for white winter weddings in magical towns and villages in the Dolomites ...

Central Italy

Romantic cities of Florence, Siena, Roma shine out as the perfect locations for city weddings, cities that capture the magic that is Italy!


At the same time the countryside and small towns of Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio offer a wealth of breathtaking views, venues and with the welcoming hospitality and mouth watering delicacies it is easy to understand why Italy is one of the most popular destination wedding locations in the world!

Southern Italy

 

When it comes to picturesque settings, it’s hard to beat southern Italy, with its majestic peaks, gentle valleys, and miles of lovely coastline. Amalfi, Positano, Ravello, the island of Capri all conjure up images of sparkling blue water and bright pink wild flowers, colourful hillside villas and churches with their gem like domes.

The south also offers the magical area of Pulglia The beauty weddings in Puglia is undeniable. The region is less crowded, the weather is (normally) perfect, clean ocean waters on three sides of the region. The wine selection is great, the food such as homemade pasta, seafood, and fabulous desserts is undeniably good and the people are extremely friendly.

                                                                                                  photo by Joanne Dunn