by moscerina

Photo credit: “Testaccio blues” by _mirko_ (無)

When it rains, Rome is usually the last place anyone wants to be. You can’t eat outside, unless you don’t mind getting quasi-soaked. The buses, trams and taxis seems to be in limited edition. The Vatican Museums are overrun and the Forum has a mud river flowing through it. That doesn’t mean there is nothing to do in Rome. It just means you have to be clever and get out of the historical center.

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by moscerina

Photo credit: “Testaccio blues” by _mirko_ (無)

When it rains, Rome is usually the last place anyone wants to be. You can’t eat outside, unless you don’t mind getting quasi-soaked. The buses, trams and taxis seems to be in limited edition. The Vatican Museums are overrun and the Forum has a mud river flowing through it. That doesn’t mean there is nothing to do in Rome. It just means you have to be clever and get out of the historical center.

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Obviously, IT loves a good shopping spree for authentic crafts when we’re traveling. But there’s also something to be said for scoping out the local thrift stores for some fabulous finds. Our friends over at Gadling and Gridskipper reminded us of the satisfaction that comes from scoring a great item for next to nothing while you’re wandering, and we asked the Traveler staffers to tell us their favorite thrifty souvenirs.

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Our dear friend and contributing editor Andrew Nelson paused his travels for a moment to send us another great postcard from the road (literally this time).

It seems totally incongruous, but travelers barreling down Mississippi’s Interstate 20/59 will see a glorious art deco tower rising over the town of Meridian (pop. 40,000). The skyscraper, with its geometric lines and colorful terra cotta tile facade, is worthy of New York or Chicago. How did all this tower of Jazz Age power end up in a sleepy part of deep Dixie? The story’s interesting:

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Colorado is cultivating a new kind of tourism. Rather than erecting a Disneyland of the Rockies or enticing luxury-seeking tourists to one of the state’s hot springs, Colorado is drawing visitors to its many farms.

Tourists spent about $2.2 billion on “agritourism” in 2006, and the new trend is sprouting up all over the Centennial State. The Rocky Mountain News reports:

“It’s going to grow, especially if we nurture it a little bit,” said Dawn Thilmany, a professor in Colorado State University’s Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics. “We’re not leading-edge in Colorado, but we’re ahead of the curve.”

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Address: 75 Barrabool Rd, Belmont VIC 3216
Ph: (03) 5243 5505
Offer: 10% Discount for awesome individuals driving Wicked vans. Better book your camper today if you want to take advantage of this Wicked Friends Discount and many others all around Australia.
Website:Riverglen Holiday Park

Riverglen Holiday Park offers a great range of tourist accommodation ranging from ensuite tent sites to spa cottages. All cabins are fully self contained with ensuites and cooking facilities. Enjoy the glorious natural environment that surrounds you as relax by one of the many BBQ areas. Riverglen is located just across from the Barwon River, reknowned for its splendiferous cycling tracks. Ride a bike, go for a jog or simply take a stroll and enjoy the scenery!

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The dizzying Manhattan restaurant scene just got a little bit calmer. Slow Food NYC, a branch of Slow Food International, has come up with a way to recognize local establishments who embody the Slow Food ideals of quality, authenticity, and sustainability.

Restaurants, bars, and markets that meet their standards are given the Snail of Approval, and Slow Food members can nominate their own favorite restaurants that measure up. Here is a smattering of the new snail inductees in Manhattan and Brooklyn, with a peek at their menus:

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Lately, it seems everyone has been thinking about what travel will be like in the future. The lovable blokes behind the book (and phenomenon) Freakonomics posed the question about how things would look ten years from now to a series of industry bigwigs on their New York Times blog, and got some interesting responses:

Brookings fellow Clifford Winston proposed charging airlines fees for every flight that is delayed, and suggested a “satellite-based air traffic control system that, among other things, would give pilots the freedom to choose the most efficient routing.”Gary Topping, CEO of Topping Travel, foresaw the end of First Class, a renewed focus on happy airline employees (phew!), and the fabulous suggestion that “baggage will be electronically tagged, never to be lost again.” Josh Marks, founder of MAXjet, spoke of increasing specialization for airlines based on traveler’s spending preferences (evoking a ‘there’s room in the market for both Wal-Mart and Saks’ theory); and warned that GPS and “data communications between aircraft and controllers must replace the antiquated radar-and-radio infrastructure that we have now outgrown.”

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ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AirDefense, Inc., the innovator that launched the wireless LAN security market, today announced that Athens International Airport selected its award-winning wireless intrusion prevention/detection system. AirDefense Enterprise is used to protect the airport’s wireless network in the terminal and satellite buildings covering more than 590,000 feet.

Athens International Airport is a major hub for Olympic Airlines and Aegean Airlines. Within the airport’s terminal building are more than thirty-five modern shops, including a fully equipped business center, twelve restaurants, eight business-class lounges and six car rental companies. Sixteen million passengers use the airport annually. AirDefense Enterprise enables the airport’s security experts to stop unauthorized attempts to attach to closed segments of the wireless network while providing minute-by-minute detail of traffic and potential threat activity.

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By Karolos Grohmann
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece’s only seaplane operator promises tourists cheaper and faster access to remote islands as well as a nostalgic feel of the pioneering days of air travel.

However, regulatory and safety issues have meant that AirSea Lines has endured a bumpy ride since its launch last year.

The Canadian-led company had to stop flying its two Twin Otter DHC-6 planes, that can carry up to 19 passengers each, to meet new safety standards just two months after acquiring routes serving the popular Aegean island market.

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