I have started on City of Fallen Angels, by John Berendt, and it is a very interesting read. I think I like this book a little better because it relates directly to Venice. It is interesting to read that he chose to visit Venice during times when the city is less populated by tourists; this was interesting because we are going to Venice in the "low period" of tourists, so hopefully my experiences there can be more real and less touristic.

One interesting part of the book was the description of the burning Opera House. They weren't able to effectively fight the fire because of the canals and the response time. One of the past projects I reviewed was designing an ambulance system for Venice, since the current one was slow and depended entirely on the expertise of the boat drivers, and how well they knew the tide and the traffic conditions. It seems that they are still having problems with that kind of thing; I feel like that is something they should be, if they are not already, adressing.

Continuing with The Dark Heart of Italy, the author makes a point that the Catholic church has a lot to do with family dynamics. I heard from my friend, Sara, who spent the summer in Italy, that the families stay together. I looked it up, and children usually live in the same town as they grew up it, or very close. The author made an interesting correlation, saying that because of the church, and the Madonna in particular, this is what underlies all of the family values and traditions found in Italy. I wonder if it is true. It seems to make sense.

On a side note, I am very excited to see some of the churches in Venice. I also plan on going to Rome, to see the Vatican, which has some of the best religious and historical art in the world. Only 12 days left!

It is interesting how Italians see style and conversation...from what I can get from "The Dark Heart of Italy", Italians seem to be more "civilized". Certainly they dress more stylishly than Americans, that will be something to remember when we are over there. I have already begun to think about what would be appropriate to wear in Venice. The book discusses the fashion world of Italy, which is very sophisticated. But then, all of the best designers come from Italy. I will have to see what I can and cannot wear over in Venice.