tourism-italia.com

Maybe it’s just me, but I find the idea of a 60 metre statue of a saint having the ability to recycle solar energy really weird. But that’s the plan of the curators of the shrine of Padre Pio. They want to build a statue of the friar atop a hill in Rignano Garganico, where it will be able to collect and recycle solar energy thanks to a new paint being developed by scientists in Bologna. When it is finished, the statue of Padre Pio will be the world’s first example of ‘green’ religious art. However, the statue will cost several million euros to build, which the curators say will be collected from the followers of Padre Pio. Padre Pio’s shrine in Foggia draws almost a million visitors every year and makes millions of euros for the local economy. The annual turnover of the shrine is said to be close to 120 million euros, which includes souvenirs, two magazines, a satellite TV station, and the offerings of its pilgrims. This is all well and good, but the idea of a giant statue of a saint which can recycle solar energy still sounds like some space age project that will never really work!

Yesterday, Ryanair announced that from March 2009 they will be offering seven new international flights and four new domestic flights from Bologna. Ryanair estimates that these new routes will bring 800,000 passengers to Bologna each year. So good news for local tourism! Ryanair also believes that the flights will support 2,000 local jobs. The new routes include destinations such as Edinburgh, Paris and Bari. Now I’m a big fan of low-cost airlines as they do what they say on the tin: They get you to your destination with no extra frills or costs. So Bologna, here I come!