In case you haven't heard, London's famous landmark Big Ben is leaning. The announcement was made just this month, with the detail that the very tippy top of the clock tower is 1.5 feet off center. This has naturally sparked fears that Big Ben may take a dive into the Thames, but—from all we know of Venice's various leaning towers, this won't happen in our liftetime...nor that of our children or children's children, so chillax.

For comparison, see the Campanile (bell tower) of Chiesa di Santo Stefano (St. Stephen's church) in our photo above. It's one of several towers with an impressive lean in La Serenissima, and it's been boozily tilting (and twisting) since it was rebuilt in the 1800s following a lightning strike nearly three centuries earlier. Although it's in constant danger of collapse, tourists still absentmindedly gather below it at pasticcerias and ristorantes.

Even worse is the 143' white campanile of San Giorgio dei Greci, which was completed in 1592 and has been leaning from the start. Paranoid travelers will now likely add "hard hat" to their Venice packing list, we suppose.]]> JetSetCD 2011-10-27T10:17:58-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/10/26/1485/5948

This is the kind of thing you miss when you pull the blind down on your window seat: Venice from the air.

We took this on a BA flight from Gatwick to Bari the week before last. When we’d flown the same route a couple of years before, we’d been treated to an unforgettable sight of Venice, with the Grand Canal snaking its way down the middle of the city. So this time we were prepared.

As we were crossing the Alps, we asked one of the flight attendants when we’d be going over Venice. “Will we be going over Venice?” she said, in that typical glum BA style. “I have no idea. Only the pilot would know that.” So we asked her to ask the pilot, who said that yes, in 10 minutes, it’d be coming up.

Ten minutes later, there it was. Not as perfect a view as the last time, but you can still make out the Grand Canal, Giudecca, San Michele, Murano and the Lido. Straordinario! ]]> juliab 2011-10-26T14:08:05-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/9/15/7850/48043

Some of the big rental car companies have gotten on the green travel bandwagon, but now there’s a new company in the neighborhood. Out in the Los Angeles area, MPG CarRental is only doing hybrids and electric automobiles, and they’ve even got some which are way cooler than a Prius.

A few of the cheapest options we found for a weeklong rental in the upcoming weeks were around $320, for the aforementioned Prius. However, they only include 150 miles per day, so just keep that in mind if you’re planning to use the hybrid for its true road trip potential. ]]> kjb 2011-09-15T09:25:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/9/6/13546/76258

Yesterday the Venice Film Festival wrapped up, but not before dozens of A-Listers passed through town.

The fest kicked off with the premiere of George Clooney's Ides of March at the Hotel Excelsior and, proving he really can do it all, George drove his own boat right up to the red carpet.

But, just as quickly as he arrived, Clooney was catching a flight back to the U.S. just in time for the Telluride Film Festival where he was honored with a Silver Medallion award on Sunday. ]]> cmb 2011-09-06T14:40:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/1/31/92212/4871

It's been quite a while since the paparazzi had to chase down Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie with water taxis in Venice, since The Tourist wrapped filming and hit the theaters months ago. The stars have moved on—Jolie to filming a Bosnian war movie and Depp to Hawaii for Pirates of the Caribbean 4—but apparently the musty allure of Venice crept into Depp's heart and stayed, as he's just bought himself a palazzo on the Grand Canal.

It's not a flashy one at all (as you can see in the photo above), but the Daily Mail reports that Palazzo Dona Sangiantoffetti is costing Depp £8.5million ($13.5 million) after a bidding war with an Arab prince. There are only so many available palazzi left right on the Grand Canal, we suppose, especially since many have been turned into museums. ]]> JetSetCD 2011-01-31T09:22:12-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/9/7/112825/4330

Catherine Deneuve spent the weekend in Venice where she presented her latest film "Potiche"' at the 67th Venice Film Festival, and proved she is still on the move.

The French actress first attended the festival in the 1960s with the movie "Belle De Jour." At the time, Deneuve was not only an upcoming actress, but also part of the '60s jet set which also included Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot, Jane Fonda and George Hamilton. ]]> cmb 2010-09-07T13:17:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/8/30/224726/871

Black Swan will kick off opening night.

After a summer of lackluster movies—The Expendables and Piranha 3D, seriously?—we're eager to see some great fall flicks. The first place we're looking to is the 67th annual Venice Film Festival, which happens September 1 to 11.

Although the Venice event isn't the flashiest or most star-studded of the fests, it's got cred; it's the world's oldest film festival.

The fest will have some famous folks in attendance. Sofia Coppola will be there with her boyfriend's band "Phoenix" to promote her new drama, Somewhere, set in favorite Hollywood hotel Chateau Marmont. Natalie Portman, Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck and Quentin Tarantino are also expected to turn up at the fest.]]> Jennifer Kester 2010-08-31T09:31:29-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/