Rosemary Perkins asked about a nice hotel in the Italian lakes area.

Although Paul stated that there was a crush of tourists in Como, we have not found that to be the case when we visited in May (I don't know when Rosemary will be going to the area, so that he may well be correct). This May we will go on our ninth trip to Italy.

Florence is a must, but Como is catching up rapidly.

We stay at the Hotel Metropole Suisse au Lac, which is right on the lake and not far from the water taxis. Its web site is http://www.hotelmetropolesuisse.com/

It is not cheap, but it is not out of this world expensive either, especially if you don't pay for the optional breakfast, which is more than a bit pricey. The hotel is on piazza Cavour; right across the piazza is a nice coffee bar with very friendly staff (but avoid the overpriced place facing the lake that is a couple of doors down.

The hotel and city are really magnificent, so check them out.

Ira H. Bernstein Dallas, TX