I have a friend who asked me to celebrate Pangea Day with him. I had never heard about it, and since the word Pangea connotes something intestinal for me, I thought I’d do a wee bit of research before I said yes. After checking out PangeaDay.org, my impression is that it looks like a cool global event where you can see the world and get a sense of other cultures and individual stories through film.

The aim of this massive cross-continental shindig is to help melt borders and differences through film, live music and speakers. According to definr, the word Pangea means “a hypothetical continent including all the landmass of the Earth prior to the Triassic period when it split into Laurasia and Gondwanaland” — which now makes total sense to me.

When: Pangea Day is Friday, May 10, 2008

How to participate: Starting at 11 a.m. (PDT), 24 films will be showing over four hours at various locations. You will be able to watch the films at an event, over the Internet, on TV, on your mobile phone and in some movie theaters. Use the map and look for events with a white dot to find locations that are still accepting guests.

Who’s onboard: The Pangea Day channel on YouTube includes support from celebrities such as Cameron Diaz, Forest Whitaker, Tony Robbins, Robin Williams and more.

— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel Deal Blogger

[Image: PangeaDay.org]

Susan Spano’s Postcards From Rome

For lovers of art and the Eternal City, there is a new exhibition on the glories of Rome in the 15th century.

“Il 400 a Roma” at the Museo del Corso in Rome, which runs through Sept. 7, begins with a digitized map showing the city as it was in the 1400s, a time of municipal rebirth following the return of the papacy to Rome after its 100-year sojourn in Avignon, France.

The exhibition focuses on building projects such as the Palazzo Venezia, begun in 1455; silver; ceramics; sculpture; and painting.

The show also focuses on the era’s great art patrons such as Pope Sixtus IV. Occupying the papal throne from 1471 to 1484, he restored scores of churches in Rome and began the Sistine Chapel.

Precious artworks from all over Europe are part of the show, including paintings by Piero della Francesca, Perugino and Filippo Lippi. Of special interest is the high-tech reconstruction of Lippi’s frescoes from the Carafa Chapel in the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.

Tickets cost about .50, including an audio guide.

[Ed.: Stay tuned for more updates shortly…in the meantime, here’s a link to Susan’s greatest Travek hits.]

— Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

[Image: Museo del Corso website]