Destination: Italy
Is It Bad Form to Order a Cappuccino After 11 A.M. in Italy?
by Jim Benning | 07.11.07 | 2:44 PM ET
Not only did a friend tell John Flinn never to order a cappuccino after 11 a.m. in Italy “because Italians think it’s barbaric,” but Flinn found the same advice repeated on countless Web sites. Anyone who breaks the 11 a.m. rule, common wisdom seems to dictate, will immediately be exposed as a good-for-nothing ignorant tourist. Flinn wondered whether Italians were really that judgmental. “I tried to imagine the reaction if a Belgian tourist walked into a McDonalds in, say, Cincinnati, and asked for mayonnaise for his fries,” he writes in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle. “It would draw, at most, a bemused shrug, wouldn’t it? Would an Italian waiter react to a post-11 a.m. cappuccino request any differently?” Flinn set out to find the answer on his last trip to Italy. What did he discover?
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Yahoo! BuzzCrying Uncle in Italy
by Todd Pitock | 07.09.07 | 11:10 AM ET
Todd Pitock planned to play a little golf and see a few works of art. He didn't factor in the wrong turns and ramblings of a man named Joe.
New Seven Wonders of the World Named
by Michael Yessis | 07.09.07 | 7:51 AM ET
In Rome, It’s Tourists Gone Wild
by Julia Ross | 06.26.07 | 12:48 PM ET
There are places in the world that conjure images of late-night tequila shots and Girls Gone Wild exhibitionism. Vegas. New Orleans. The beaches of Thailand. But Rome’s medieval piazzas? Apparently we can add them to the list. A New York Times story by Peter Kiefer says residents of several historic Roman neighborhoods have had it with the increasing rowdiness of their city’s nightlife, and they’re pointing the finger squarely at tourists. “The foreigners come here because they know that they can do whatever they want,” said one unhappy Roman. “Nobody says anything.”
Longest Overland Tunnel Opens in Switzerland
by Terry Ward | 06.18.07 | 11:04 AM ET
Switzerland loves its tunnels nearly as much as its timepieces, so I wasn’t surprised to learn that the country crowned the world’s longest on Friday. The AP reports the 21-mile rail link will cut train travel between Germany and Italy from 3 1/2 hours to less than two. The opening of the $3.5 billion Loetschberg Tunnel after eight years of construction is good news for Swiss locals, who hope it will ease heavy truck traffic in their mountainous land.
Rome’s Trevi Fountain Flows Despite Aqua Virgo Damage
by Michael Yessis | 06.14.07 | 10:44 AM ET
Aqua Virgo, a more than 2,000-year-old underground Roman aqueduct responsible for feeding the globally-famous, coin-filled Trevi Fountain (pictured), has been damaged during the construction of an underground garage. The accident caused the water to stop flowing to the fountain, but, according to the BBC, water from another aquduct has been “redirected to the Trevi to avoid the spectacle of it running dry.” Travelers to Rome, then, will be able to continue to throw their coins in the fountain to ensure a return trip to the Eternal City.
‘Rome Reborn’: Journey to the Eternal City, Circa 320 AD
by Michael Yessis | 06.13.07 | 11:15 AM ET
To June 21 of that year, to be exact. Earlier this week, the University of Virginia and its partner institutions unveiled Rome Reborn 1.0, a digital model of ancient Rome as it appeared during the time of emperor Constantine. It’s designed for scholars and virtual tourists, and early reports about the project sound impressive. The AP’s Ariel David writes: “When in virtual Rome, visitors will be able do to even more than ancient Romans did: They can crawl through the bowels of the Colosseum, filled with lion cages and primitive elevators, and fly up for a detailed look at bas-reliefs and inscriptions placed atop triumphal arches.”
Tenuta de Castelfalfi: Will the Tuscan Village Go the Way of Shangri-La?
by Michael Yessis | 06.05.07 | 10:41 AM ET
The besieged faux Shangri-La, that is. German tour operator TUI has purchased the Tuscan village of Tenuta de Castelfalfi—four square miles of land with a golf course and “scores of elegantly crumbling villas,” according to the Guardian—for €250 million. TUI plans to turn the village into an Italian retreat for up to 3,200 German tourists by 2009. The Guardian’s Kate Connolly writes that it’s a move that would “make the Tuscany-loving author EM Forster turn in his grave.”
The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: The Seeing Stars Edition
by Michael Yessis | 06.01.07 | 6:41 PM ET
Kelly Slater, Billy Graham and Harry Potter all make the Zeitgeist this week as travelers contemplate Hawaiian surf, learning to speak French, Planet Theme Park and the alleged return of the Loch Ness monster.
Most Viewed Travel Story
Los Angeles Times (current)
Q&A: Eight-Time World Champion Surfer Kelly Slater
* He says the sight of the heavens from Mauna Kea (pictured) is probably the best view in Hawaii.
Most E-Mailed Travel Story
New York Times (current)
36 Hours in Florence
Most Read Weblog Post
World Hum (this week)
Harry Potter, Billy Graham Get Theme Parks
Most E-Mailed Travel Story
USA Today (current)
Travelers Face Frustrating Passport Delays
* Earlier on World Hum: U.S. Passports in Demand: Lines Look ‘Like a Rolling Stones Concert 25 Years Ago’
Most Popular Page Tagged Travel
Del.icio.us (recent)
Panoramio
* The site allows users “to locate photos exactly over the place they were taken.” It’s also being acquired by Google.
Most Popular Travel Podcast
iTunes (current)
National Geographic’s Atmosphere
* The pitch: “It’s not quite as cool as teletransporting, but it’s close.”
“Hot This Week” Destination
Yahoo! (this week)
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Thousands of Air Travelers Stranded in Europe
by Jim Benning | 05.22.07 | 1:40 PM ET
Thanks to a strike by air traffic controllers and flight attendants in Italy. Ah, Italians striking. I’ll never forget my first strike experience in Italy, shuffling my travel schedule in Venice thanks to a rail strike. Good times.
The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: From Chocolate to Kaiseki
by Michael Yessis | 05.18.07 | 5:09 PM ET
Or, in other words, travelers’ interests this week range from Hershey, Pennsylvania to the streets of Japan. Here’s the Zeitgeist.
Most Popular Travel Story
Netscape (this week)
Magnificient Trees of the World
* The Lone Cypress in Pebble Beach, California (pictured) makes the list.
Most Viewed Travel Story
Los Angeles Times (current)
A Tour of Japanese Cuisine With Spago Chef Lee Hefter
* From the same writers: A look at kaiseki
Most Read Weblog Post
World Hum (this week)
Japan’s Latest Budget Accommodation: Internet Cafes
* The nation that brought us the capsule hotel has done it again.
Most E-Mailed Travel Story
USA Today (current)
Hershey Honors its Past, Looks to the Future
Most Viewed Travel Story
Telegraph (current)
Amsterdam: Telegraph Travel Guides
Most Popular Page Tagged Travel
Del.icio.us (recent)
Farecast
Most Read Feature Story
World Hum (this week)
Mark Ellingham: Rough Guides and the Ethics of Travel
“Hot This Week” Destination
Yahoo! (this week)
Playa del Carmen
‘Brava Gondoliera! Brava!’: Venice Gets its First Female Gondolier
by Michael Yessis | 05.14.07 | 2:22 PM ET
Meet Alexandra Hai, Venice’s first female gondolier. Ever. She’s 40 years old. She’s of German and Algerian descent. A court ruling says she’s allowed to paddle only for guests at a particular Venice hotel. And she’s stirred up the ire of many of her male counterparts. “To gondoliers,” Peter Keifer writes in the New York Times, “the job is fit only for a man, since it involves strength, ability to navigate currents and paddle in reverse, and even the aesthetics of the gondoliers of yore in their black-and-white striped shirts.” Sounds like something from 1,000 years ago, which is almost how long women had been on the outside looking in until Hai came along.
Venice to Tourists: Keep Your Shirt On!
by Michael Yessis | 05.08.07 | 8:19 AM ET
And don’t take a nap in Piazza San Marco. And, for the love of Ronald McDonald, throw away your Big Mac wrappers. Reuters reports that officials in Venice, Italy plan to crack down on unbecoming behavior in Piazza San Marco. “Six stewards, men and women, will explain to tourists that it is not a good idea to eat, camp out, lay down or walk around the city bare-chested,” said the deputy mayor, Michele Vianello. Stewards won’t hand out fines. Maybe they should, though, and put the funds toward solutions for Venice’s biggest problem: Figuring out how not to sink.
‘Some 60 Percent of Italian Restaurants Abroad Are Awful’
by Jim Benning | 04.27.07 | 3:25 PM ET
The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: The Road to Adventure
by Michael Yessis | 04.27.07 | 9:10 AM ET
This week travelers were drawn to roads in California, Vietnam and danger zones throughout the world. Italy, France, Hong Kong and a discount startup airline were also top of mind. Here’s the Zeitgeist.
Most E-Mailed Travel Story
USA Today (current)
Puglia: Italy’s Heel Has It All, Except Tourists
Most E-mailed Travel Story
New York Times (current)
Practical Traveler: As Hotel Prices Rise, a Villa May Be a Bargain
Most Popular Travel Story
Netscape (this week)
Top 5 Most Dangerous Roads of the World
* The photos will make your stomach churn.
Most Viewed Travel Story
Los Angeles Times (current)
U.S. Highway 395: California’s ‘Mother Road’
* Here’s the accompanying photo gallery.
Most Read Weblog Post
World Hum (this week)
‘American Shaolin’: Interview with Matthew Polly
Top Travel and Adventure Audiobook
iTunes (current)
Fodor’s French for Travelers
Best Selling Travel Book
Amazon.com (current)
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert