A trip to Italy (Dream Come True)

We're going to Italy. In three months, we'll wake up in Rome. To prepare for the trip, I'm exercising, reading about Renaissance art, and planning my wardrobe.

Kathy and I have been working out with a 20 year old personal trainer for a couple of months. My goal is to get my balance in better shape and to improve coordination. Oh, and the weight loss thing. Twice a week, Kathy and I make our elderly way to the gym and run, push and pull for an hour. It's torture, but the best thing we can do to get ourselves ready for the Tuscan hill country and all that gelato.

The artist I am most interested in seeing is Raphael, in particular, his painting School at Athens. It's a merging of art and science, which is what the Renaissance accomplished. I like School at Athens because it is Raphael's salute to his teachers and because of this story: Raphael was painting down the hall from Michelangelo, who was working on the Sistine Chapel Raphael was so impressed with Michelangelo's work that he smudged out the face of one of his people in School at Athens and painted in Michelangelo's face. You never know when you're being a teacher and what the reward will be. I think we'll see a lot of pietas and I well up when I think of standing in front of one. They look to be sculptures of tremendous feeling and I'm up for that.

As for the wardrobe! We are guests in Italy and I will dress accordingly. I'm thinking of going American classic - white shirt and dark jeans, although, I do not want to look like the Maytag repairman. Kathy got me a lovely white Talbots shirt for Christmas and I have one from Territory ahead. Blue denim may be too informal, so I may go with black denim. We visited REI a couple of wks ago and I bought a pair of black Keens, shoes that plant my feet and won't let me go over on my ankles. I also bought a pair of frog green (Keens) sneakers, making it official that I am moving into the comical clothing phase of my life. I have a Marc Singer Softwear jacket-y sort of thing to dress things up and I'll take a simple neutral raincoat.