Paul Schlarman

Sorrento (and Piano di Sorrento) is where we stayed for the first 10 days of our trip.

The isle of Capri is a 15 minute ride from Sorrento by fast boat. Amazing deep turquoise shorelines, rustic plaster homes draped in Bougainvillea, and warm gelato cones made while you wait are among its charms.

Positano is a wonderfully steep coastal town with only one street and a billion steps. I think we walked every inch and every step - twice..

What a beautiful town this must have been. We really got a sense of what it might have been like to live here while wandering the streets in the fading light...

Amalfi, the town for which the famous Italian cost is named, has an amazing Duomo (church) and plenty of charming little shops. A neck-wrenching bus ride to the top of the mountain above drops you in Ravello - absolutely charming in every way.

The architecture and art of Herculaneum is ever bit as grand as Pompeii. It's setting and scale, however, is not as wonderful. Dug out beneath surrounding Napoli neighborhoods, it is a great treasure nonetheless.

Rome is all you would expect as far as the classic ruins go - the Colosseum, Forum, etc. Despite the typical chaos of a large, bustling city, Rome has many wonderfully peaceful areas such as the Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese.

The obligitory stop on our route was as expected - beautiful, but a bit touristy for our taste. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the grass near the Duomo and then were on our way.

The "Five Lands" is a group of 5 coastal towns with limited or no car access allowed - wonderfully peaceful and beautiful as a result. A trail links all the towns.

One of the largest cities on the Italian Riviera, Genoa has some wonderful museums and Palazzos. We had the good fortune to visit on a Sunday when most businesses besides the museums were closed.

Next to Tuscany, our favorite area. The monastery where we stayed was outstanding and we had the entire place to ourselves! Wonderful people, beautiful scenery and climate and fantastic sites!

The setting for Romeo and Juliet, Verona has a wonderful colosseum which holds concerts and plays all summer and enough window shopping to last you a lifetime.

The "Aspen" of Italian lake country, it does not disappoint. Storybook palazzos line some of the most beautiful lake coastline anywhere.

Cortona, the setting for the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun", is a classic Tuscan hilltown. A relatively quiet town, we enjoyed the beautiful mosaics and a great Saturday market. We had the good fortune to stay in a home while we were there - a wonderful break from traditional travel lodging.

In my opinion, far and away the most beautiful part of Tuscany. Rolling fairytale tapestery of farms and wineries stitched together with threads of Cypress trees, dotted with castles and villas and bathed in the most beautiful light anywhere.

A wonderfully isolated coastal Tuscan hilltown with breathtaking views of the sea. Where else can you see archaeologists digging up ancient skeletons while 300 meters away windsurfers are riding the waves.

Siena, the most difficult place to park your car in the world, also has some beautiful piazza's, museums, duomos, and fantastic art.

The region for which the famous wine it produces is named was a relaxing backcountry diversion with fabulous scenery, hilltowns, art, and of course, wine.

The city of towers, where ancient families competed for the tallest and most beautiful tower, definitely has some interesting architecture. Other than that, however, it has become very touristy and is basically a big outdoor shopping mall.

Firenze is home to the Ufizzi gallery, containing some of the most important artwork in the world. We stayed at a beautifully maintined palazzo which is now a monastery. One of our favorite moments was sitting on the Ufizzi steps listening to the amazing guitarist Piotr Tomaszewski play to a small crowd.

Our only regret concerning Venezia is that we didn't stay a little longer. Despite the huge tourist draw, it is very easy to find a little canal of your own to enjoy. We bought a pair of beautiful Venetian masks here. Venezia is known for the masks (they have a version of Carnivale) and the popular Murano glass.