Friday Fishwrap: Europe Travel Snippets

Where Buffalo Roam. Quick, what nationality of explorer "discovered" the source of the Mississippi river and lived among the Sioux? Italian? No way, right? But if you said Costantino Beltrami, a native of Bergamo, Italy, you'd be showing your genius. You can see an exhibit "A Bergamo Man Among the Sioux" free of charge at Bergamo's Natural History Museum from October 27 to May 2.

Gay Italy. Italy has won top place among the world's travel destinations in the outTraveler reader's choice awards, despite the fact that "it surrounds the seat of the papacy in Vatican City, refuses to embrace gay tourism like the rest of Western Europe has, and requires a membership card to visit most of its gay bars."

Cat-Jacking? So your cat goes wandering off in Appleton, Wisconsin. Where does it end up? On a cargo ship to France?. Think of the adventure. Think of the succulent mice roaming the hold of that cargo ship: Missing U.S. cat found in France.

Postcards from the Edge. Remember when you could rely on getting a post card from close friends when they went on the Grand Tour of Europe? Now you get a lousy email. Big deal. But if you check out Postcrossing - The Postcard Crossing Project you can get a postcard from somewhere in the world for every one you send.

Mountain Get Away. Need to get away to the mountains, with craggy peaks instead of your boss in your face? Check out Pension Briol in Italy's South Tirol. Cheap, historic, gourmet, and way out there. Link via Vagablond.

By the way, the picture at the upper left is of a bass in parchment from a restaurant in Viareggio, Italy. It was good.