Oh yeah, sexy woman, fast cars, fancy shoes? No, no, we all know it is much more than all that. It is the .......

Hot guys. ;-) The art. The food.

The wine!!

Porcini mushrooms.

Amore!

Caffe corretto with grappa! Limoncello! Good olive oil, pasta, pizza and the likes.

Approaching by boat on a cool fall morning and having the sun slowly burn away the mist to reveal the grand city of Venice.

The rosemary bushes, the hunks of cheese, the gelato, shutters on the villas, the slices of pizza!!
Can't wait
And can I say the wine even though Budman said it already????
Vino

Gelato!

Pepperoncino dark chocolate. Pecorino cheese. Roasted peppers. Short Grammas in black. Old men smoking pipes. Dark green Cypress trees.Ancient crumbling walls. Rich red rooftops. Il dolce niente.

pickpockets

Oh wow - my list is endless

panforte
sfogliatelle
gorgonzola al mascarpone
fettuccini al salmone
pesto
brunello di montalcino
bellini
panettone ...

Steve

Bees buzzing in the grape vines along a path on Capri.

Getting bundled up and walking around a sleeping city in early morning or late evening.

Listening to the church bells echo off ancient walls

For me:
1)The scent of jasmine and lemons in the air.
2)Torrone!

October 11th makes me thing of Italy...that's when we leave Tampa for Rome & Tuscany!!!

The Sistine Chapel in Rome
The town of Bellagio on Lake Como
"The Last Supper" in Milan
The frescoes In the Church of San Francesco in Arrezo
The Giotto frescoes in Padua
The Palladian villas on the Bretna Canal
The Uffizi in Florence
The view of Florence from Fiesole
The crypt of Saint Francis in Assisi
Piazza San Marco in Venice
Florians in Venice
Capri and the Amalfi Coast
Portofino
Granitas at Rosati in Rome
and yes the food!

When my "Italian" daughter makes us gnochi for dinner...and when she starts "going off" in Italian sometimes...and opera and Andreas Bocelli...and the smell of fresh oregeno and really good tomatoes...

Church bells

Beautiful piazzas

The history

The various centuries of architect

The Italian people

The love of life

The food

The wine

The customs

The fact that some of my friends live in buildings that were built before Columbus arrived in what is now known as America

The love of their land

The Italians sense of style and design

Did I mention the food and wine?? Yes degas I did but it is worth mentioning twice

The variety in this long narrow country including the microclimates.

The mountains, the plains, the rivers, the seasides, the cities, the small towns, the villages, the islands

The slow way of life and at the same time the fast pace especially when drinking an espresso at the bar, driving a car, talking

If you are a friend you are a friend and if you are an enemy you are an enemy

Italy..I love it!!!

A novel called "The Food of Love" by Anthony Capella. It's about an American art student in Trastevere, her love of food, Roman guys, etc etc. Great fun and a perfect light read if you've been or are going to Italy.