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Adventures of Link: Alitalia Not Quite Finished... But Close!

September 22, 2008 at 5:15 PM | 0 Comments

The Alitalia saga continues today, though so far the airline hasn't been grounded by Italy's civil aviation authority.

When we checked the carrier's website on Friday, it was still offering trips around the country and even internationally. Today, though, you'll also find a last-ditch effort from the airline asking for buyers. (It'll be published in some European newspapers tomorrow.)

You've got to admire the tenacity of Alitalia's "special administrator," who's been charged with finding any way possible to keep the airline aloft. But Silvio Berlusconi's spokesman said it best:

Buyers are not queueing up for Alitalia.

Related Stories:
· Alitalia's Days Numbered [Reuters]
· Alitalia Sends up SOS for Bids [AFP, via Google]
· Alitalia Could Be Grounded in Three Days [Telegraph]
· What if Alitalia Fails? [TIME]
· Alitalia's Not Quite Dead [TCF]

Alitalia Situation Somehow Getting Worse

September 19, 2008 at 3:15 PM | 0 Comments

Things for Alitalia somehow look worse than they did earlier this week, with passengers wondering if the carrier has enough cash to cover the fuel for its flights. (Alitalia says it does.) Meanwhile, Italy's National Civil Aviation Authority says Silvio Berlusconi has until Monday to fix the crisis--or it'll ground the carrier.

Berlusconi--who made fixing Alitalia a major campaign promise--is blaming airline unions for refusing to OK his most recent rescue plan. Fliers are already abandoning the airports for safer travel options; the state railway company is adding trains between Milan and Rome to accommodate the extra traffic.

Meanwhile, there are still lots of deals being advertised on alitalia.com: Want to flee Rome for the Sicilian town of Catania? That's just €92 each way! But, uh, book with a credit card!

Related Stories:
· Berlusconi Given Deadline for Alitalia Rescue [UK Times]
· Alitalia Flies into Uncharted Territory [FT]
· Alitalia Officially Italy's Most Ridiculous Airline [Jaunted]

[Photo: andreagraziadio]

Alitalia Officially Italy's Most Ridiculous Airline

September 17, 2008 at 11:50 AM | 0 Comments

We always thought of Eurofly as Italy's worst airline, but you can't deny it offers up killer deals. But Alitalia has just surged into first place among unbelievably horrible Italian carriers.

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Naples Travel: Mob Now Running the Baked Goods Racket Too

September 15, 2008 at 12:30 PM | 0 Comments

The second best thing about a trip to Naples is that you can spend all day gorging on sweets like sfogliatelle and zeppole. (The best thing, of course, is eating pizza.) But it turns out choking down pastries might be even worse for us than we previously thought!

Now that the mob is into the racket, your baked goods aren't so good says The Guardian:

Open 24 hours a day, the street sellers are drawing shoppers with cheap, crusty bread fresh from wood-burning ovens, the way Neapolitans like it. But police say Naples' new breed of bakers are slowly poisoning their customers by burning old varnished wood, nut shells covered in pesticides and even planks pulled from exhumed coffins.

"Whoever buys this bread is eating dioxins and carcinogenic substances and putting their health at serious risk," said Francesco Borrelli, assessor for agriculture for the province of Naples.

Sounds even worse for your health than walking through garbage-filled streets!

Related Stories:
· Mafia's Car-Boot Bread is "Poisoning" Naples [Guardian, via]
· Naples Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Kliň]

Boardgame Travel: Pawns, Kings and Queens Gather in Italy

September 8, 2008 at 9:30 AM | 0 Comments

This week in the town of Marostica in Italy, a chess game will take place that is so much more civilized than the sport of chess boxing that we recently discovered.

Marostica, northwest of Venice, is home to the biannual Living Chess Game, when live people and animals adorned in medieval costumes play a game of chess on a giant board in front of the local castle. It's based on a tale of a love triangle from the 1400s when two men had to play chess to decide who would win the fair damsel.

These days there are no women at stake and it's more a matter of pure entertainment for the four thousand-plus spectators who crowd around the board. If you've seen it before, that doesn't matter--the script (and game play) changes every year. First pawn moves on September 12 with replays on September 13 and 14. If they don't get to checkmate too fast then it's bound to be a good night's entertainment.

Related Stories:
· Marostica Living Chess Game [WEG]
· Berlin Crowns the Chess Boxing Champ [Jaunted]

[Photo: liznorderg]

Film Festival Travel: Hathaway Soldiers On

September 4, 2008 at 8:45 AM | 0 Comments

Anne Hathaway poses for photos before the opening of her new movie, "Rachel Getting Married," at the Venice Film Festival. She stars in the Jonathan Demme-directed indie as a wild child reunited with her family for the wedding of her sister (Rosemarie DeWitt).

Hathaway has been stowed out of sight as more information comes out about her ex-boyfriend Rafael Follieri's cons. The latest revelation is that she, not knowing how much trouble he was in, paid his $37,000 rent for four months. Next time, use HotelChatter to find a hotel!

Related Stories:
· Dangerous Travel: Agent 99 Attacked Off-Duty In Russia [Jaunted]
· Anne Hathaway Deals with Breakup At The Gramercy Park Hotel [HC]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: cele|bitchy]

Water Taxi Travel: Brad On A Boat!

August 29, 2008 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments

After what must have been an entire week of whining, Super World Traveler Brad Pitt takes sons Maddox and Pax on a water taxi ride in Venice, Italy during the Venice Film Festival. Dad Brad already won best actor for his performance in last year's "The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford," so he had plenty of time to relax.

We may joke about how much Brangelina travels, but it is truly mind-boggling that they were able to do that and between them make three Oscar-caliber movies in the same year. (Brad's "Burn After Reading" opens Sept. 12 and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Dec. 25; Angelina's "Changeling" opens Oct. 31.) Talk about super overachievement.

Related Stories:
· Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Children Have Nothing Against Carbs [Jaunted]
· No Way! Super World Travelers' Babies Look Like... Babies [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Socialite Life]

End of Summer Travel: Uncomfortable George

August 27, 2008 at 9:20 AM | 0 Comments

When you've spent all summer in a wardrobe of bathing trunks, a tux can feel like a straightjacket. George Clooney may have put on his fall uniform to attend a gala at the Venice Film Festival, but he'd clearly rather be on his boat.

He'll have to don the monkey suit again tomorrow for the world premiere of his new film, the Coen Brothers' "Burn After Reading." He doesn't have a film lined up for the fall though, just some voice work for the children's film "The Fantastic Mister Fox," so maybe he'll be back in vacation mode next week.

Related Stories:
· Hideout Travel: George Clooney Doing Just Fine In Italy [Jaunted]
· In The Dark Travel: Five Must-Sees at the 2008 Venice Film Festival [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Faded Youth Blog]

Bikini Travel: Audrey Tautou's Far From Roman Holiday

August 22, 2008 at 9:33 AM | 0 Comments

Amelie would never go somewhere as quirk-free as Malibu: Audrey Tautou gets some sun on the island of Pantelleria, south of Sicily.

After being involved in the debacle of "The DaVinci Code," Tautou went back to movies made in her native French. (We blame Akiva Goldsman.) But she's gearing up to play a local hero -- designer Coco Chanel -- for a new biopic that begins shooting this fall, "Coco avant Chanel." If it's as big as the buzz, she'll be able to afford more nice vacations on the way back from the Oscars.

Related Stories:
· Louvre's Going 'Merican [Jaunted]
· Posh Spice Just Finished "The Da Vinci Code" [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Egotastic]

Amusement Park Travel: Rome Plans Gladiatorland

August 18, 2008 at 1:05 PM | 0 Comments

A holy water log flume? God's Hand Antigravity Spinner? Officials in Rome have announced plans to open a theme park in the Eternal City, and we're praising the Lord for the opportunity for jokes it presents, even though the park won't draw on the nearby Vatican for inspiration.

Instead, the as yet unnamed amusement park will depict life in Rome 2,000 years ago, from the open-air forum to the raucous Colosseum. Deputy Mayor Mauro Cutrufo says Euro Disney is the model for the new attraction, which is curious considering the very negative reaction Walt's first foray into European tourism received when it opened.

Some regional officials have already come out against the "Americanization" of Roman history. But with millions of Americans visiting the city every year, hasn't that battle already been fought?

Related Stories:
· Pirates of the Colosseum? Rome Plans Theme Park [Reuters]
· Theme Park Travel: Who's Feeding Shamu? [Jaunted]
· Theme Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: wtlphotos]

Proletarian Travel: Billionaires Blacklisted at Baller Beaches

August 12, 2008 at 4:00 PM | 0 Comments

Local restaurants along the Mediterranean coast are sick of these billionaires! Roman Abramovich was the latest "victim" when the owner of Bistrot turned the oilman away from the already fully booked ristorante in Tuscany. Page Six reports that he was so miffed, Abramovich steamed over to Sardinia on his yacht instead, probably putting his five cooks and 45 waiters to work on the way.

He might not have much better luck there: Italian tycoon Flavio Briatore recently stopped in on the island, only to be greeted by irate locals:

Who threw sand and buckets of water at him when he tried to land from his yacht.

Related Stories:
· Ristorante Bistrot [Official Site]
· Riviera Fed Up with Russians [NYP]
· Russian Oligarch "Invader" Pays Record for Riviera Villa [UK Times]
· Italy Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Still On Vacation Travel: Clooney Will Be Shirtless Till Labor Day

August 12, 2008 at 8:45 AM | 0 Comments

George Clooney relaxes with a drink on his yacht off the coast of Elba, the Tuscan island to which Napoleon was once exiled.

He may look relaxed, but the several-times-over World's Sexiest Man is still working on vacation: His production company just signed a deal for the movie rights to Jonathan Mahler's The Challenge, a nonfiction book about a Yemeni man fighting charges of being Osama bin Laden's confidante. Clooney may star in the very timely movie as well.

And in between welcoming guests like Cindy Crawford, Clooney found time to publicly express his condolences for the loss of co-star Bernie Mac, who died Sunday in a Chicago hospital. Maybe he just gets more done with his shirt off!

Related Stories:
· Hideout Travel: George Clooney Doing Just Fine in Italy [Jaunted]
· George Clooney Confounded By Las Ramblas [HC]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Celebitchy]

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