In a message , Humor@Tsar writes:

<< If you're Al Italia, is your wife's name Jen?
YES BUT SHE KEPT HER MAIDEN NAME:  NTONIK

 What means "grosso buffo" in English/NewYawkese?
ON A FAMILY LIST, ITS DIFFICULT TO SAY IT OUTRIGHT.  BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
FUN.

 Was there an indoor air quality problem at San Vitale?
NO, BUT I CRIED BECAUSE I WAS JUST UTTERLY MOVED BY THE ANTIQUITY OF THE
PLACE, THE OVERLAPPING CHANGES (DECAY OF BRICKWORK, LATER ZEBRA MARBLE
PANELS, TACKY BAROQUE CEILING DRUM PAINTING), THE PIGEONS FLYING IN AND OUT,
AND, AT THE CENTER, THESE ASTOUNDINGLY BEAUTIFUL MOSAICS.  AND I HAD
ABSOLUTELY HATED THEM (FROM SLIDES ONLY) ALL THROUGH ART HISTORY.

Didja or dincha see ivory on the Colosseum, or  St. Marks, or any of
 the important buildings?  COLOSSEUM HAD IVY, MOSS, FERNS, GRASS, WEEDS,
BELLY BUTTON LINT - THE WORKS.   ST. MARKS HAS NO GROWING THINGS, LIKE THE
REST OF VENICE ITSELF - ONLY TOURISTS LIKE ME.

  Re: lack of Gothic arches in Venice Ghetto, I should think this is a
function
 of chronology rather than taste-- I'm quite sure the Ghetto wasn't Jewish
 (and maybe wasn't even occupied at all) in Gothic Days.  In fact, I just
 looked it up, and see that the Ghetto wasn't established until 1516, and
 before that the few Jews there were lived in the Giudecca.   GOOD COMMENT
FOR europe-gothic, BUT venice-gothic GOES TO MID-1500'S, PLENTY OF POINTED
WINDOWS IN THE 1500'S, EVEN THE 1600'S.  TO BE CLEAR, I REFER TO HOUSES, NOT
SYNAGOGUES.

 What, no crickets in Italy, or do they export them to France as a staple?  >>
THEY CRUSH THEM TO MAKE ALL THE COCA-COLA MY KIDS DRANK.

SIGNED,  TSAR  EENA