Italy Shows Just How Crazy Coronavirus Panic Can Get

Plus, the forgotten gem perched on the Indian Ocean

Subscribe View in browser  The entire world in your inbox. I'm a bit nervous coming back after having Malcolm Jones fill in for this weekly newsletter. As you witnessed, he can turn even this tiny space into something clever and funny.   My time away was spent in Hawaii and Bali just as fears about coronavirus were reaching fever pitch. Bali's economy relies heavily on tourism, and has already been dealt a heavy blow. The past few weeks should have seen the island flooded with Chinese tourists during the New Year, but instead hotels sat empty, major sights no longer teeming, and workers sent home.   Which brings us to our lead story this week from Rome correspondent Barbie Latza Nadeau. Barbie takes us inside the hysteria and shame gripping the Eternal City and Italy as a whole as it became the first center of a major outbreak in the west. As she wryly notes, "the world is panicking and now those Italians who wouldn't go into Chinese restaurants when the virus first broke the confines of China are feeling xenophobia against them." Fascinating stuff!   —William O'Connor, Travel Editor  This Beautiful Modern Library is for Fans of Shiny Things From its curved, ship-like form, to its lively glass hexagonal facings reminiscent of a mosaic—the library plays with light like no other structure in the city. The Discovery That Ties an Ancient Pottery Shard to a Cryptocurrency The clay piece contains the earliest known example of an ancient letter. The Forgotten Gem Perched on the Indian Ocean On the overlooked end of an island, old Sri Lanka culture still shines through. Los Angeles' First Olympics Changed It Forever A city that had seen its population double in a decade was the center of the world for a few weeks, and both the athletes and movie stars took full advantage. "Frankly, as a first-timer, I found the most startling thing was how little information is out there about what to actually expect on your first heli-skiing trip."   —Todd Plummer gives readers a handy breakdown of what you need to know before thinking about your first heli-skiing trip. OMG, I Want to Rent This House: Costa Rica Villa Fugata, Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica on Vrbo: History is littered with those who have spent their lives seeking paradise. They've sailed across oceans, pursued transcendence through visions and adventures, and put their utopian dreams into treatises both fictional and philosophical. After all that blood, sweat, and tears, it's a shame that all they had to do to find the paradise they craved was visit a cliff overlooking Playa Flamingo in Costa Rica. RENT ON VRBO >> Don't Leave Home Without the 'LectroFan Micro   The LectroFan Micro Wireless Sleep Sound Machine is the tiniest white noise machine I've seen and it's been the only one I've been around that didn't make me want to throw it out the window. It has 10 different sounds, with five fan sounds, four white noise options, and even an ocean sound. It has a futuristic swivel design that lets you project the sound exactly where you want it (and it also looks pretty cool). Plus, it doubles as a mini Bluetooth speaker. It has a built-in, rechargeable battery that'll last you up to 16 hours. It's now officially on our must-pack list for every vacation we go on. BUY ON AMAZON >> Travel Inside the World's Coolest Cabins   We're not sure what it is, but everybody we know finds the idea of a cabin romantic. By romantic, we don't mean in terms of two people in love, but rather as something we idealize, especially when it comes to getting away from it all. That's why it's no surprise that the latest selection for our series on exciting new travel-related coffee table books is Cabin Porn: Inside by Zach Klein and Freda Moon. BUY ON AMAZON >> Please note that if you buy something featured in one of our posts or newsletters, The Daily Beast may collect a share of sales. © Copyright 2020 The Daily Beast Company LLC  555 W. 18th Street, New York NY 10011  Privacy Policy If you are on a mobile device or cannot view the images in this message, click here to view this email in your browser. To ensure delivery of these emails, please add emails@thedailybeast.com to your address book. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, or think you have received this message in error, you can safely unsubscribe.