The northern Italian city of Torino, or Turin to many English speakers, hosted the 2006 Olympic Winter Games and is still enjoying the afterglow from the attention. Since winning the rights to host the games, this formerly industrial city has become a cosmopolitan center of food and design.   “Twenty years ago, Turin was still just a one-company town,” said Alessandro Bertin, a city spokesman. “But...

Between January and August 2,567,050 tourists visited the Dominican Republic, according to its Ministry of Tourism. This is a 4.5% increase compared to the same period in 2007, when 2,455,932 tourists visited. Over half the tourists came through Punta Cana International Airport (54.7%), while the remaining tourists came through Las Americas International Airport (19.3%), Puerto Plata (15.8%) and La Romana...

In the heart of Budapest along the Danube River is a 10 hectare property that is being developed into the new Millennium City Center. This project includes residential, cultural, hotel, retail and office spaces and will offer a modern city center to go along with the well known historic old city. This new complex will be the home to the three major cultural institutions in the country, the Festival...

The Algarve region of Portugal is the destination for many holiday travelers and home buyers. The resort development of Vilamoura is one of the newest residential towns of this region, and in the heart of Vilamoura is the Condominio do Pinhal. This exclusive luxury development has both townhomes and apartments and is very exclusive.   There are only 10 townhouses at Condominio do Pinhal and 18...

The city of Stockholm is starting to construct its new railway system called the Citybanan, or the City Line. A new line is being built that runs for six kilometers underneath the city for commuter trains, along with two new stations. The new stations will be at Odenplan and a new connection to the city’s central rail station. The line will run south from the Stockholm Central Station.   The cost for...

Switzerland is a country long renowned for its mountains, chocolate and timekeeping, not to mention a host of other things, and now it is becoming a home to stylish architecture. Not only do some of the world’s most famous architects work and have homes here, such as Santiago Calatrava and Sir Norman Foster, but the country is building some of the most fashionable and trend-setting buildings anywhere in...

The United States Commerce Department has released its latest housing report and the news isn’t good for the beleaguered housing and construction industry. For the month of September, 2008, new home construction starts fell to a seasonally adjusted rate of 817,000 houses. That’s a 6.3 percent decline from August and is more than 31 percent below September of 2007. It is also the lowest monthly rate for...

The UK nationalized Bank Northern Rock is more likely to repossess its customers homes more  than any other UK bank says a charity aimed at helping beleaguered home owners. The charity Credit Action said Northern Rock it is not being flexible enough with customers who default on their mortgage repayments.   Northern Rock was the first bank to really highlight the problems of the economy in the UK were...

Canada’s Real Estate Investment Network (REIN), a real estate research, education and consulting organization recently released a report on the top 10 Alberta towns for investment. Edmonton and Calgary take the top two spots in the report, which analyzes the current and future prospects for real estate investment in the province. Alberta, with its rich natural resources and popular recreation...

The Central American country of Nicaragua is hoping to follow in the footsteps of its neighbor to the south, Costa Rica, and become a popular destination for holiday travelers and especially retirees. With some 450 miles of coastline on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, great weather and some of the lowest property rates in the Western Hemisphere, the country is poised to become a property...