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After 900 Years, Venice's Canals Become Equal Opportunity Employer

June 26, 2009 at 12:07 PM | 3 Comments

It's a familiar site on the water street of Venice, the striped shirts and flat hats of the gondoliers swaying as they expertly steer their black boats underneath bridge after bridge, but now there'll be some long blonde hair joining the club.

After 900 years of the profession of Venetian gondolier belonging totally to men, La Serenissima has her first woman plying the waters: Giorgia Boscolo, a 23-year-old wife and mother of two, who also happens to be the daughter of a gondolier. She passed the gondolier test back in 2007, but had to endure an apprenticeship up until recently when she took the oar of her own boat.

In order to become a gondolier, no matter your sex, you must "learn how to steer the banana-shaped boats from the back and the front ... take English courses, study sailing law and demonstrate perfect knowledge of Venice's canals and landmarks." This isn't like scuba diving, which you can get certified in during a week-long vacation. What we now want to know is if she'll be operating some kind of reservations service, now that she's the freshest addition to Venice's canals in centuries.

Related Stories:
· Venice Hails First Woman Gondolier [Life In Italy]
· Tutti in godola, vi porta Giorgia [la Repubblica]
· Venice Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: La Repubblica]

Gladiator Get-Down: A Night at the Colosseum

June 22, 2009 at 9:32 AM | 0 Comments

Europe's oldest tourist trap is offering a brand new spin: visitors to the Colosseum can now visit the ancient amphitheatre at night. Rome officials are hoping the prospect of nighttime visits will reel in an extra load of tourists to the city this summer and maybe thin out those dreaded daytime crowds a bit as well.

Usually, The Colosseum closes one hour before sunset, but starting this week visitors will get a few extra hours of pondering gladiator games—and the chance to view the night sky from inside the monument. Sounds like a great idea to us, especially if the haunting arena looks half as cool inside at night as it does lit up from the exterior.

Also new on the Eternal City itinerary this summer are two ancient attractions: the recently restored Temple of Romulus and the 2nd-century B.C. House of the Griffins, both now open to the public for the first time.

Related Stories:
· Nighttime Colosseum tours now offered in Rome [AP]
· When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do: Avoid Tourists [Jaunted]
· Rome travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: lightmatter]

When In Venice, Don't Forget To Drink The Water

June 19, 2009 at 11:27 AM | 0 Comments

Nowhere is the saying "In Vino Veritas"—or "there is truth in wine"—more fitting than in Venice. If you aren't sweating buckets while lugging a giant camera around the dank city in the summer heat, then you're left to pondering the murky canals and their plague-ridden history. Best to order wine at dinner then, right?

Wrong. If there's one thing Italians love just as much as wine, it's their Acqua Minerale and Naturale, and since they are one of the top consumers of water in the world (at 40 gallons per person annually), it makes sense to give their own tap a hearty rebranding.

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Beware, Eurostar: The .Italo Train Will Floor It Through Italy

June 15, 2009 at 12:37 PM | 0 Comments

We are positively blushing with excitement over the latest NYT train travel news out of Italy: in 2011, a "new privately owned high-speed train company, Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori, will introduce a stylish, candy-apple-red fleet of 25 trains collectively known as .Italo."

It's estimated that speeds on the new train will reach 225 mph, effectively cutting the old 6-hour trip between Rome and Milan down to three hours—the Eurostar does it no faster than four hours now. This won't be the only .Italo route however, as it's scheduled to run the main corridors between Turin and Naples, crowded routes we know all too well.

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To Infinity And Beyond On The Amalfi Coast

June 11, 2009 at 2:57 PM | 1 Comment

Last one in's a rotten egg! We're finding the best places in the world to stick our toes in this summer (or next winter) for our World's Coolest Pools map. Know of any pools we must check out? Let us know.

Before we started this series, we probably couldn't have picked an infinity pool out of a line-up of cool pools. Now we're a little obsessed, but can you blame us? That element of visual danger accompanying the edge is a world away from the backyard pools of our youth.

The Hotel Caruso Amalfi's infinity pool looks like it might just sweep you off a cliff into the Mediterranean. Of course it's not that close to the coast, but the views of the mountains along the Amalfi Coast could fool you.

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Oh Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore Art Thy Marriage License?

June 4, 2009 at 8:47 AM | 0 Comments

The ultimate in romantic wedding travel might just have started up in Italy: the city of Verona will now let you get married on the balcony made famous by Romeo and Juliet.

Tourists have long been flocking to the Capello family mansion as it's believed that Shakespeare based the famous Capulets on these guys. But Verona's council have now made it possible for anyone to exchange vows and wedding rings up on the balcony.

Before you book your flights, you should know that romance don't come cheap. If you're an EU citizen the marriage license will cost you €700, and for those without an EU passport, be ready to shell out €900 ($1,280). You'd better be either rich or absolutely sure about your star-crossed lover.

Related Stories:
· Modern Romeos and Juliets Can Tie Knot in Verona [Reuters]
· Wedding Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: MaO]

On the Road Again: How to Reach Rome-Fiumicino

May 22, 2009 at 10:06 AM | 0 Comments

Your flight has landed, you've claimed your luggage and now you're trying to get the hell out of the airport. To erase confusion and get your on your way, all week long at Jaunted we will be detailing the various ways to get to and from major airports, and what those modes cost, from cheapest to the big blowout entrance. Got any tips or an airport suggestion? Let us know.

· COTRAL/Schiaffini Buses: As the cheapest option, taking a bus obviously involves the most hassle. Purchase tickets for the bus in the sundries shop down by baggage claim, and don't forget to validate it in the the little box machines inside of the bus. Head to Terminal A's ground transportation area to find the bus stop, and make sure you board the right bus. The one to Rome's main Termini station is "Aeroporto-Termini-Tiburtina," or there are also "Aeroporto-Roma Cornelia" to connect with subway line A and "Aeroporto-Roma Magliana" to connect with line B.
Total cost: €1.60 to €3.60 per person, each way depending on your route.
Total time:35 to 45 minutes

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Twilight Cast To Fend Off the Volturi in Italy

May 20, 2009 at 9:46 AM | 0 Comments

While Robert Pattinson may have just landed in Cannes for the film festival, word is that the cast and crew of the new Twilight movie, New Moon, will leave their Vancouver set soon and head to Montepulciano, Italy to film the movie's crucial showdown with the Volterra vampire faction called, the Volturi.

In real life, Volterra does exist but the Montepulicano is being used instead as the stand-in. (Much like Vancouver is being used instead of Forks, Wash.) The vampire-free town (we think) is located in southern Tuscany, about an hour from Siena.

According to its website, the Twilight folk will roll into town the last week of May to start filming scenes. Considering Volterra/Montepulicano is where Edward Cullen bursts out into the sunlight to kill himself, we expect the movie will have no problem getting extras to film its "crowd scenes" in its Palazzo dei Priori which we are guessing will be filmed instead at the Palazzo Comunale. Also for Twilight geeks, Saint Marcus Day has already passed.

Related Stories:
· Twilight Travel [Jaunted]

Rome Field Trip Audit: Less Water, More Vespas

May 15, 2009 at 3:45 PM | 0 Comments

Is there really no place like Rome? This week Ellen Wernecke chronicles her first visit to the Eternal City.

Into every trip a little rain must fall, and while I only found myself in one literal cloudburst, I came away with a few ideas for a return trip -- as well as notes on things I would have done just the same.

I would consider doing again: Flying Delta. Looking for a ticket I was shopping on price alone, but aside from the horrendous movie choices ("Inkheart"? "Bride Wars"? Really?) I found the flight, an Alitalia codeshare to boot, to be just fine. The meal was the same going both ways, but at least there was a meal. They also gave me a very funny leaflet on arrival about what to know in an H1N1-infected country which will be a treasured souvenir of these heady days.

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Finding The Illuminati in Rome...and Los Angeles

May 15, 2009 at 1:42 PM | 0 Comments

Like its predecessor, “The Da Vinci Code”, which created a tourism frenzy in Scotland and France, "Angels and Demons" already has tourists flocking to Rome, Italy. All this week, Ellen has been recapping her recent Rome Field Trip which is blessedly free of any "Angels and Demons" mentions. But we understand that there are some of you out there who need to retrace Robert Langdon's steps across the Eternal City.

But if you care less about where the movie is supposed to take place and more about where it was actually filmed, then you’re better off catching the next flight to Los Angeles then a flight to Rome. Most of the film was actually made on a sound stage in L.A., thanks to the Catholic Church’s hatred for all things Dan Brown.

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Drinking With Nobles In The Seven Hills

May 14, 2009 at 3:48 PM | 0 Comments

Is there really no place like Rome? This week Ellen Wernecke chronicles her first visit to the Eternal City.

For high tea with the Queen of England, gloves are a good idea and so are pearls. But I drank wine in sneakers with a title -- or at least, at the historic family farm of one -- and no one called me out on it. Did it improve my tasting? Possibly.

The hills outside of Rome are not as well known for their wine as other regions in Italy -- in fact, you'll probably be told at some point to avoid the fruity white Frascati that is its regional trademark. (I didn't mind it, personally.) The first surprise in store for me at on my visit to the Principe Pallavicini vineyard in Colonna was that they didn't just grow for white wine -- nor were they even wine-specific. Before I'd attempted to guess the "nose" of a single grape-based beverage, I enjoyed the subtle but flavorful house olive oil, which ought to put your bulk bottle of EVOO to shame.

The Pallavicinis can trace their roots back to the 12th century, have been making wine for about 500 years, and it all started on an estate you can visit today. (The family, though, has moved into Rome's city center, a 21st century method of displaying their massive wealth.) On display are wine presses from even earlier, and the wine is still stored in an underground cavern for natural refrigeration as it ages first in barrels and then bottles.

The tasting area and store, about a 3-minute drive away, is the ultimate low-pressure sales environment -- I got the feeling that hours had gone by in which I was just hanging out and drinking wine, and not the tasting portions either. I walked away with a bottle of the Poggio Verde -- a bargain at €5.80.

I organized my tour through Dark Rome, but anyone with a rental car, an Italian land line and a little money could line one up for himself. Don't forget to bring someone to drive you back to the city that night, unless you're planning to crash at the B&Bs that dot the hillside -- next trip!

Related Stories:
· Wine Travel [Jaunted]
· Soaking in Vino in Japan [Jaunted]
· Rome coverage [Jaunted]

When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do: Avoid Tourists

May 12, 2009 at 1:26 PM | 1 Comment

Is there really no place like Rome? This week Ellen Wernecke chronicles her first visit to the Eternal City.

First, the bad news: Despite everything you've heard and read about the downturn, you won't be able to tell from the tourism traffic in and around Rome. Those dreaming of empty museums and quiet time alone with the ruins would be best to look elsewhere, possibly in an alternate universe. At the same time, I never ran afoul of a large, obnoxious group of my countrymen, and while numerous, Italian school groups didn't bother me as much.

Visiting Rome is a balancing act between the impersonal but unmissable major sites and a more personal experience. Here's when to keep to the beaten path and when to wander away:

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