The first major fresco to be painted in Italy for more than two centuries is starting to take shape in the city of Pisa, famous for its leaning tower.
The 1,700 square ft painting will tell the story of Ranierus, Pisa’s patron saint, in eight huge scenes across an entire wall of the Church of San Vito in the city centre.
The artist is 37-year-old Luca Battini and, in the best Renaissance tradition, he invited 100 prominent Pisans to represent leading figures in the fresco. He then held public castings to find 150 extras, all of whom will appear life-size in the work.
Battini is under no illusions about the size of his three-year task. “The whole city feels very strongly about St Ranierus and there is huge pressure. Everyone has an opinion on how the fresco should be painted.”
by Andy Moreton
I went to see the exhibition, ‘Tutankhamun And The Golden Age of The Pharoahs.’ It was very impressive – beautifully presented, with an informative audio guide voiced by Omar Sharif.
The exhibition was held at the O2 Arena by the Thames in south-east London, formerly the Millennium Dome. The Dome was opened on January 1st 2000 as part of London’s millennium celebrations, but was condemned as a white elephant after its exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium failed to grab the public’s attention. It lay unloved and unused for the best part of six years.
However, the new owners, AEG Europe, have transformed it into a major entertainment centre, which is pulling in the crowds. It has a 20,000 capacity main arena, which has attracted such names as Celine Dion, Prince, The Eagles and the Rolling Stones. Some claim it’s the best live music venue in the world, surpassing New York’s Madison Square Garden.
In addition, there’s a smaller hall, Indigo 2, catering for 2,350 people; two major exhibition areas; a 770-seat cinema complex, a nightclub and about 20 busy bars and restaurants. It’s like a small village and the owners say there have been seven million visitors since the re-opening a year ago.
But the owners want to reach greater heights. They want to create a ‘skywalk,’ which would allow tourists to stroll across the Dome 150 feet above the ground. Discussions are in their early stages, but the idea is along the lines of the ‘Bridge Climb’ in Sydney, Australia.
The Dome is topped by glass fibre, which is supported by 12 towers, 300-feet tall; any walkway would have to be suspended to avoid damaging the delicate canopy.
AEG are no doubt seeking to challenge the London Eye for the best aerial views of London. The ‘Eye’ has been a huge success, with 28 million paying ‘passengers’ since it opened in 2000.
by Andy Moreton
It’s the ultimate in decadence: the $175 (£89) burger – and where else would you expect to find it than in New York’s money mile, Wall Street?
The Wall Street Burger Shoppe has just achieved the doubtful honour of having the costliest fast food in town. “Wall Street has good days and bad days,” said co-owner, Heather Tierney. “We wanted to have the everyday burger (for $4) and then something special if you have a really good day.”
So what do you get for your money on that really good day? A patty of Kobe beef (that’s pedigree beef in the traditional Japanese style), black truffles, seared foie gras, mature Gruyere cheese, wild mushrooms and flecks of gold leaf on a brioche bun. I hardly dared ask, but does it come with fries? Oh yes, Belgian-style fries with a mixed salad and golden truffle mayonnaise.
It’s been created by the Shoppe’s chef and co-owner, Kevin O’Connell, and about two dozen a month are sold in the fine dining room upstairs. Good to know that the credit crunch hasn’t taken too much of a bite out of expense account lunches.
by Andy Moreton
For more on restaurants and what to do, visit the free Luxique New York City guide.
There’s a warning that the future of winter tourism in the big western European mountain range, The Alps, could be at risk from climate change.
A study in the magazine New Scientist says that in the past 20 winters, the average number of snow days – when a mountain range can be used by skiers and snowboarders - is lower than at any time since records began more than 100 years ago. In some years the amount of snow that fell was 60 per cent lower than was typical in the early 1980s.
This has confirmed previous data, which had suggested that Alpine snowfall had been affected by rising temperatures, particularly at lower-altitude resorts where snow-making machines are now widely deployed.
The trend could eventually spell financial ruin for the 6,000 towns and 600 mountain slopes that cater for 100 million visitors a year.
Christoph Marty, from the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, said: “I don’t believe we will see the kind of snow conditions we have experienced in past decades. It’s hard to say whether the figures mark any kind of tipping point in terms of climate change – but it looks like a change in the large-scale weather pattern.”
Climate change is also being blamed for a rise in the number of avalanches as warmer conditions cause snow to melt. Figures for the 2006/7 season show that more than 50 people died in off-piste avalanches in the French Alps alone – at least 20 more than average.
by Andy Moreton
More and more people, it seems, are discovering the charms of one of the more unheralded, but most beautiful, cities in Europe - Prague.
The capital of the Czech Republic welcomed three-quarters of a million visitors in the first three months of this year – an increase of eight per cent. The highest number of tourists were from Germany, the United Kingdom and Russia.
Luxique’s Prague city guide says: “Welcome to a Gothic fairyland of pinnacles, towers and fabulously ornate castles and palaces! With some six hundred years of architecture virtually untouched by natural disaster or war, few other cities anywhere in Europe look as good. “
But aside from the history and architecture, Prague is very much a happening city and one of the most popular annual events has just begun – the Prague Fringe Festival. Now in its seventh year, the festival features an international cast of performers offering theatre, dance, comedy, music and film.
The festival is at various venues from May 25th to June 1st. For a complete schedule, check out www.fringe.cz
by Andy Moreton
Luxique offers a fine selection Prague luxury hotels for a fantastic Fringe Festival stay.
The Velib bike hire scheme that was introduced in Paris last year has been an unexpected success.
You don’t hold on to the same bike all day, you pick one up from the numerous stands, ride it for as long as you need and then deposit it at a rack nearest your destination. You don’t have to return it to the original pick-up point.
The first half-hour is free, the second costs 1 Euro (79p/ $1.55), and the third 2 Euros. After that, the price rises to 4 Euros for half-an-hour, so it’s best to pick them up and drop them quickly.
As Paris is such a compact capital city (about eight miles from one end to the other) and has grand boulevards, it’s an ideal city for cycling. Or as the Velib slogan has it: “la ville est plus belle a velo” (the city’s nicer by bike).
by Andy Moreton
For more on what to do and where to stay when in Paris visit the Paris guide and the Paris luxury hotels section of Luxique.
Scientists have made a discovery that could help treat the problem of jet-lag.
Jet-lag disrupts the body clock which links the cycles of metabolism and behaviour to the cycle of day and night. As frequent world travellers will know only too well, the disruption causes problems with sleeping and eating and can sometimes lead to serious illness.
Researchers have now discovered a molecule, called c-AMP, that plays an important part in keeping the body clock ticking. It was located in the part of the brain that contains cells which synchronise the body clock with the other major organs including the heart, lungs and liver.
The scientists discovered that daily activation of this molecule, or ‘cog,’ helps to sustain the body clock’s rhythms by working with the body’s genes and proteins.
In the journal, Science, team leader Dr Michael Hastings said: “If we can identify ways to control the clockwork, we may be able to learn how to reset it when it goes wrong. “
While on the subject of sleep, a recent survey here in the UK sounded the alarm for the traditional bedside clock. More than 70 per cent of those questioned regarded the old-style alarm clock as obsolete. They preferred to be woken by the alarm function on their mobile phones or by their MP3 player or by their favourite TV or radio station.
Some, of course, simply trusted their body clocks to announce the beginning of another day.
by Andy Moreton
We’ve had wall-to-wall Sex And The City here in London, with the new film being premiered. Every time you turn on the TV, there’s Kim or Cynthia or Sarah-Jessica or Kristin being interviewed on a chat-show couch.
The TV series was a huge success all over the world and SATC junkies who are visiting New York can enjoy the Sex And The City Tour with its 45 locations:
• Shop at the Pleasure Chest where Samantha bought her ‘Rabbit!’
• Go to the gallery in SoHo where Charlotte worked!
• See the furniture store where Aidan designed his tables and chairs!
Details at http://www.screentours.com/tour.php/satc/ Children under 12 not allowed on the tour!
by Andy Moreton
For more on what to do and where to stay when in New York visit the New York City guide and the New York Luxury Hotels section of Luxique.
The Spanish city of Barcelona is taking drastic action to try to tackle the worst drought for some 60 years.
The first tanker bringing five million gallons of drinking water has arrived by sea from the Tarragona region, further south. A total of 66 shipments a month are expected to be delivered this summer, including some from France.
The growing shortages in one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations has already resulted in various restrictions, including hosepipes being banned and fountains turned off. One reservoir has fallen to such a low level that the remains of a village flooded in 1962 have reappeared.
The ships solution and a planned pipeline to bring in water from the Ebro river to the west are designed to help the Catalonia region survive until a desalination plant is completed in a year’s time.
by Andy Moreton
I read that the former home of the von Trapp family – made famous by the film, The Sound of Music - is to open as a hotel.
From July, visitors to the Villa Trapp hotel just outside the Austrian city of Salzburg will be able to sleep in the family’s former bedrooms or get married in the chapel. Entrepreneurs plan to make no alterations to the building other than essentials such as painting and re-wiring.
The von Trapp family lived in the house from 1923 until 1938 when they fled the Nazi takeover of Austria. Those years in the house inspired one of the most successful films of all time, in which an aspiring nun, played by Julie Andrews, charms the widower, Baron von Trapp, and his seven children.
After the family fled, the villa was appropriated by the SS and Gestapo chief, Heinrich Himmler, who used it as a private home during the war. Later, when the von Trapps were building a new life in the United States, the villa was bought by a religious foundation, which has now agreed to lease it as a hotel because of the growing demand from fans of the 1965 musical.
According to tourism officials, 40 per cent of overnight stays in Salzburg are from fans of the film, although in Austria itself, the von Trapp villa isn’t that famous.
by Andy Moreton
Scheduled to open July 25, the team at Luxique will review the Villa Trapp hotel to see if it makes the grade to be included amongst our hand-picked Salzburg luxury hotels. Stay tuned.
