For the past twenty years, our travel plans have been constrained by the public school calendar. Next week, as students all across America go back to class, we will decamp for the sunny climes of northern Italy.

First, we will be in attendance at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 2 through 4. Monza is known worldwide as The Temple of Speed. With its long straights and few curves, it is one of the fastest tracks on the current Formula One calendar.

Situated just an hour outside Milan, Monza has been home to fast cars and great racing since the dawn of the automobile era. All the greatest drivers have raced there, lured by its iconic high banked 180° turn at one end that helped early cars with skinny tires achieve speeds unheard of elsewhere. The banked turns at Daytona International Raceway today were inspired by Monza.

That old section of the track is abandoned now, but it still exists out beyond the current circuit, a reminder of when Monza was the ultimate test for those who sought to challenge the laws of physics in racing cars.

During the weekend, we will be staying in Milan, the financial and manufacturing capital of Italy with its famous opera house and cathedral. Milan was also the home of Leonardo Da Vinci and an important city during The Renaissance. The famous Duomo took more than 400 years to complete.

From their, we will stay three nights at Lake Como, alleged to be one of the most beautiful spots on earth. The lake sits at the foot of the Italian Alps and was dredged by glaciers many millenia ago. From their, we journey just a few miles away to the shores of Lake Maggiore.

People from that area claim their lake is the most beautiful place on earth. We are excited to be able to sample both and promise to share our verdict with you upon our return.

Next, in keeping with our Formula One themed journey, we will amble over to Maranello, home to the famous Ferrari factory and museum. There we will be enveloped in the history and mystique of these incredible automobiles that feature the famous cavallino rampante or prancing horse that Enzo Ferrari adopted as the symbol of his company generations ago.

After all that excitement, we will need to rest, so we will head over to Cinque Terre (pronounced CHINK weh TAY rah) on the Italian riviera to dip our toes in the Mediterranean for several days. This is a place where the villages have changed little since the Middle Ages. According to legend, pesto and focaccia bread originated in these five villages suspended on hillsides overlooking the ocean below.

We have been planning our trip for almost a year. Along the way, lots of places we could have gone had to be eliminated from our itinerary in order to keep our stay down to only three weeks. One could spend a lifetime in Italy and not see it all. The charms of nearby Monaco and Villafranche also beckoned, but they will have to wait for another time.

Carolyn says she is just beginning to feel like she is really retired. Ordinarily at this time, she would be doing class plans and making preparations for another school year. But from now on, we are vagabonds, sworn to enjoy as many places and days in the sun as we can manage.

We are looking forward to some amazing adventures before the next full moon rolls around. Let the journey begin!