It may not be much of an issue in winter, but in summer, in Italy, if you’re doing cultural stuff, you need to watch how you dress.

You probably already know that most Italian churches demand that shoulders and knees should be covered when you enter, and you also probably know that most of the major churches will vehemently enforce that.

But what we didn’t know until this week was that there’s an alternative to buying an overpriced shawl from an entrepreneur standing near the door—or, at least, there is in Florence. ]]> juliab 2011-11-11T15:40:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/11/11/04340/797

It's Veterans Day today, and it's also 11.11.11 as the date goes. Naturally tourist sites have been preparing for both, but with the major difference that Veterans Day takes place in the US and focuses on looking at history and remembering while 11.11.11 happens around the world, with a focus on the future.

For some however, it's actually a lack thereof (the future) with the belief that the world will end today. Well it hasn't yet, and Egypt's Great Pyramid can attest to this. Fearing negative attention and spiritual ceremonies, the Great Pyramid was closed to tourists. The AP notes that only the pyramid was on lock-down: ]]> JetSetCD 2011-11-11T10:35:33-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/10/14/13919/536

Ooh, pretty! Trafalgar Square gets atmospheric with this Sunday's day-long Diwali celebration.

Though Paris owns the nickname "City of Light," London will give the city a run for its money this Sunday when the annual Diwali on the Square festival hits the city. Diwali, otherwise known as the "Festival of Lights," is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and others wanting to partake in the illuminated holiday activities.

This Sunday's day-long affair provides Londoners and those who happen to be in town the opportunity to explore the richness of Indian culture without having to trek to the subcontinent.]]> Heidi Atwal 2011-10-14T14:00:51-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/5/19/231837/205

If The Rapture does indeed occur tomorrow, as all the pamphleteers in the Times Square subway station say it will, then don't worry; we aren't going anywhere. The righteous will be swooped up into heaven or wherever, and we've simply cursed too often during flight delays and wished ill of annoying seat mates far too much to be included in that bunch.

Regardless, we do have some questions about the logistical side of having millions of people fly up into the air all at once tomorrow. God wasn't available for questioning as he's probably tidying up upstairs in preparation, so we'll just put our wonderings out there:

· So 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 states "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God." We want to know if Jesus will show up on Air Traffic Control screens as a solid blip, or is he just basically like air? ]]> JetSetCD 2011-05-20T17:10:28-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/3/8/23823/43586

Happy Fat Tuesday...or Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday, or regular old Tuesday depending on where you are and what you're into. Tucking into big meals and giving into gluttony is the order of the day, and in the spirit we've swung by a bakery to pick up a box of Polish Paczkis (pronounced like "poonsh-skee") because this year we aren't heading to New Orleans or Rio or any of the other Carnivale capitals.

If you too can't make it to the Big Easy or even one of our six other, international Mardi Gras celebrations, then Paczkis are a reliable way to join in the fun. The only thing is that whether you're eating a Paczki or revelling in N'awlins, you're gonna get sticky. ]]> JetSetCD 2011-03-08T11:58:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/3/7/102727/1955

Israel is finally set to allow Google to map out the country's roads using Google Maps Street View, which is something of a bold move since terrorists routinely brag about using Google Earth to target their missiles and rockets at Israelis. Since we're talking about the Middle East, the decision has naturally engendered a robust debate about costs and benefits. On the costs side: the terrorism and people dying thing. Supposedly on the benefits side: tourism.

We're not really going to belabor the security issue, partly because it's convoluted but mostly because it's way, way too depressing for a Monday morning. You can go here for a will-it or won't-it backgrounder. The tourism debate, on the other hand, seems a little bit more straightforward and a little closer to our wheelhouse.]]> Omri 2011-03-07T16:36:38-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/12/17/151428/46

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

This is a rare one we have today; indeed we never knew of its existence until we saw it with our own eyes. For the over 21 group only (or any age, if you're in Italy), we're drinking Eucalyptus Liqueur from the Benedictine Trappist Abbey of Tre Fontane, in Rome. Forget the liqueur for a moment, as the area where it's made is interesting enough on its own. Tre Fontane is so named because it is believed that this is where Saint Paul was beheaded, his head bouncing three times and sprouting three fountains, where there are now three churches.

Because the monks are Trappist, it means they must make their living off the land, so this order specializes in creating chocolate and unique liqueurs, the most notable of which is the Eucalittino, made of the Eucalyptus trees that surround the abbey.]]> JetSetCD 2010-12-17T16:16:54-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/