I'm running a little behind - reading in my Discover Italy book: "Driving in Italy can be a hair-raising experience for the uninitiated. Italian motorists are not reckless, they are simply attuned to a different concept of driving". - hmmmm - kind of a cute quote - we have rented a short car.


My backyard is barely welcoming spring. We may actually see the forsythia in full bloom, my Easter lily continues to amaze me and the bitty hostas will soon take over.


At the same time I am awaiting a visit to the Vatican, I am mentally planning my window boxes and flower beds.........and wondering if the apartment in Rome rented on the internet will really exist and will Antonino in Sorrento really answer when I call his cell phone at arrival - our first rental experience was in 1985 - yes 24 years ago - and the places have always existed - Ross' advice is to remember they use wide angle photos and what you see may not be exactly what you get! We have encountered places with "weak floors" as our travel friend Rose noted - slight dip in the upstairs - or 4 flights up a skinny staircase or maybe a coffeemaker so advanced we could not make coffee...or even a front door where the lock fell out and stayed that way as we opened the door. Oh, the joys of travel.