Italy - I want to go there!

I talked to YS via IM this morning. He is loving Italy. He is in the Lake Como area right now, specifically today he was in Bellagio (I thought that was a casino in Las Vegas). He said that no picture he could take could show how amazingly beautiful it is there. This is from a kid who's been to the Lake Louise and Banff in the amazing Canadian Rockies, to Yellowstone, to Scotland and the Isle of Skye, and who has been in France for the past two months. He said The Spouse and I have to go to Como. I asked him if his dad would be bored there. He said "you guys like small towns with nothing to do, right? LOL." He reiterated that it is awesomely beautiful. He spent two days in Florence before arriving in Como, and loved it. Unfortunately, they didn't have a lot of time, so he didn't get to go inside the Duomo!!! He didn't climb the 436 steps to the top of the dome - Brunelleschi's famously beautiful dome. How sad. From what I've seen of Italy in travelogues, you need at least 3 days in Florence to see the major sights. He did see Michelangelo's David and went to the Uffizi Gallery, though his lack of art history classes meant he didn't recognize most of the artists. I, on the other hand, am an avid fan of Italian Renaissance art, and seeing a real live Giotto or Caravaggio in person would make me cry. He did appreciate the artwork, though he wasn't familiar with the artists.

I am watching a DVD called Visions of Italy and it is breathtaking. It is shot from a helicopter, and the two DVDs cover all of Italy. I am watching the part on Rome right now. I have to go there. I watched the part on Northern Italy earlier, and it showed the Lake Como area, specifically Bellagio. It really is breathtakingly beautiful. I have decided that I want to spend the rest of my life traveling around Europe. I'll be taking donations on my special website so you can all contribute to this worthy cause. Sigh.

Now, back to reality. It's sunny today, and I think it's supposed to be near 70. I will go for a nice walk at lunch. For now, it's tme to hit the showers. Ciao, mi amici!