In a few weeks, I will be in Italy, my favorite place in the world.  I had the extreme fortune of interning at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice six years ago. With southern Italian blood running through my veins, a year and a half of Italian language study under my belt, and a wealth of curiosity and excitement in my heart, I set off... and had one of the best summers of my life. I lived in Venice but saw Verona, Ravenna, Florence, Rome, Naples, Pompeii and Sorrento. I spoke to Italians in their own language day in and day out. I ate like a queen and came home trimmer because of the quality of their food and the hot walks in the Italian sun. And I promptly began dreaming (both asleep and awake) of my return for the next six years.

Now that it is nearly upon me, I can hardly contain my excitement. And you know me when I get excited - I hit the library and bookstore hard. Here's what will keep me busy over the next month as I prepare and then travel:

• Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino
• La Bella Figura - Beppe Severgnini
• The City of Falling Angels - John Berendt (re-read)
• The Wings of the Dove - Henry James
• The Aspern Papers - Henry James (re-read)
• History of My Life - Giacomo Casanova
• As the Romans Do - Alan Epstein
• La Bella Lingua - Dianne Hales

Got any other suggestions for me? I'm primarily interested in Venice and Rome.