Italy

Most of us are curious about our family lineage. For Vanessa Williams, who recently took part in the show "Who Do You Think You Are" and explored her family's history, the task was both surprising and informative. Here, she talks about what she learned and how she plans to use that information. How did you become interested in finding out about your lineage? I've always been interested, but I was introduced to Ancestry.com [one of the websites that help people research their family backgrounds]

Giulio Andreotti, the seven-time Italian prime minister who dominated Italian politics after World War II, but was tainted by accusations of Mafia ties, died in Rome on Monday after suffering from respiratory problems. He was 94. A lawmaker who lived through Italy's monarchy and its fascist era and sat in every Italian parliament since 1945, Andreotti had a career so intertwined with the country's 20th century history that when he faced trial for seeking favors from Cosa Nostra, the entire system was on trial too. "Andreotti was politics," Pier Ferdinando Casini, head of the Italian centrist Democratic Center Union party, said Monday.

In this land where beauty is an obligation and a time-consuming chore, it's difficult to be ugly. "Italians are overwhelmed by narcissism," complains an exasperated Telesforo Iacobelli, who organized the Ugly Club -- Club dei Brutti -- to give, as he puts it, a voice to the unattractive. They are a distinct minority.

Testing the waters for a revitalized Asian alliance Now through Saturday, April 20: Democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi's visit to Japan this week is purportedly unofficial, but the Nobel Peace Prize laureate probably has more clout than any Myanmar government delegation in charting a course for repairing business and social ties between Tokyo and her homeland. Japan's investments in Myanmar after half a century of military dictatorship pale in comparison with the billions being pumped in by China, Thailand and India.

Deborah Kolb traveled to Venice, Italy, in February to check out the city's carnival celebrations. She was visiting St. Mark's Square at sunrise one morning when she happened upon this scene. "It was beyond my expectations. I found out that people such as these two ladies come from all over the world to participate," she said. The Los Angeles resident used a Canon EOS 5D. View past photos we've featured . To upload your own, visit our reader travel photo gallery . When you upload your photo, tell us where it was taken and when.

Question: We recently received a registered letter from the Commune of Lucca, Italy, notifying us that we were in violation of "circulating inside a pedestrian area" on May 5, 2011. Because we did not contest the violation immediately, it said, we must be considered guilty. We were to send immediately 123.76 euros, about $152. If we delayed more than 60 days, the fine would increase to about $245. We did visit Lucca on May 5, but we never received a ticket or anything else in writing.

From the Leaning Tower of Pisa to the smiling Mona Lisa, Italy has long distinguished itself with its artistry, innovation and style. With scientists such as Galileo Galilei, artists such as Michelangelo and artist-scientists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Italy has made amazing contributions for a country slightly larger than Arizona. Explore Italian history, art, architecture, music, cuisine and more through the direct links on the Times Launch Point Web site, http://www.latimes.

'The Turk in Italy' Where: Los Angeles Opera, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, downtown L.A. When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2, 5 and 10; 2 p.m. Feb. 27 and March 13 Tickets: $20 to $270 Information: (213) 972-8001 or http://www.laopera.com

We spent four nights at this beautiful agriturismo and winery in Umbria. It has lovely guest apartments, a golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts and a restaurant in the middle of the vineyards. Rates are very reasonable for such a wonderful location, near Lake Trasimeno. It is owned by the daughter of Ferruccio Lamborghini, founder of Automobili Lamborghini. Agriturismo Lamborghini & Golf Club, 1 Soderi di Panicarola, Panicale; 011-39-075-835-0029, http://english.lamborghinionline.it . Rates from about $720 to $1,187 in July and August.

The theme park industry will take a deep breath in 2013 after the launch of several landmark attractions and with more groundbreaking projects on the horizon. The last few years have seen several theme park additions that have altered the industry landscape and set attendance records -- from Cars Land at Disney California Adventure to Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure. The future promises even more theme park innovation in the form of Shanghai Disneyland in China and Avatar Land at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida.

A few weeks ago, I visited Rachel Kushner in her Angelino Heights home to talk about her second novel, “The Flamethrowers.” Taking place in lower Manhattan and Italy in the late 1970s, “The Flamethrowers” is an inquiry into art, politics and identity, set against a pair of landscapes defined by turmoil. Kushner is smart and deeply thoughtful; her reflections on the book, and the issues it raises, appear in this Sunday's Arts & Books . Here is more of our conversation.

Rachel Kushner's house in Angelino Heights feels about a million miles - and a million years - from the tumult embodied in her novels. There are books on shelves and stacks of children's games; in one corner, a music stand holds a beginner's songbook for guitar. And yet, even on a quiet afternoon in early spring, one finds traces, echoes of the broader world. Perhaps most prominent is the large framed map of Cuba, the setting for Kushner's first book, "Telex from Cuba," a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award.

ROME -- The operator of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which struck rocks and partially sank off Italy last year, killing 32 people, agreed  Wednesday to pay a $1.3-million fine to avoid a possible criminal trial. A judge in Tuscany accepted the plea agreement for Costa Crociere , a division of Miami-based Carnival Corp. , in connection with the shipwreck off the island of Giglio in January 2012. The company will not face trial, but a hearing is scheduled Monday in Tuscany to determine whether six of the firm's employees --  including the vessel's captain, Francesco Schettino , who is accused of steering the vessel ontothe   rocks --  must stand trial on charges that inclu de manslaughter.

We spent our 25th wedding anniversary in Italy. We stayed at the wonderful Borgo Argenina B&B in the Chianti area of Tuscany as our home base. We visited Siena and Montalcino, as well as many small villages and castles in the area. The true star was Elena Nappa, who runs the B&B. Her cooking class was wonderful, and her hospitality and knowledge of the area are second to none. Meeting and getting to know her was the highlight of our trip. Borgo Argenina, Gaiole in Chianti, Siena; 011-39-0577-747117, http://www.borgoargenina.it . Rooms from about $219, villas from about $309.

ROME -- Italy's highest court Tuesday ordered Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito to stand trial again for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher in 2007, overturning their acquittals. The Seattle-born Knox and Sollecito, her former boyfriend, were convicted in 2009 of murdering fellow student Kercher, 21, who was found half-naked in a pool of blood in the house in Perugia that she shared with Knox. The convictions were overturned in 2011 on grounds of a lack of sound evidence and motivation.

ROME -- Amanda Knox, who was ordered Tuesday by Italy's highest court to again stand trial for the murder of her housemate, called the turn in her case "painful. " In a statement, Knox, 25, said that the prosecution's theory in the case "has been repeatedly revealed to be completely unfounded and unfair. " Knox, an American from Seattle, was attending school in Italy in 2007 when British student Meredith Kercher was found dead in the house they shared in Perugia. Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted two years later in a case that garnered headlines around the world.

Billed as the world's tallest water ride, the $26-million Divertical at  Italy's Mirabilandia theme park will combine a shoot-the-chutes flume and a roller coaster track with an offshore powerboat racing theme. PHOTOS: Divertical water coaster at Mirabilandia Debuting June 16, the Divertical water coaster will feature an innovative elevator lift system that carries the 10-person boats to the top of the 197-foot-tall ride. From there, riders will descend a 45-degree water flume at speeds topping 65 mph. After a tidal wave-like splash, the train will continue along a coaster track over air-time hills and hairpin turns before dropping into a second splashdown pool.

THE BEST WAY From LAX, connecting service (change of planes) to Naples is offered on Lufthansa and British. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $466, excluding taxes and fees. You then take the hydrofoil or ferry to Capri; prices start about $15, one way. Info: http://www.capri.com/en/ferry-schedule. TELEPHONES To call these numbers from the U.S., dial 011 (international dialing code), 39 (country code for Italy), 081 (the regional code) and the local number. WHERE TO STAY Hotel Punta Tragara, 57 Via Tragara; 837-0844, http://www.hoteltragara.com/eng/hotel.htm . Le Corbusier, one of 20th century's great architects, designed the luxurious villa that is now Hotel Punta Tragara, a stylish boutique hotel with panoramic views of the sea. Perched on a hilltop above the faraglioni , the island's iconic rock formations, Punta Tragara is away from the noise and craziness of central Capri Town.

It's safe to say the Kitt Super Jet boat ride set to open Friday at Italy's Movieland ranks as the craziest and strangest theme park attraction debuting anywhere in the world this summer. Photos: Kitt Super Jet boat ride at Italy's Movieland The one-of-a-kind ride at the movie studio theme park outside Verona combines the extreme tourism of jet boating popularized in New Zealand with a theme based on the 1980s "Knight Rider" TV show starring David Hasselhoff and an artificially intelligent crime-fighting car named Kitt.

Pietro Mennea, 60, an Olympic sprint champion from Italy who held the world record in the 200 meters for 17 years, died Thursday at a hospital in Rome, the Italian Olympic Committee said. The cause was not disclosed. On Sept. 12, 1979, Mennea, competing in the World University Games at the high altitude of Mexico City, set the 200 world record of 19.72 seconds. He broke U.S. sprinter Tommie Smith's record of 19.83, set on the same track at the 1968 Olympics. Mennea's record stood until Michael Johnson ran 19.66 on June 23, 1996, at the U.S. Olympic trials.