Three minutes of glory
I've always been reticent to share this very personal memory of my first trip to Italy. But for some reason, I'm compelled to share this "publicly" now... My first 48 hours in Italy, in 2012, were a whirlwind. Rome was overwhelmingly beautiful and bustling. Jeb and I were in the express lane to see all the major sites in two days before joining our friends in Tuscany. On this particular day, we saw the Vatican on a special night tour that they only offer during the off season. After sitting in the Sistine Chapel for a good hour, tears rolling down my cheeks from sheer disbelief and wonderment, we walked through the long corridor of art-filled rooms leading to the museum's exit. I remember feeling a bit numb and unimpressed, as if nothing could possibly trump Michelangelo's most famous and treasured work of art. "Oh, yeah, there's another mural..." "Oh honey, look, more ancient statues..." I was also feeling claustrophobic, perhaps the...