Virtual Tour of Towns in Italy

[giapetto]

I just had a virtual tour of Spadola, Provincia di Vibo Valencia courtesy of Google Maps. This feature (street view) is not new but I was surprised to find that it works for some very small towns in Italy. It takes a little dexterity to navigate, but it is the next best thing to being there. Use Google Maps to find your town or comune, zoom in until the streets are visible, then drag the little person icon on the upper left of the map to the street where you want to start your tour - the icon will go to the closest street if the one you chose is not in the tour. Then you can see the street, rotate 360 degrees using the compass on the upper right corner, move forward, left, right and back using the arrows on the bottom of the picture or the ovals that appear on the street as you move your mouse. I was able to see the store that my father's cousin owned and the fountain on Via Fontana that I saw 40 years ago. The town's two side by side churches were visible, but the cameras did not go up the hill for a good view. Enjoy this feature! Buon Viaggio!

[Squigy]

I just had a virtual tour of Spadola, Provincia di Vibo Valencia courtesy of Google Maps. This feature (street view) is not new but I was surprised to find that it works for some very small towns in Italy. It takes a little dexterity to navigate, but it is the next best thing to being there. Use Google Maps to find your town or comune, zoom in until the streets are visible, then drag the little person icon on the upper left of the map to the street where you want to start your tour - the icon will go to the closest street if the one you chose is not in the tour. Then you can see the street, rotate 360 degrees using the compass on the upper right corner, move forward, left, right and back using the arrows on the bottom of the picture or the ovals that appear on the street as you move your mouse. I was able to see the store that my father's cousin owned and the fountain on Via Fontana that I saw 40 years ago. The town's two side by side churches were visible, but the cameras did not go up the hill for a good view. Enjoy this feature! Buon Viaggio!

Oh, yes. I love this feature! I, too, was surprised at how many of the small towns they had on there. I was able to see the churches my great grandparents went to, and even some of their homes (the addresses were listed on their vital records, and many are still standing to this day).

Personally, I hate to see people complaining about the privacy of this. It's real an amazing tool. I love exploring my ancestral comuni, so I hope they do keep these images available.

[wldspirit]

Love the link, I must of "explored" my entire ancestral village! Thanks for sharing that, I wasn't aware that google maps offered that feature!!