Wild pizza in Verona, Italy; sleep in a Michigan lighthouse
Saporè DownTown is an intriguingly experimental contemporary pizzeria in Verona, Italy. Chef Renato Bosco opened the original in 2006; it has since appeared on several best-pizza-in-Italy lists. Bosco is a crust man, whose years of experimentation have rendered a wild range of results. Those range from crispy-chewy, almost-traditional round pies with no added yeast to his triangular, ethereally light aria di pane style and the oddball mozzarella di pane, inspired by Asian-style steamed buns. We were especially enchanted by the no-added-yeast Pancetta pizza, which came slathered with pumpkin cream, dolloped with mozzarella, studded with pancetta cotta and topped with generous shavings of nutty, sharp Asiago stravecchio (boscorenato.it).
New York Times
Epcot adding American Indian gallery
Change is on the way to a Walt Disney World art exhibit at Epcot's American Adventure. "Creating Tradition: Innovation and Change in American Indian Art" will move into the American Heritage Gallery sometime this summer, according to a post on the official Disney Parks Blog. It will be a collaboration of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture of Santa Fe, N.M., and the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Featured artists will be fashion designer Loren Aragon, doll maker Glenda McKay and Juanita Growing Thunder of Montana.
Orlando Sentinel
Mekong River cruise
Save $760 to $1,133 on CroisiEurope's Traveling Up the Mekong River cruise between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Siem Reap, Cambodia. Savings apply to sailings in August and September and vary by departure date. The 10-night cruise departing Aug. 31 or Sept. 16 starts at $1,786 per person double, a savings of $1,017. Price includes shore excursions and port charges (1-800-768-7232; croisieuroperivercruises.com/special-offers).
Washington Post
Sleep in a lighthouse
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Big Bay Point Lighthouse in Big Bay, Mich., is run by avid preservationists eager to share local history. Their goal is to maintain the romance of an era when mariners relied on the skill of a light keeper to bring them safely through this challenging stretch of Upper Peninsula coastline. Today visitors enjoy the peaceful solitude of the pristine, cliffside location overlooking Lake Superior. Hiking, biking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are available on 40 acres of trails. A full breakfast is included. For safety reasons, children must be 16 or older (bigbaylighthouse.com).
FamilyTravel.com
'The Beach' is closed
Hordes of tourists have exhausted the Thai beach made famous by the 1999 Leonardo DiCaprio movie "The Beach." Maya Bay, on Phi Phi Leh island in the Andaman Sea, will be closed to all visitors for four months annually starting this June to allow for the recovery of the battered coral reefs and sea life. "It's like someone who has been working for decades and has never stopped," said Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a prominent marine scientist. "Overworked and tired, all the beauty of the beach is gone. We need a timeout for the beach." The beach receives an average of 200 boats and 4,000 visitors each day. Recent surveys found a large part of the coral reefs around the area is gone and sea life has virtually disappeared.
Associated Press
about the writer
Massive burritos, brothless ramen, cake muffin and a cup of Dayton’s nostalgia.