Here’s something else I ran across at Making Light, and it will cheer you right up: it’s a history of Machiavelli’s time and place. If you thought Machiavelli was a ruthless, cunning schemer who presaged the modern political world of cynicism and expedience…you might just change your mind after reading it.
And now I want to visit Florence. Wait, I’ve always wanted to visit Florence…OK, now I want to visit it more.
Aww, heck, I want to see all of Italy.
Note also: her intelligent re-interpretation of the Avengers movie is also well worth reading.