Geography:

Area: 116,303 sq. mi.
Slightly larger than Arizona, or about the size of Georgia and Florida combined.
Population: 60.6 million.
Capital - Rome (pop. 2.8 million).
Terrain: Mostly rugged and mountainous.
Climate: Generally mild; cold northern winters (which is why we are traveling in Spring).

Our Itinerary:

While our plans are not yet carved in tablets of stone (Monica complained about chisel blisters and writer's cramp), this is an outline of our goals. We will begin our honeymoon by exploring ancient Rome. After several days of touring the monolithic architecture of this once glorious civilization, we're off to the sinking city of Venice. Our next destination is uncertain but includes exploration of the northern region. We'd like to visit Verona to experience the massive arenas from AD, medieval cities, and other Roman ruins. Of course, at anytime we may find ourselves wandering into a museum or basilica. And finally, its our chance to spend a few days at stunning Lake Como with the soaring Alps in the background. Then to Milan for some world class souvenir hunting before our flight home. Monica has been warned she cannot buy any shoes (ok, maybe one pair of sandals and a toga).

Much of the fun of our trip will be allowing it to unfold as we go - on planes, trains, and gondolas. We'll eat at plenty of ristorantes, but we might just go to a market and get some bread and local cheese for lunch. If there's a castle that looks interesting, we'll storm the castle for a tour. As our lodging choices aren't cheap, we're "splitting" nightly installments in two. So, two "gifts" equals one night. No worries if you choose to give one. Hopefully someone else will generously sponsor the remaining half. Or, Craig will stay up all night, though Monica will miss him (but enjoy sprawling out in the center of the bed). We are excited for this adventure that awaits, and the memories and tall tales that we will share with all of you upon our return.

Top 10 fun facts about Italy, its people, and its history:

1. Rome is further North than New York City.
2. In Rome it only snows once every few years while in New York winter snow is very frequent
3. Pizza was "invented" in Naples around 1860s
4. The Italian flag is inspired by the French flag introduced during Napoleon's 1797 invasion
5. The average Italian makes $26,700 a year
6. The thermometer is an Italian invention.
7. The name of Electricity measurement Volt comes from Alessandro Volta who invented the first battery in 1779
8. The children's story, Pinocchio , was written by an Italian.
9. The piano hails from Italy.
10. Famous Italian explorers include Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo
Bonus fact: The average Italian consumes half a pound of bread a day.

People and History:

Italy is diverse culturally, economically, and politically. Italy has the fifth-highest population density in Europe, about 500 per sq. mi.. Greeks settled in the southern tip of the Italian Peninsula in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C.; Etruscans, Romans, and others inhabited the central and northern mainland. The peninsula subsequently was unified under the Roman Republic. The neighboring islands came under Roman control by the third century B.C.; by the first century A.D., the Roman Empire effectively dominated the Mediterranean world. After the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West in the fifth century A.D., the peninsula and islands were subjected to a series of invasions, and unity was lost. Italy became a changing succession of small states and kingdoms.

Popes of Rome ruled central Italy; but there were rivalries between the popes and the Holy
Roman Emperors, who claimed Italy as their domain. The commercial prosperity of northern and central Italian cities, beginning in the 11th century, combined with the influence of the Renaissance, mitigated the effects of these medieval rivalries. By the early 19th century, a nationalist movement developed and led to the reunification of Italy--except for Rome--in the 1860s. In 1861, Victor Emmanuel II of the House of Savoy was proclaimed King of Italy. Rome was incorporated in 1870. From 1870 until 1922, Italy was a constitutional monarchy with a parliament.

Italy's Cultural Contributions:

Europe's Renaissance period began in Italy during the 14th and 15th centuries. Literary achievements--such as the poetry of Petrarch, Tasso, and Ariosto and the prose of Boccaccio, Machiavelli, and Castiglione--exerted a tremendous and lasting influence on the subsequent development of Western civilization, as did the painting, sculpture, and architecture contributed by giants such as da Vinci, Raphael, Botticelli, Fra Angelico, and Michelangelo.

The musical influence of Italian composers Monteverdi, Palestrina, and Vivaldi proved epochal; in the 19th century, Italian romantic opera flourished under composers Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, and Giacomo Puccini. Contemporary Italian artists, writers, filmmakers, architects, composers, and designers contribute significantly to Western culture.