New Cardinals Installed at St Peter's

This video, about the installation of 24 new cardinals by Pope Benedict, features some excellent video of the interior of St. Peter's Basillica.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWb9n14c3II&feature=player_embedded

Modern and Hip Rome

The New York Times has a travel feature called "36 hours in XXXX", and this week they feature Rome. Here's a video:

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/10/08/travel/1248069152280/36-hours-in-rome.html

And here's the associated story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/travel/10hours.html

All of these places look fantastic. We'll try to see if we have time to get to them as a group, but if not, there's some time on the Sunday before we leave when you might be able to check some of these places out.

Billboards in Venice

Here's something about what we may encounter when we visit Venice:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101004/lf_afp/italycultureartadvertisemuseumsveniceoffbeat

What do you think about the dilemma raised by the Venetian mayor here?

Home for sale

If you've got a spare 8 million dollars burning a hole in your pocket, here's one way to spend it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/greathomesanddestinations/29gh-househunting.html

I wonder what Seneca would say about spending one's money in such a fashion!

(We won't be getting down to Positano, which is on the Amalfi coast south of Naples, but it looks like a beautiful place to live. And the house featured here is not too shabby either....)

Ancient Italian Town Now Has Wind at Its Back

Article from the NY Times on 28 September. Thought some might be interested. Pretty big step for Italy in it's quest to be more economically and environmentally friendly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/science/earth/29fossil.html?_r=1&hp

"Made in Italy": What does it mean?

Here's a link to a recent story in the New York Times about Chinese immigrants working in the textile industry in Italy. The story is set in Prato, which is a short train ride from Florence.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/world/europe/13prato.html?_r=1

Make sure to view the Multimedia slideshow connected to this article.