Arrivederci, Roma.

I don't wanna leave Paradise. Certainlty, not for Rome. Same goes for my true love. So we've decided to cancel plans to fly to Rome this weekend. Instead, I expect we'll go for a picnic. In the Pantaleo Forest in Sardinia. Along a narrow river bank. In an Alpine-like region. We come across the river after emerging from a thick woods. Across from what looks like a centuries old ramshackle stone farm building. Idyllic. I could stay here forever. Knowing that I had reached Paradise. Heaven. Nirvana. The Other Side. So peaceful. So tranquil. So serene. No reason to trade this for the hustle and bustle and turmoil and crowds we'd find in Rome. Sure, Rome is ancient. And has the reputation and architecture and pizazz to attract tourists. But Rome is no match for the countryside in Sardinia. My true love and I scouted the Pantaleo last weekend. When we got lost on the way to the seaside. Instead, we discovered a place more magnificent. My true love had not been to the Pantaleo since she was a child. She remembers hop-scotching across the river on rocks and stones. And it didn't matter if she mis-stepped into the crystal clear water. Only two feet deep. And now I am in love once again. With nature. A few days ago, it was love of the beach on Mediterranean Sea. Oh, I am so fickle. Now it's the sprawling Pantaleo Forest. So when my true love proposed canceling her business in Rome, and suggested we stay put, I heartily endorsed the idea. And started to lay plans for a return to the Pantaleo. With picnic basket, with wine, with a blanket. And with resolve to wade across the river. And let my feet dangle in the gentle flow. And I'll say arrivederci, Roma. Without ever arriving. --Jim Broede