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Smart News / Smart News Travel

Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893

‘The Scream’ Gets a New Home in Norway’s $650 Million National Museum

The recently opened facility has an entire room dedicated to Norwegian painter Edvard Munch

Mountain goats at Yellowstone National Park

Good News

National Parks Aim to Phase Out All Single-Use Plastics by 2032

Visitors to the iconic U.S. sites will see utensils and cups made from biodegradable, compostable and recycled materials

A new exhibition in Marseille recreates the famous cave and the art found within. 

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Tour a Submerged Cave Packed With Paleolithic Art—Without Ever Venturing Underwater

As sea levels rise, an immersive new exhibition in Marseille lets visitors explore an inaccessible cavern’s archaeological treasures

The Mona Lisa is the most popular painting at the Louvre in Paris.

Disguised Protester Smears Cake on High-Tech Glass Protecting the ‘Mona Lisa’

It’s the latest in a long string of attempts to vandalize the world’s most famous painting

Adam W. McKinney dances in front of a former KKK headquarters in Fort Worth. 

Past Imperfect

Texas Artists Are Taking Over—and Transforming—a Former KKK Building

Those once terrorized by the Klan will decide on the center’s events and programming

Grotto Geyser in Yellowstone National Park

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Scientists Map Yellowstone’s Underground ‘Plumbing’

The new survey could be useful for everything from microbiology to thermal energy

The Carabinieri Police Cultural Heritage Protection Unit returned the painting to the government in a May 19 ceremony.  

Italian Art Police Recovered a Long-Lost Titian. But Is It Really the Renaissance Master’s Work?

The recently confiscated painting is worth an estimated $7 million

Kalush Orchestra smashed records in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. 

Good News

A Ukrainian Band Just Won the World’s Most Popular Song Competition

Kalush Orchestra’s “Stefania” is a tribute to the frontman’s mother—and the group’s embattled motherland

Wild boars are causing major issues in Italy.

Wild Boars Are Ransacking Rome

The Italian government plans to cull the population after at least one animal tested positive for a contagious swine fever

With sea levels rising at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, two houses collapsed this week because of coastal erosion and stormy weather. Officials have identified others that are endangered.

Why Homes Are Collapsing on Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Two unoccupied houses fell into the Atlantic Ocean on North Carolina’s Outer Banks this week

When access to the interior of the statue is permitted, visitiors will be able to take in the surrounding views from the glass-encased heart at Jesus' chest.

A New Statue of Jesus Is the World’s Tallest—for Now

“Christ the Protector” is taller than Rio de Janeiro’s most famous monument

Originally founded in 1889, the Moulin Rouge has been a Parisian landmark for more than 130 years. 

Cultural Travel

The Windmill That Gave Paris’ Moulin Rouge Its Name Is Now an Airbnb—And Is Booking for Just $1

A lavish room atop the iconic performance venue will welcome travelers for three nights in June

The violin has been called the ‘da Vinci’ for some time, but is called ‘da Vinci, Ex-Seidel’ since Toscha Seidel parted ways with it.

This 308-Year-Old Violin Could Become the Most Expensive Ever Sold

The “da Vinci, ex-Seidel” instrument’s estimated worth is $20 Million

Adam Hardin's 2.38-carat brown diamond "Frankenstone" is the size of a pinto bean.

Cool Finds

Treasure Hunter Unearths 2.38-Carat ‘Frankenstone’ Diamond

Adam Hardin discovered the impressive brown gem at an Arkansas state park

Tourists flock to Venice for its architecture and waterways.

Flooded by Tourists, Venice to Start Charging Access Fees

The pilot program to limit tourist access to the “Floating City” is voluntary—for now

Archeologists work in the ruins of the temple of Zeus Kasios, a deity that merges the Greek god and Mount Kasios. 

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Temple in Egypt Inspired by Greek God Zeus

The deity was honored throughout the ancient world

Members of the Portela samba school perform during Rio's Carnival parade.

Good News

Carnival Makes a Triumphant Return to Rio de Janeiro

Covid canceled the 2021 festival. Now, the Brazilian city is reclaiming its streets

Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson depicted the experiences of Black Americans through often-overlooked, working-class characters.

How Playwright August Wilson Captured the Highs and Lows of Black America

An immersive exhibition in Pittsburgh explores the award-winning dramatist’s life and legacy

The FORMAT festival will be held on 250 acres of open green land just a few miles outside of Bentonville, Arkansas.

Walmart Heirs Launch New Music Festival in Bid to Make Arkansas an Art Destination

FORMAT will bring big-name musicians, contemporary artists to Bentonville

Ukrainian artist Kinder Album's "Ukrainians Will Resist" is one of a variety of new artworks by Ukrainian artists being exhibited at the upcoming Venice Biennale.

Good News

Venice Biennale Includes Last-Minute Exhibition of Ukrainian Art

Curators joined efforts to ensure artists could showcase their work, even during wartime

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