Villa!

"Lets visit a historical home!" My children head for the hills and ten times further. Before they had choices about what to do on vacation, I dragged them to many a golden-age mansion, and colonial era village. I love peeking into another age, the rich and famous of yesteryear. I'm sure my kids will appreciate it again someday soon (they better).

The Veneto region of Italy is chalk-full of villas open to the public. Yesterday on our way from Venice to Verona we visited Vill Pisani in Venezia. It has the distinction of being able to say, "Napoleon once slept here." No really, Bonaparte slept there, once, as in one time. He bought the Villa from the Pisani family, slept there once, and then gave it to his stepson. For the occasion of his slumber, he had a bed and bathroom specifically and grandly designed. The bathroom is of note because it is the only bathroom in the Villa of well over 100 rooms that has an en-suite bathroom, very progressive for the time. The bath itself is sunk into the floor.

I do think

the kids would have enjoyed this home. There is a grand garden with a maze that, no

kidding, you needed markers to navigate. At the very least, the kids could go crazy finding

their way out of the maze while Mom and Dad checked out the stable (Martha Stewart eat your heart out.) pictured right.

Just to update: Got my luggage, have a new BF, the editor of Travel Girl magazine, the weather is spec

tacular (This California girl loves that!) and I dined in a Veronese Villa last night (What don't some American men understand about "no jeans"). Check out the view from my window.