Warnings about pickpockets were rampant, but we were so wedged in by other tourists in Rome and Florence I didn't see how a gypsy could get through the phalanxes. We were continually surrounded by non-Italians. Indeed, we were on Italian soil three days before I heard any Italian spoken.

Italy hosts 17 million visitors yearly and its population is 27 million. Actually, I think the guides got those numbers reversed. I knew the Vatican would be crowded, but I had no idea I'd be buffeted through the Sistine Chapel, rather than walk through under my own locomotion.

And looking up while being pushed forward is a dizzying spectacle. I expected to be dizzied—but by awe, not by compaction and movement. Who expected the room to be so vast or so high? "Chapel" seems to imply intimacy; and I'd seen slides of the painstaking, millimeter-by-millimeter cleanup of the frescos.

Astounding was the difference between before and after cleaning! But slides give no clear sense of the size of the room or its height. Overwhelming doesn't do it justice, to say nothing of Michelangelo's unbelievable artwork.

It was a job he didn't want: he was a sculptor, not a painter. And he paid a high price for the assignment: it meant back trouble and damaged vision for the rest of his life, what with paint dripping down into his eyes. He did the work on a scaffold, but not on his back, we were told.

Another surprising dimension for me was the Leaning Tower of Pisa. There are two glorious round buildings in front of the tower, the baptistry and the church. Both are incredible: testaments to the grandeur of 1100 and 1200 (respectively) architecture. More grand outside than in, we were told, since there wasn't time to go in.

But the most amazing thing of all in Pisa is that that tower really leans ... I was overwhelmed. And my companion wouldn't venture into its shadow, or such was her fear on earlier visits. This time she was braver. I imagine the lure of gelato being sold in a cafe in its (descending) pathway helped.

Plus, we had just been told how many thousands of tons of boulders had been placed recently on the non-leaning side to avert still more sinking and listing: its propensity to lean keeps on going, meter by meter, year by year. Italian officialdom doesn't want it set to rights, has no interest in such heresy.

The number of stalls along the walk before you reach the monument testifies to why. There must also be a town of Pisa, but all we saw was part of the town wall. So where do all the vendors live?

However did the Romans build such staggeringly magnificent structures given the engineering knowledge and tools of that time? 'Tis a bafflement. Bridges from the Roman period are still in use, as you probably know.

DIVINE DESIGN: Rebecca Burns-Tufano has just published a book on spirituality in daily life titled Start with Spirit! Reinvent your Life with Divine Design. It evolved from her 20 years of Buddhist practice, her degree in economics from Stanford and her work as CEO for McKinsey Alumni in Development.

The book is aimed at people who are open to finding new ways to create a life both spiritually and materially fulfilling. Some of the processes Burns-Tufano employs are meditation insight, keeping a journal and learning how to pursue your passion. "We have wisdom that we don't always access," she says.

What is your higher self? she asks. And what is the difference between that and your everyday life? Start with Spirit teaches you how to cross that gap. Burns-Tufano got interested in Buddhism when she was an exchange student in Brazil after she graduated from high school.

Turned out the father of that Brazilian household was a Buddhist. After that time she met others who practiced Buddhism and her interest in the belief was piqued—a gradual evolution of some 10 years.

Her consulting company is called Corum Consulting, an amalgam of collaborative outcomes. "I help those I consult make their dreams come true," she says. The book is available on Amazon.com and Iuniverse.com.

NEW MEMBERS: Newest members of Saratoga's venerable Foothill Club are Marcy Burns, Marilyn Clawson, Dr. Justine Forbes, Bonnie Holbrook, Ruth Ann Holleran, Ann Lisick, Marcia Manzo, Charlene McCaskey, Karen Pock, Denise Renola and Julie Riccomini.

All have been active in the community. Club projects include holiday food baskets, public lectures and preparing for the club centennial in 2007.

FASHIONS: Saratoga Village Development Council will host a fashion show by Flobell Boutique Nov. 6, 4-7 p.m. at the Foothill Club. Tickets at $40 are at Flobell, Fat Robin, the Butter Paddle, Curves.

Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to maryanncook@earthlink.net.