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Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 27 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 59418 |
| Visitors Out: 2699 |
| Total Visitors Out: 2705 |
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| First-Time Travelers to Italy Get the Royal Treatment and the Grand Tour |
| 2008-08-13 05:19:00 |
Homebase Abroad, a firm that has specialized for more than fifteen years in travel to Italy and villa vacation planning, has created fall seasonal packages specifically designed for the first-time visitor. These new packages combine pristine villas in the most desired countryside locations with top-notch hotels near the must-see historic attractions Italy is known for, giving guests private, guided access to the luxury Italian lifestyle without the hassle of planning the itinerary."Villa vacations are ideally suited to those who have an active appetite for appreciating other cultures and are looking to truly 'live as the locals live'," says Mara Solomon, a founder and co-director of Homebase Abroad. "This package is designed to appeal to those who have not ...
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| A guide to dining in Italy |
| 2008-07-02 15:52:00 |
Italian pizza isn’t the same as we enjoy here. Pizza is considered a first course in Italy. It is almost always a 10-inch, thin crust pizza. The 10-inch pizza is meant to be a personal size pizza, but we often shared one.Our meal in Positano was our first experience with being charged for sitting at a table, the cuperto or cover charge. In Italy, there are different charges for your meal based on if you carry it out, eat it at a counter or sit at a table. The location of the table can increase the charge also as we found out later in Florence where a table overlooking the Arno River cost us four euros each, the most expensive table charge of the trip.
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| 48 hours in Ferrara, Italy |
| 2008-06-25 03:33:00 |
FERRARA, Italy, (Reuters Life!) - Got 48 hours to explore Ferrara, the picturesque Italian town famed for its Renaissance art and bicycle-peddling natives?
Reuters correspondents with local knowledge tell you how to get the most out of a weekend getaway to this hidden gem off Italy's well-worn tourist track.
Yet to be invaded by the armies of tourists that flock to better-known neighbors like Venice or Florence, Ferrara retains much of its medieval charm that makes wandering through its cobble-stoned piazzas and streets feel like a trip back in time.
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| Bicycling in Italy is a Daily Adventure |
| 2008-06-11 02:33:00 |
Bicycling as a sport, whether it is for participants or spectators, has always held a special place in the hearts of Italians. Professional bike races, including Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France are followed passionately by the Italian people. This mass interest in cycling as sport helps to make Italians among the world’s most knowledgeable consumers of bicycles. Everything you have ever heard about bicycling in Italy is true. The weather, roads and cities are all perfectly suited for bike touring. Each of bicycling and walking itineraries throughout Italy is carefully crafted to blend the best that our country has to offer by taking the active traveler off the beaten track.
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| Italy Traveling |
| 2008-05-27 15:33:00 |
Walk the cobbled streets of Rome, Florence and Milan. Drive through Umbria or stay in a villa in Tuscany, take a gondola ride in Venice. Walk the Cinque Terre, see the ruins that is Pompeii. Take a ferry to Sicily and see Mt. Etna and more or sample true Italian cuisine like mamma used to make. Sun Island Tours can take care of your Italian needs.
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| Tuscany on a bicycle |
| 2008-05-14 04:18:00 |
It is just over 40 miles from Siena to Florence by the direct route, but who wants direct when you’re in Chianti? We divided it into four stages – three nights, three hotels, three dinners – a slow progress northward on the skinniest roads, some paved, others dirt tracks.How much cycling we tackled was a matter of debate over breakfast each morning. There was always a choice of routes – on day one they varied between 11 and 28 miles. And the one we chose was invariably a little longer than planned, thanks to wrong turns and detours. But distances were not the point. We were cycling through some of Europe’s most delectable countryside, crossing steep hills and blessed valleys, sloping vineyards and rocky scarps – and passing some of the most coveted real estate in the world. It is easy, with all that has been said and written about Tuscany, to forget just how seductive the place can be. It was a delight to be reminded.
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| Choose Bari over Brindisi if you're heading to Puglia in Italy |
| 2008-05-06 03:27:00 |
Palm trees and benches line the pedestrian shopping street Sparano da Bari, which sports Gucci, Nike and Benetton. There's a spiffed-up and well-lighted waterfront park and public beach, and the centro storico — old Bari — is a colorful residential neighborhood in the heart of the busy commercial city.Be sure to visit the Church of St. Nicholas, an Orthodox Catholic church and major European pilgrimage site where the relics of St. Nicholas were brought from Turkey in the 11th century.You could make your way to Lecce, but there are many pretty little towns along the coast north and south of Bari. You'll need a car — it might be worth renting one for a day or two and exploring.
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| Travel slow in Italy and stay in Orvieto |
| 2008-04-20 05:59:00 |
The cathedral of Orvieto is one of the architectural and artistic highlights of Italy but there is more to be enjoyed in this Umbrian town than the usual rushed tour-party itineraries allow.The piazza around the duomo gets busy around midday as coach-loads of tourists and school groups swarm around the famous church.But once they have moved on - to Rome or Florence - the town returns to its usual peaceful elegance and travellers clever enough to stay a night or a week can enjoy a real Italian treasure.
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| Free and inexpensive things to do in 15 European countries |
| 2008-04-12 02:50:00 |
Italy: Your secret weapon against high hotel prices in Italy is www.rentalo.com, an online directory of apartments and villas that makes it possible for couples, groups of friends and even large families to afford Italy. Rome apartments for $133 a night, Venice villas for $435 a night, a Tuscany farmhouse for $110 a night or an Umbria castle apartment for $144 a night -- they're all there, complete with all the fantasy views, historic charm and all the modern comforts you could desire.
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| Italian city of Milan to host 2015 Expo |
| 2008-04-01 15:30:00 |
Officials for the Paris-based International Bureau of Exhibitions (BIE) said Milan defeated the western Turkish city of Izmir by 86 votes to 65, dashing Turkish hopes of hosting the world's biggest fair for the first time.Milan triumphed despite ailing flag carrier Alitalia's decision to slash flights at the northern city's Malpensa airport under a survival plan and an international scare over mozzarella cheese potentially tainted with cancer-causing dioxin.The decision in favor of Milan, home of Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire head of Italy's centre-right opposition, comes just two weeks ahead of a snap national election.
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| Tyrol Images |
| 2008-03-30 03:20:00 |
If you are in Tyrol — the proud region straddling northern Italy and western Austria — and you ascend through the Val Passiria to the mountain pass
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| Italy skiing holidays 2008 |
| 2008-03-26 05:34:00 |
Italy may be better known for its attractive cities such as Rome, Venice and Florence than as a skiing destination, but remains one of the most popular places to ski in Europe.The main base to head for is Turin – home to the 2006 Winter Olympics - close to the neighbouring Alpine ski areas of France and Switzerland.Ski resorts close to the city include the popular Sauze d'Oulx, Bardonecchia and Sestriere, located by the French border.
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| A need for travel authors from italy |
| 2008-03-24 03:44:00 |
hi, I hope you like the Italy travel news blog.I need travel authors from Italy to help me coverage more Italian travel news from Tuscany and north Italy.Please send email if you like to participated in this effort. Thanks !tamtree@gmail.com
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| Italy on a budget, cheap travel deals all for less than £300.00 |
| 2008-03-20 06:18:00 |
ChiantiLovely farmhouse in the beautiful Greve in Chianti. Two people including accommodation in a double room for 3 nights, breakfast and car hire group B for 3 days. Total cost: £ 295.00. Flights not included.Umbria – FlaminiaCharming apartment that has been recently renovated with great care and created in an ancient 13th tower in the medieval hamlet of Otricoli. The windows face a private garden and the valleys of the Tevere. Peaceful position. Sleeps 2-4. Total cost: £ 250.00.
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| Mobissimo serving online travel markets in Italy |
| 2008-03-17 03:20:00 |
Much more than a simple translation, Mobissimo's new Italian site is seamlessly "Italian" and extends the reach of the travel search engine. Mobissimo's Italian site includes fares and offers from local travel agencies, consolidators, hotel operators and all the major and low-cost airlines that are pertinent to users in Italy.The addition of Italian suppliers to the 180 travel sites Mobissimo searches -- such as edreams.it, venere.it, opodo.it, ehotel.it, veuling.it, Tuifly.it and centralwings.it, among others -- will benefit all Mobissimo users with access to more possible itineraries, connections and good prices. Mobissimo also partners with local advertisers and companies.
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| Intrepid wheelchair traveller conquers Venice |
| 2008-03-13 13:16:00 |
VENICE, Italy–If there was ever a glorious tourist destination that seemed out of reach to someone in a wheelchair, it is Venice, where travelling a few blocks often means crossing steep, stepped bridges.Even for Pat Broderick, who has wheeled through Egypt, South America and Nepal, the watery island city had long been an unfulfilled life goal. But the intrepid traveller refused to give up. So, the two of us took off to conquer Venice.
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| Puglian equivalent to wine tasting |
| 2008-03-08 04:07:00 |
Surrounded by olive groves and vineyards, Kath Freer savours a taste of paradise in as-yet-undiscovered Puglia.Olive oil is considered as much a delicacy as fine wine here, as this region of Italy is one of the world’s biggest producers of both.As general manager of hotel Masseria Bosco, Stefano works with the De Padova family who have been olive oil producers for four generations. His tour of the 100-acre grounds includes a visit to the oil mill, where ancient traditions, such as shaking trees to free the olives, meet with the very latest machinery.
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| Tuscany Cooking Class Recommendation |
| 2008-03-04 17:38:00 |
Leigh Anne Farrell (the reader who recommended an Amalfi Coast villa rental) took a cooking class with Accidental Tourist out of Florence. She said - that was definitely a highlight of the trip for me. I bought a pasta machine soon after returning, and my son and I have made a lot of fettuccine!Accidental Tourist operates one-day cooking classes, winery tours, and walks and half-day picnics and wine tours in the Chianti region of Tuscany. They pick up participants in Florence so it's a great way to see some of the countryside without renting a car.
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| A taste of the Italian good life |
| 2008-03-01 02:56:00 |
Italian Hideaways is the brainchild of Italian travel and tourism management graduate Simona Mussio. Having begun her career in accounting, Simona soon discovered a passion for travel and tour operating so following experience of working with other operators she set up Italian Hideaways in July 2007.Her company is therefore a blend of her Italian background, knowledge of the British tourism market and passion for simple, good quality organic food and ethical tourism.
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| Italian Paradise: Perfect and peaceful Puglia |
| 2008-02-25 02:15:00 |
Puglia is a piece of paradise just waiting to be discovered. It has as much to offer as the more famous parts of Italy, but is yet to be overrun by tourists as KATH FREER discoversSTEFANO lined up the shot glasses and poured a generous measure in each.Eyeing the gloopy liquid apprehensively, I lifted a glass to my lips, gave the contents a sniff and then swallowed it in one gulp. My verdict: an almost odourless oil with an inoffensive peppery aftertaste.
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| Sipping vino and savoring vistas in Tuscany |
| 2008-02-22 14:57:00 |
MONTALCINO, Italy - Wandering the hilly, narrow cobblestone streets in our home base of Montalcino, a medieval city of interlocking passageways, steps and alleyways curving around and through and behind and beyond the main square, I reminded myself that I was walking through history spanning 800 years.Whatever the village, be sure to walk off the main square to see where the people really live. Perusing 13th century corridors an arm's length wide, flanked on both sides by two- and three-story stone apartments, we eavesdropped on venues teeming with life. The back streets appear even more historic and colorful than the already-enthralling but more touristy central piazza.
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| Gail Hecko, Leader of tours to Italy |
| 2008-02-17 16:56:00 |
She leads weeklong, small-group tours to a villa in a mountain village in Tuscany, the part of central Italy near Florence. She is the hostess for up to 16 people who can tour the region, visit wineries and restaurants, taste local wine and cheese, take art and cooking classes, relax with yoga and meditation instruction, or just sit back and enjoy the countryside."I'm not Italian, but, when I'm there, I'm at home," said Hecko, 63, of Roswell, who often is accompanied and aided by her husband, John.
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| Cheese Rolling in Italy |
| 2008-02-14 00:35:00 |
This ancient game is still practiced several places in Italy. In the Umbrian hill town of Panicale cheese rolling takes place the day after Easter, La Pasquetta. There contestants roll a huge wheel of cheese around the village walls using the fewest number of strokes. Check out last year's Panicale cheese rolling event on Stew's Italy Blog. Read more about the town of Panicale or see Panicale pictures on Europe Travel.In Italy, the Monday after Easter is also a holiday so you may find small festivals, music, or celebrations. Find out more about Easter week and Easter events with Easter in Italy.
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| Does Italy have cheap and clean road side hotels? |
| 2008-02-07 19:11:00 |
Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: Italy has far fewer budget chain hotels than France, with no Premiere Classe or Formula 1's, and just the three Campaniles  one in Padua and two in Turin. It's slim pickings with most of the other budget chains too, with eleven Ibis Hotels, two of which are in Rome (from £75), and 15 Holiday Inn Express', five in Rome, from £95.
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| Win an escape to Italy |
| 2008-02-03 17:06:00 |
Prize - “Jewels of Italy†2 Malaysia Airlines return Economy Class tickets from Adelaide to Rome with a Cosmos 15 day tour of Italy (tour 6370) with travel insurance provided by QBE Travel Insurance. Personal expenses, meals, Government taxes and levies at winner’s expense.Value $8,500
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| Skiing from hut to hut is a great way to see the Alps, but beware |
| 2008-01-30 03:26:00 |
The Route, which runs through France, Italy and Switzerland, dates back to the mid-1800s. At one end is Chamonix, France; at the other, Zermatt, Switzerland. In between are enough glaciated ridges and sheer drops to make you wonder why you didn't just stay home. But by no other means will you enjoy so intimate an experience of the winter Alps. Both Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn are on the Route, and the scenery's scale is never less than majestic. Nor will you suffer much privation, since, at intervals of approximately one day's travel, a stone hut like a little castle awaits you, light and warmth emanating from its windows, food simmering on the stove and wine waiting in the larder.
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| Italy remains the leading choice |
| 2008-01-24 16:30:00 |
Luxury travel is booming according to new research presented in December at the International Luxury Travel Market in Cannes. In most countries across the world, luxury travel is one of the best performing sectors of the travel business with many countries currently enjoying between 10 and 20 per cent annual growth.
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| Travel to Milan, Italy |
| 2008-01-21 02:08:00 |
Milan is one of Italy's most fashionable and richest cities but it also has many great artistic and historical sights and a thriving cultural scene. Home to the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and the famous opera house, La Scala, Milan has a lot to offer the traveler. If you want to travel in northern Italy, Milan, with 2 airports, makes a convenient starting or ending destination. Read our Travel Profile of Milan, Italy, to learn more about Milan.
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| Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me |
| 2007-09-13 21:35:00 |
My husband and I have just returned from Italy on a group tour, organized by a travel agency. We had been promised full board, kosher meals, a week of touring sites of Jewish interest throughout northern Italy and an English/Italian speaking guide.What we got was confusion over return flights and accommodations, no kosher food provided on the charter flights to and from Italy, an Israeli guide whose English was atrocious (and so, one imagines, was his Italian)
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| Walking with friends in Tuscany is a magical experience |
| 2007-09-08 21:29:00 |
My friends and I are on the less travelled, white-pebbled side roads, the strade bianche. We see few people. No traffic, not even the odd tractor; it's obviously way too hot for knowledgeable locals to be out in the mid-morning heat. There's just the odd glance from passing motorcyclists as they double-take at the sight of a half-dozen women in our sexy sunhats but not so sexy shorts and trainers as we traipse the byroads, dirt paths and field tracks of Tuscany.
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| Visiting Urbania in Italy's Le Marche Region |
| 2007-09-05 20:12:00 |
Urbania, also known as Casteldurante, is a lively medieval town in central Italy's Le Marche region. Although it's in a scenic position in the hills, the town itself is flat and compact, making it pleasant for walking. Urbania makes a good base for exploring the region with good restaurants, bars, and a people-filled main square. Urbania has been a center for handmade ceramics since the 15th century. You'll see ceramics in the museums and also in workshops and stores where you can buy high quality handmade ceramic pieces. The Ducal Palace is well worth a visit as is the interesting Chiesa dei Morti Mummies Cemetery. The beautiful Renaissance hill town of Urbino is only 17km away, making it an easy day trip.
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| Tuscany Visioning Retreat |
| 2007-09-03 18:00:00 |
Dream of Italy is offering a 10 percent discount to residents of metropolitan Washington on its Tuscany Visioning Retreat to Italy Oct. 21-27. The six-night trip includes accommodations at La Foce, an estate in southeastern Tuscany; group and individual life-coaching sessions; all meals; a day trip; and a cooking lesson. Cost after discount is $2,880 per person double, plus $125 to $150 for required travel insurance. Book by Sept. 7. Info: 202-237-0657, http://www.dreamofitaly.com.
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| Italy Travel Tip: Buying Medications in Italy |
| 2007-09-01 17:01:00 |
While you're likely to find that your prescription drugs cost less than in the US, some over the counter medications may cost more. Recently a friend needed allergy medicine in Italy and paid about $1 per pill for the equivalent of sudafed. Another friend paid about $1 per pill for ibuprofen. So you might want to bring these with you, too, if you use them. Other medications, like aspirin, will be about the same cost as in the US.
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| Italy takes top spot on the luxury charts |
| 2007-08-30 17:09:00 |
New research released by the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM), has revealed Italy to be the most popular country for top-end travel. “From the exquisite fashions of Valentino to the heart-throbbing design of Ferrari, Italy offers the best of what life has to offer. The Italians know what it means to enjoy la dolce vita and are willing to share this way of life with their visitors,” she added. According to the ILTM research, other destinations tipped to be in strong and growing demand over the coming year include the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Vietnam and China.
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| New book divulges 'Where to Go When' |
| 2007-08-28 22:24:00 |
Thirty destinations are presented for each month, with 11 covered in depth. Tuscany, Italy, is recommended for October, when the grape and olive harvests take place, and when porcini mushrooms, prized truffles and other specialties appear on regional menus. The listing includes a six-day itinerary on the "Chianti Trail," from Florence to Siena.
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| Rome: "I'm searching for your face, Lord" |
| 2007-08-26 16:55:00 |
An airline with a difference is due to take to the skies on Monday. Its slogan: "I'm searching for your face, Lord". Flights will be chartered from Rome by the Vatican.The first will be to Lourdes, followed by other places of pilgrimage, including Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Guadeloupe in Mexico and Fatima in Portugal. The Italian cargo airline Mistral Air, which will operate the flights, is not promising miracle cures, but it does say it will show mercy, if not charity, when it comes to setting fares.
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| Sicily - Italy's Island Adventure |
| 2007-08-24 19:13:00 |
Sicily is a great place to visit off peak October/November to March/April - during Italy's winter and cooler months and outside the core Italian tourist visiting months of April to October. A Sicilian summer is not for the faint hearted when it can be very, very hot particularly in July and August; so if you travel to Sicily avoid these months. In August, the Italian holiday month, many of the hospitality industry close up shop and go on holiday - it's just too hot to work. However during the winter months November to March while Milan's temperature ranges between 1.1C and 6.9C [34F and 44F] Palermo the capital of Sicily, in the north west of the island, enjoys the wonderfully mild winter weather of between 12.5C and 17.1C [54.9F and 62.8F].
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| Perugia, Italy - Chocolate Paradise in October |
| 2007-08-23 14:20:00 |
Perugia has much more to offer than just chocolate with history going back to the ninth century BC. Today Perugia, the capital of central Italy's Umbria region, is a cosmopolitan hill town with historic buildings, people-filled squares, and great views over the valley. Served by two train lines and buses, it makes a good base for central Italy travel. Perugia is one of my favorite Italian cities and one of our picks for Top Ten Cities to Visit in Italy.
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| Honeymoons in Italy capture la dolce vita |
| 2007-08-21 01:26:00 |
The best vacations are thoughtfully planned and there are myriad magazines out there offering everything from the best places to vacation to cool travel tips to make the sojourn a little easier.The Chicago Sun-Times launches its new travel magazine column. We will check out magazines for the best travel tips. Here are some of the highlights:
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| Easy riding on a train to Tuscany |
| 2007-08-19 00:40:00 |
I took the train north from Rome this week to spend a little time in some hillside villages in southern Tuscany. . I would enjoy having the freedom of a car here, to do the remote villages and countryside justice. But I truly enjoy the chance to sit on a train and watch the landscape, with little effort on my part beyond trying to stay awake. I always seem to pop back to reality before my stop, however, and haven't missed one yet. Perhaps I am being watched over by the animus of some ancient Etruscan who once roamed these hills and valleys. That's a comforting thought.
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