Mayor Menino's globe-trotting

When he travels overseas, typically once a year, Mayor Thomas M. Menino has made Italy a favored destination. He embarks on a trip tomorrow to a prestigious international forum at Cernobbio, on Lake Como, where he will be the only US mayor in attendance.

Date: September 2008
Location: Cernobbio, Italy
Duration: Three days
Accommodations: Villa d'Este, a five-star resort on the shore of Lake Como dubbed "one of the most exclusive hotels in the world" by Frommer's Menino is the only US mayor scheduled to attend a forum for world leaders, including Vice President Dick Cheney, titled "Intelligence on the World, Europe, and Italy." He is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion called "Cities as a Driver for Growth" and to speak at another session, "The Leaders of the Future: Leadership in a Globalized World"
Paid for by: European House Ambrosetti, a management consulting company that is sponsoring the forum

Date: September 2007
Location: Panama, Peru, Colombia
Duration: Four days
Menino was the only local politician on a journey intended to inform members of Congress about pending trade agreements with the Central and South American countries. Menino said he went to learn about trade opportunities for Boston businesses and to expand the city's global presence
Paid for by: the US government

Date: May 2006
Location: Rome
Duration: One week
Accommodations: Cavalieri Hilton, a hotel "high on a hill overlooking the eternal city" with five-star amenities.
Menino and his wife went as guests of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, which was in Italy celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Swiss Guard at the Vatican
Paid for by: Menino

Date: April 2005
Location: Istanbul
Duration: Five days
Accommodations: Ciragan Palace Hotel, a five-star hotel overlooking the Bosphorus Strait.
Menino was one of five speakers at a 75-minute panel discussion called "Making Life Better, Just as Planned," which explored the role of private and public partnerships in developing retail space
Paid for by: the International Council of Shopping Centers

Date: October 2003
Location: Rome, Venice, Padua
Duration: Six days
Accommodations: Aldrovandi Palace, Rome; Hotel Bauer, Venice; Hotel Toscanelli, in Padua.
Menino gave a speech about cancer screening at a conference sponsored by the European-American Urological Association in Rome, then gave a talk in Venice about Boston's Big Dig and participated in a short sister-city ceremony in Padua
Paid for by: the European-American Urological Association and the cities of Venice and Padua

Date: May 2002
Location: Rome
Menino joined more than 25 other mayors from around the world at the "Glocalization Conference," sponsored by the city of Rome and a nonprofit organization dedicated to inter-city relations
Paid for by: undisclosed