Consumer News

High-Tech Travel Game Transforms Trips to Italy

Posted: 9/7/2010

Whaiwhai game tour books help travelers discover the hidden history of famous Italian cities such as Venice, Florence, Verona and Rome.

(NAPSI) - Described as a cross between "The Amazing Race" and "The Da Vinci Code," a new interactive tour experience is transforming trips to Italy.

To play, all travelers need is a whaiwhai game tour book for one of five amazing cities--Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona or Mila-n-a cellphone with texting (SMS) feature, and a good city map. Armed with these, they receive clues and then send answers that take them across the city from location to location, unlocking its legends and secret history.

The stories behind each game are written so that instead of following the usual tourist paths, players make discoveries not possible from, say, a tour bus. Plus, travelers can tailor whaiwhai to their own speed, interrupting and resuming it at will. They can play by day or at night, and the game can last for up to three months from the moment of activation.

It's also possible to split into two or more teams to crack these creatively crafted codes: For whaiwhai Venice, The Ruyi Venice tells of an ancient magical scepter lost with the tomb of Marco Polo; The Ruyi Rome finds signs of the passage of the same scepter in the Eternal City. That's en"tour"tainment!

Italian Andrea Sertoli, president of Select Italy, says: "After only one morning of playing, you can learn a tremendous amount about these enchanting destinations--and with whaiwhai, you set your own schedule."

In the U.S., all five whaiwhai game tour books are on sale through Select Italy--a full-service company that for more than a decade has been considered the ultimate source for travel to Italy. For more information, call (800) 877-1755 or visit the website at www.selectitaly.com/whaiwhai.php.