Dotise,

Here's a quick (but long) list of sites/places your son might want to check out. There's actually more than enough to keep him busy just within the cities he's visiting -- everyone should be lucky enough to spend 3 1/2 weeks in Rome, Paris, Nice, Geneva and Florence -- and just roaming the cities with a street map and a good guide will keep his eyes popping out of his head. (I highly recommend the Michelin Green Guides, especially if there will be any road trips or visits to towns outside the major cities.) But here are some ideas off the top of my head:

1. Nice - While the beach is the thing, spend a spot of time turned inland, checking out the gracious belle-epoque architecture: turrets, long-windowed facades, balconies, wrought iron. At the beach, find the Negresco Hotel, a belle-epoque landmark. The Negresco faces the beach, which is lined with oceanfront cafes. While they're expensive, it's fun to grab a table at one of these and while a few afternoon hours away eating fresh seafood, sipping wine and watching the beautiful people.

From Nice, there are so many places he could visit. Antibes is close by, which Dianne loved (see posts above). Also, to the northwest are the Provence towns of Vence and Grasse. To the east, on the coast, he could easily take in Monte Carlo. Venturing north on almost any road, he can explore some of the perched villages of the Maritime Alps. For a spectacular view of the Riviera, he should check out superbly-sited medieval Eze (see an earlier post). And, the ancient stone town of Roquebrune is near Eze, too. The Michelin Green Guide has wonderful,
detailed write-ups of all the small medieval villages in the Maritime Alpes above Nice and Menton.

2. Rome - Just the sites in the city's ancient heart (Colosseum/Forum area) could keep a person busy for a week, and this is where he should start. Near the Colosseum is the small church of San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains). Inside sits Michaelangelo's Moses. It's pretty heady to walk into a small neighborhood church and see a Michaelangelo colossus just sitting there. Cross the Tevere (Tiber) river to Vatican City, which should be especially interesting now. Go into the crypt below St. Peter's to view the popes' tombs. The dome of St. Peter's is mind-boggling, and you can walk up a catwalk and sprial metal steps behind an inside wall, up into the dome. (I tried it three times, got vertigo, and had to come back down. I almost passed out as I watched two young Japanese girls in spiked heels climb past me, with each step nearly catching their heels between the metal slats of the catwalk. I thought they were surely destined to die a long, plummeting death, but God was with them.) Michaelangelo's Pieta sits in St. Peter's. The Sistine Chapel with Michaelangelo's ceiling is a must. Go early before the lines form. Besides the Colosseum/Forum area, there are Roman ruins everywhere -- pieces of the old Appian Way, the Hippodrome, the Catacombs, the Baths of Caracella, the Circus Maximus. For more modern relaxing, just sit on the Spanish Steps and people-watch. Hang at the Trevi Fountain. Everyone else is there. Hang in the Trestevere neighborhood. Across the Tiber from most of the tourist areas, it's full of small restaurants and narrow streets. From Rome, it's about a 45-minute drive to the coast. This area of the coast is not too attractive, but there's Ostia Antica, yet more vestiges of the Roman Empire.

3. Florence -- Florence is nonstop eye candy. It's just wonderful. The Duomo (Cathedral) with its massive terra cotta dome lords over the city. The Duomo's massive bronze doors were carved by Ghiberti. Walk across the Ponte Vecchio, an ancient bridge and one of the only (the only?) ancient bridges over the Arno to survive Allied bombing in WWII. The bridge, a covered arcade, is an ocher masterpiece, full of shops -- many jewelry shops. Don't miss seeing Michelangelo's David. It is truly sublime. There's a copy of it and other masterpieces in the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio, but you must see the original in the Accademia. Again, lines are long, so go early if you can. Above the banks of the Arno, on the side opposite from Florence proper, runs a road called the Piazzale Michelangelo. From up here, you get a fabulous view of all of Florence and the Duomo below you.

Just outside of Florence, on a hillside, is a tiny town alled Fiesole, which has some old villas and gardens and ancient ruins. A quiet, pretty sidetrip out of the city.

From Florence, it's possible to make sidetrips to Pisa, on the coast, but a terrific take is to go to Siena, a totally medieval Tuscan town. The place to go in Siena is right smack into the city's heart to the ampitheatre-shaped Campo, the town's huge, cobbled main square. This is where the Palio is held each summer. The Palio is a rip-roaring horse race that's been held since the middle ages. There are restaurants and outdoor cafes lining the whole Campo.

Not far from Siena is the tiny, walled medieval town of San Gimignano. (My husband has relatives there. We've never met them, but it's fun to think that Adam and Dana have Italian third cousins who live in a medieval walled city.) You see San Gimignano long before you get there. Dozens of bell towers (I forget how many there are today) rise up into the sky. During the middle ages, rich families tried to outdo one another by building higher, more elaborate bell towers, and most of them still stand.

And, yet another possiblity if there's time for a several-day train trip is to go to Venice. Venice is, simply, one of the most gorgeous cities on the planet and is reason enough to go to Italy. No cars allowed. As you cruise down the Grand Canal for the first time, you'll wonder what you ever did to deserve a journey to such a magical place.

4. Paris -- Suggestion #1: call Dianne's sister Linda. I don't think anyone knows the secret places of the city better than she does! For the first-time visitor to Paris, I'd say time should be focused around the Latin Quarter and Left Bank of the Seine. This will give you Notre Dame, the warren of old streets and bohemian hubbub of the Boulevard St. Michel, the Boulevard St.Germain. Definitely take in the Musee D'Orsay. You won't see a finer collection of Impressionist treasures anywhere in the world. I'd even go here before the Louvre (unless you can't live without seeing the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa, and given that your son loved the The Da Vinci Code, I'm sure he'll end up in the Louvre -- maybe on one of Linda's tours!).

Very close to Notre Dame and the Latin Quarter is a little gem in the middle of the Seine -- the Ile St. Louis. It's a tiny little island that is an idyllic neighborhood world unto itself -- and it has great ice cream shops. You get views of the city from here that most people miss.

Other things I'd recommend seeing in Paris: La Sainte Chappelle, on the Right Bank, not far from City Hall (the Hotel de Ville). This is a spectacular Gothic chapel which has non-stop, floor-to-ceiling stained glass that will absolutely blow you away. Sacre-Coeur: This is a white-domed Taj-Mahal-looking church that sits atop a hill in Montmartre. It's up in the northern part of the city, but worth it for the views and to scope out the rather touristy but interesting Place du Tertre, where artists sit and paint. Ride the Metro to get up there. The Paris Metro is a great way to get around. The Bois de Boulogne: An immense green space on the city's western flank. The Place des Vosges: an architecturally perfect urban square lined with exquisite townhouses from the 18th (?) century. Victor Hugo lived and wrote here.

Outside of Paris, there's Versailles. If you have time, don't miss it. Got more time? Take the high-speed train from the Gare du Nord to London, via the Chunnel under the English Channel. You can leave in the morning, have lunch and/or dinner in London, and return the same day. Young people now routinely hop over to London to go clubbing. (Makes me tired just thinking about it.)

5. Geneva - I have not been to Geneva, but know people who have. Take a cruise on the lake (or drive) to cities/towns like Montreux and Lausanne, which sit on the lake. It's a reasonable train or car ride to get to Lyon, a beautiful French city famed for its cuisine. Or, to see the Alps, head up to Chamonix and Mont Blanc, within reach from Geneva.

Hope that helps! Wish your son "bon voyage" for me.