Hello, friends: This is an old saying, but it was probably said before the invention of the automobile. If I had rented a car in Rome, and gone to drive as the Romans do, I would not have reached very far, and at least would not be in a position soon at the trauma center to narrate all this. But, as you will see from my photographs that Italians are generally jovial, lively and art and music loving and movie going people. At the popular Trevi fountain, there emerged, all of a sudden, 4 or 5 enthusiastic musicians with all kinds of musical hardware aiming to entertain the tourists, who were more interested in throwing coins into the fountain than in a hat! In Rome, I saw imposing structures which mostly were old, very old or very very old.

There is another saying, "Rome was not built in a day." Oh yes, I absolutely agree. Ask any tired walker or a frustrated driver and you will hear the same thing!

Finally, the leaning tower of Pisa was very impressive, in spite of the obvious flaw in the masonary, which left it with the leaning defect. I kept my distance and also avoided both risking going up on the tower and standing outside on its leaning side. Best wishes. JARIS