Feeling a little sinful after lusting after that bikini babe on an Italian beach? Look for this blow up chapel on the Adriatic coast in Molise and pop in for some prayer!

In addition to daytime services, there will also be a nighttime mass, which organizers hope will draw parishioners who otherwise might just hit the bars.

On Italy's Left Coast, a group of nuns has decamped to the beach near Naples to pray with vacationers who stop by the altar they've set up. Priest Antonio Rungi helped spearhead the effort, but if you can't make it to the spiaggia this summer, Father Rungi will still reach you: He recently started sending out SMSs to the faithful who sign up on his website.

Related Stories:
· Blow Up Church Looks to Lure Beachgoers [Reuters, via]
· Churches coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Telegraph]]]> pbb 2008-08-11T12:00:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/24/73459/0675

As we continue to explore the works of Eero Saarinen and his architectural adventures, we move to Indiana. Like his father, Eliel Saarinen, who created the First Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana, the younger Saarinen designed the North Christian Church there as well. Completed in 1964, the church was the last building he designed before his death.]]> kjb 2008-07-24T10:50:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/5/28/114939/681

After centuries of non-stop wobbling, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has finally been saved. Engineers tasked with stabilizing the off-kilter campanile, which has lurched over Pisa since about 1180, say they've finally finished their work:

"All of our greatest expectations have been met," said head engineer Michele Jamiolkowski, "We can now say that the tower will be stable for at least the next 300 years."

Now that the angle of the tower's lean has been reduced, visitors can enjoy a view that was impossible to see for the past 73 years. Looking straight up, you'll be able to see all seven floors--and even beyond through a skylight at the top.

To get a cool view of the night sky--and really channel that Galileo vibe--visit after dark. From June 17 till September 5, the tower's open to visitors until 11 pm.

Related Stories:
· The Leaning Tower of Pisa [Official Site]
· The Tower Is Saved, No Longer Moving [CdS, in Italian]
· Pisa's Tower Said to Be Safe for 300 Years [Reuters UK]
· Tourist Attractions coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: tiseb]]]> pbb 2008-05-28T12:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/24/123652/006

Catholic saint and Capuchin monk Padre Pio has been exhumed and put on display in the town where he spent most of his life, San Giovanni Rotondo. Why dig him up now? Today is the 40th anniversary of his death.

His remains are on view at a massive church designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect and fellow Italian Renzo Piano. With enough indoor space for 30,000 worshippers, it's the second-largest church in the country after St. Peter's in Rome. (Which, if you wanna get technical, is in the Vatican City, not Italy.)

Canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002, Padre Pio was famous for bearing the stigmata and he is among the faith's most-loved saints. Be ready for a crowd if you head to San Giovanni Rotondo: Officials expect more than 15,000 pilgrims today alone.

Related Stories:
· Padre Pio's Body Goes on Public Display [UK Times]
· Who Was Padre Pio? [Reuters]
· Churches coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-04-24T13:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/5/9355/88279

Come Wednesday morning, Mardi Gras will be over, and beads, streamers and beer bottles will be the only reminder of the fun. (Apart from that hangover, of course.) Somewhere in the mix, you were probably pretty naughty.

Luckily, New Orleans has just the cure for guilty partiers: Ash Wednesday! To kick off the Lenten holiday, during which Catholics give up at least one vice, we've got three recommendations for your post-Mardi Gras detox: church, fried food and spa treatments. ]]> laurenuta 2008-02-05T12:50:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/11/9/2428/49954

Climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa yet? Despite being still a bit amazed that a feat of engineering gone totally wrong could become such a major tourist attraction, we've done our turn up the spiral staircase, but it might all have been for nothing.

Turns out that Pisa's tower is in fact not the building with the greatest lean in the world. A church steeple in the German village of Suurhusen in the northwest of the country actually leans more than Pisa. It's not as beautiful as the more famous bell tower, nor quite as old, but it's officially now the world record holder. Book a trip soon, and you might be the first in your neighborhood to get a Leaning Steeple of Suurhusen pen holder on your desk.

Related Stories:
· German Steeple Beats Leaning Tower [AFP]
· Germany Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Hotels in Pisa [HotelChatter]

[Photo: edwardyanquen]]]> amandak 2007-11-09T09:15:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/10/21/183717/28

Taking pictures, sampling the local cuisine -- even a star as bright as Leonardo DiCaprio can enjoy the simple pleasures of being a stranger in a strange land. In this case, it's Paris, where he and actor friend Lukas Haas spent a day visiting the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in the neighborhood of Montmartre and chowing down on crepes from a street stand.

Built between 1875 and 1914, the basilica has appeared in movies like the original "Sabrina" and, of course, the Montmartre valentine "Amélie." It's certainly a great place for pictures: Situated at the highest point in Paris, you can see most of the city from the church.

Related Stories:
· DiCaprio Does Paris [Just Jared]
· Leo Loves The Screamers In California [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Leonardo DiCaprio To Build Eco-Hotel [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Just Jared]]]> egw 2007-10-22T08:45:01-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/