ROME (AP) — Italy’s economics minister promised to discuss the future of Milan’s Malpensa hub with local officials to defuse tensions over the expected downsizing of the airport if loss-making carrier Alitalia is sold to Air France-KLM. Air France-KLM has said that if it takes over Alitalia it will significantly scale down Malpensa, keeping Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci as its sole international hub in Italy. Padoa-Schioppa added, however, that “the problem with Malpensa is neither Alitalia nor Air France. Ever since its revamping and reopening as an international hub in 1998, Malpensa has been plagued by flight delays, logistical difficulties and a scandal years ago when some of its employees were allegedly stealing from luggage. The Northern League — a party with a strong regional identity — has threatened strikes and blockades in opposition to the Air France-KLM bid. read more
Tags: , alitalia, franceklm, malpensa, hub, air, leonardo da vinci paintings, leonardo da vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus , the largest collection of drawings and writings by the Renaissance master, is being destroyed by mould because of lack of restoration funds. They said that the restoration would be a lengthy and costly process involving drying the volumes, cleaning the pages and removing the spores of mould and analysing them, before treating the codex. It was bought by Bill Gates / Gates Foundation - yes , of MicroSoft fame - and has spent money and time to restore it, for the public to appreciate for posterity. Contact our advertising team for advertising and sponsorship in Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here . read more
Tags: times, , frosinini, mould, restoration, leonardo da vinci, leonardo da vinci paintings, codex
Many of the 1200 sheets in the codex, which are kept at the Ambrosian Library in Milan and bound in 12 volumes, have been stained and damaged by mould. Bambach said that there were ‘a large number of stains’ and ’swellings’ in the paper of the codex, reports Times Online. After discovering, she raised the alarm by informing Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi, then the head of the Ambrosian Library, now head of the pontifical Council for Culture at the Vatican. However, since there was no funding available, four Florence restorers, including Garbriele Coccolini, Cecilia Frosinini, Letizia Montalbano and Roberto Boddi, travelled to Milan at their own expense. Boddi, a climatologist, said that the problem had arisen partly because the volumes were consulted by visiting scholars and exposed to the atmosphere and humidity. Various types of mould, in colours ranging from black to red and purple, were identified on the drawings, which include sketches for some of Leonardo’s most ingenious inventions. read more
Tags: ambrosian, damage, boddi, bambach, florence, leonardo da vinci, leonardo da vinci paintings, codex
An airport staff dressed in a Santa outfit handed out sweets to passengers waiting in a tent erected outside terminal four of Heathrow airport, Friday, Dec. I am not quite sure how people with children or those who are elderly or have disabilities are expected to handle them. So outing the worst airports may be more useful than praising the best. I recently had the misfortune to arrive at Heathrow from Rome late at night, around the same time as jumbos from Moscow; Almaty, Kazakhstan; Islamabad; Lagos; and other far-flung locations. The result is the human traffic jam outside the screening area as people attempt to cram laptops into handbags or handbags into laptop carriers. read more
Tags: leonardo da vinci paintings, security, airports, leonardo da vinci, area, laptops, heathrow, airport
