travel news review

24 May '99
Rome's Palazzo delle Esposizioni will host an exhibition of the work of the 16th century artist, El Greco. The exhibition opens on 2 June and will run until 19 September, and on show will be more than 70 of El Greco's paintings. Palazzo delle Esposizioni is located on Via Nazionale, 194 and is closed Tuesdays.

A new train service will commence service at the end of May, linking the Malpensa international airport to the centre of Milan. The service will leave from Milan's Cadorna train station, near Castello Sforzesco, and will make the trip to the airport in about 30 minutes.

5 May '99
The Association of European Airlines (AEA) are not happy with the state of flying in Europe at the moment and are considering not paying their dues - worth about ú2 billion a year - to Eurocontrol, which controls all European air traffic. The AEA believes Eurocontrol is failing to exert its power in getting all 31 member-countries to improve their air transport infrastructure, to create more airspace and sort out their labour problems. The situation has not been good in the months leading up to the European summer, which is the peak air traffic season. So far this year, more than 10,000 flights operated by members of the AEA have been delayed more than 15 minutes, a long time when you are only taking a 30 minute flight. At the moment passengers travelling in Spain, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, northern France and southern Germany have been most affected by air traffic congestion.

27 April '99
Possibly the most expensive and swanky hotel room in the world has recently opened in Rome in the Excelsior Hotel. The Villa La Copola suite with eight bedrooms, in-house cinema, and gym, could be yours for a mere US$11,000 per night, or US$215 if you share the suite with 50 of your closest friends. While the rooms at the Excelsior are beyond most people's budget, the hotel is one of the finest in Rome and is worth a look, even if it's just the foyer. The hotel is on Via Veneto, next to the US Embassy.

29 March '99
The restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper has been completed, 20 years after the restoration project commenced. The painting will be unveiled on May 28 in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milano. Painted between 1495 and 1498, the mural has been subject to centuries of damage from floods, bombing during World War II and decay.

9 March '99
While duty free shopping is officially scheduled to end in the member countries of the European Union (EU) on 1 July, 1999, many countries are hopeful duty-free shopping can be extended for another couple of years. Of the 15 member countries in the EU, Germany, France and Britain are the main campaigners for an extension for duty-free shopping. It is estimated that if duty-free shopping goes, more than 140,000 jobs would also go. When the end of duty-free sales in EU countries eventually does come into place, travellers to Europe will still be able to obtain duty free items, as the new restrictions will only apply to intra-EU travel. As an example, if you travel between Switzerland, which is not a member of the EU, and France, duty-free purchases will still be possible. Current member countries of the EU are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

4 March '99
Mt Etna in eastern Sicily has given some signs over the past week that it might erupt. According to volcano experts 'considerable seismic activity' has been recorded in the vicinity of Mt Etna, Europe's largest live volcano and one of the world's most active. The unpredictability of the volcano's activity means that people are no longer allowed to climb to the craters, but with a guide you can climb to the top of the mountain. While Mt Etna is rumbling, though, tourists are not allowed to go beyond 3000m (9840ft).

5 February '99
Travellers to Europe will need to pull on their thermals as much of Europe is currently suffering from severe snow storms and freezing temperatures. The cold, wet conditions are expected to last for at least another week. Poor weather in the Swiss Alps has closed many mountain roads, and authorities have warned of avalanches in many part of the Alps. Roads in parts of Italy, Greece and Romania have been closed owing to heavy snowfalls, and a number of air services have been cancelled because of poor visibility.

But you will need more than your thermals if you are thinking of heading to the Russian Arctic, where temperatures last week fell to the lowest recorded this century. Temperatures along Russia's border with Norway fell to an extremely cold -56 degrees C (- 69 degrees F). Most days during January the temperature has been about 23 degrees C (41 degrees F) below average for this time of year. According to the Russian Weather Services the cold spell is expected to lift shortly.

4 January '99
The Leaning Tower of Pisa will be straightened by half a degree in a project aimed to save the famous landmark. The plan to reduce the inclination of the tower is controversial as the last attempt made things worse, causing the tower to lurch forward during excavations. Experts insist that the new plan - which involves securing the tower with steel cables and removing soil from its raised side - is vital to prevent the 800 year old tower from collapsing completely.

29 December '98
Police have arrested a gang of Albanians accused of illegally importing children and forcing them to beg on the streets of Milan. Authorities freed twenty teenage children, some of whom are believed to have been sold into the slavery racket by their families. The children had reportedly been forced to beg for money and were beaten and tortured when they did not collect enough. 800 unaccompanied Albanian children have been amongst the recent illegal immigrants smuggled into Italy.

14 December '98
UNESCO has added another 30 sites located worldwide to its World Heritage List. Inclusion of a site on the World Heritage List means the site must be preserved for all humanity. In Europe, new sites include the rock art sites in the Coa Valley in Portugal, the routes of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and the town centre of Urbino in Italy.

1 December '98
Most counties of eastern and southern Europe are experiencing a very cold and very early start to winter. In France, fountains at the Eiffel Tower have frozen as temperatures dropped below zero and snow fell on Capri, an island more well-known for sunshine than snow. In eastern Europe the temperature had dropped to -26°C (-14°F). In some countries transport services have been severely affected by the cold weather and many places are without electricity. A number of ports along the Black Sea have also closed because of strong winds.

11 November '98
Italy is preparing itself for a week of chaotic transport services, with taxi drivers in Rome holding stop work meetings and airport ground staff calling a national strike. After yesterday's stop-work meeting, Rome taxi drivers announced they will not return to work until at least Thursday 12 November. Taxi drivers are in dispute with the government about the number of licences issued - the government wants to issue more while the drivers want fewer taxis on the roads.

Air services from the Rome and Milan international airports will contine to be disrupted this week as ground staff protest over pay and working conditions at Malpensa, Milan's newly refurbished and enlarged international airport. More than 250 flights were either cancelled or rescheduled yesterday and workers are planning to continue to hold work stoppages for the rest of the week.

16 September '98
A minor earthquake has been recorded in Palermo, in southern Italy. The quake came after a series of tremors in the area last week damaged many buildings. Other tremors have been reported in southern Italy during the week, mainly in the regions of Calabria and Basilicata. Central and southern Italy are subject to sometimes massive earthquakes, with many major quakes recorded in the region this century.

9 September '98
Transport unions in France, Spain, Italy and Luxembourg are preparing for a week of industrial action which is likely to cause major traffic problems across Europe. Most of the strike activity will take place on the borders between France and Germany, Spain, Luxembourg and the Channel Ports. While most transport workers plan passive action rather than a complete blockade of roads, French transport workers, who have never been adverse to a good blockade, say they will disrupt traffic at a number of France's borders. This week's strike is the first in a series of on-going strikes planned for the next few months unless drivers demands (which include a reduction in the number of hours worked per week by drivers) are met.

3 June '98
Italy has banned the insecticide methyl bromide, placing the future of the fabulously delicious pesto sauce at risk. According to growers, use of the insecticide is necessary for the production of sweet basil, the basis for pesto sauce. Growers fear pesto sauce could face extinction if the decision to ban the insecticide is not overturned. Italy is the largest user of methyl bromide in Europe, but the insecticide has been banned as it presents a danger to the ozone layer and is a known carcinogen.

6 May '98
The European Parliament recently endorsed Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain as the initial participants in the launch of a single European currency, the Euro. The Euro will come into the market on 1 January 1999. The United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden have refused to join the monetary union, and Greece is ineligible as it has such a large budget deficit.

29 April '98
Under pressure to reduce its vast debt, ItalyÆs government is considering selling off some of its assets to the private sector. And this being Italy, the assets under consideration include the Coliseum, the Uffizi Gallery, the Roman Forum and the Foro Italico sports centre, built during ItalyÆs fascist years. ItalyÆs national debt now stands at 121% of GDP, twice the amount set out in Maastricht guidelines, and selling the family silver is seriously being considered to balance the books. Heritage and cultural organisations in Italy have voiced their opposition to the proposal.

22 April '98
The Shroud of Turin, believed to have been used to wrap the body of Christ after his death, has gone on display at Turin Cathedral. The shroud, declared by many to be a fake, is expected to be viewed by more than three million believers over the next two months.

1 April '98
ItalyÆs Tuscan hills, a landscape barely touched since the Renaissance, are now under threat from ItalyÆs power company, Enel, and its giant, high tension electricity pylons. The red and white pylons in the hills to the south-east of Florence have raised the ire of local residents, artists and historians who believe they ruin the picturesque landscape, and they plan to take the power company to court in an attempt to remove the pylons.

18 March '98
Commencing in April many Italian museums will extend their opening hours. Sixteen of ItalyÆs most popular museums will now operate from 9am until 10pm. Galleries extending their hours include the Borghese Gallery in Rome, Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence and the church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie in Milan. Some critics have questioned the new opening hours by stating that precious works of art need a rest from visitors and the extra lighting, noise and traffic they will bring to the galleries.

4 March '98
The Italian Standards Institute has released a set of standards for ‘genuine pizza’, based on classic Neapolitan cuisine. Restaurants that meet the standards will deliver pizzas with DOC (or Di Origine Controllata) certification. The new rules include specifications on the dimensions of diced tomato (8mm), the origins and type of cheese (mozzarella made from buffalo milk) and the temperature of the oven (200-234°C).