Excursions:

From the Piazza del Duomo to the Campanile to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the center of Florence alone could occupy an aesthete for years. Add the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, the Palace of Lorenzo il Magnifico, the Palazzo della Signoria, the church of Orsanmichele, the Piazza della Signoria with the Arnolfo tower… and you will have used up your lifetime and have no years left for the most famous art museum in the world: the Uffizi Gallery.

Tired of art history? From leather to shoes to renaissance style ceramics, the shopping in Florence is world-renowned. Once you are used to discovering the artisans in their shops actually working on the pieces sold, take at least a week to get lost in the small streets where you might happen upon a shoemaker, potter, or jewelry maker working at the price range and offering the personality you seek.

Beyond Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, the pre-Roman city of Volterra, all beckon - as does wine-tasting in Chianti, of course.

On Sardinia, see the breath-taking sea caves "Grotte di Nettuno," which are accessible by authorized vessels departing daily from the main port or from "Capo Caccia," or by a cliff-hanging walk down the breath-taking stairs (only 654 steps!) "Esacala del Cabirol." There are also numerous points of historical and cultural interest, such as the intriguing ruins left behind by the mysterious Neolithic "Nuraghic" civilization, which you can explore at the "Palmavera" or "Anghelu Ruju" complexes. Equally interesting are the "bastioni", the high fortified walls dotted with lookout towers that encircle the city's western waterfront and southern flank.