from the ancient world: rome's colossal monuments, greece's golden treasures and graceful temples, pompeii's streets and dwellings. it's among such ruins the ancient world comes alive. here's where julius caesar fell tassassins, whe usurd s underbolts, and ulysses, probably the world's most reluctant traveler, slipped by deadly sirens on his long trip home. wee lkg eed, lust, power, catastrophic episodes, nations built and wrecked, fortunes made and lost. the ancient remnants are more than cold stone, so let's revisit some favorite classical sites around the mediterranean, pick up some new stories, and see what conneio wean to my mind, the great sites call for extra attention. it's impossible to soak up everything in one go-around. greece just keeps calling. zi aatnsacpolis on the hill above the crowded city, one is tempted to view its temples as relics of an age of contemplation and serenity. in fact, t parthenon represents a tiny window of power and prosperity in ancient athens' otherwise conflict-plagu hto. athens' golden age-- about 450 years before christ anthagoferle soates, and sophoc

a stone-topped table supported by two roman carved lion griffons is said to be from pompeii or herculaneum. the guestrooms upstairs offered an individual adventure and an identity that was all up to chalfin to decide. chalfin named everything and each room had a different name. it's rather interesting because they refer to rather obscure figures of italian history. deering played along because for him these figures were like, i don't know, characters of a goldoni comedy or something else. >> deering was a private man. he had insisted on a large wall that surrounded his property to keep out the curious. but what went on behind the walls led to enormous speculation. as the great house filled with life, a mythology surrounded deering and his baroque fantasy fables told of vizcaya were palace. fables told of vizcaya were imparted in endless repetition. one story in particular centers around an ornate guests room called espanollette. personally i do not know of a romantic tryst or anything involved but it's just the fact that the room has a door that is totally concealed in the watteau ala watt