If you haven't the time or money for a relaxing vacation, this book is the next best thing. In it we travel through Italy and, at the close, into the countryside around London. Along the way we stop at Pisa, Trieste, Vipiteno, and the London suburbs. There are Italian luminaries to be encountered; Vivaldi, architect Pietro Porcinai, and many others. We get the opportunity to stroll through gardens and on hillsides. And, of course, we are delighted to spot so many items of Italian design; Ferraris, a Christofori piano, and even the humble Moka pot. There is humor here as well as delicate imagery. The poem Il Prete Rosso Running works on many levels as he has 'his mind on the great race which is set before him'. Give yourself a mental vacation and pick up this book-you won't regret it. -Shutta Crum, award-winning author of 'When You Get Here' and other volumes of poetry.