DAY 82-83: VENICE

AT first, we wondered why two men were getting into our gondola after we boarded with another couple at the station on the lagoon.

But then the man in white took his acoustic guitar out of its case and the man in black stood up effortlessly and readied himself to sing as we glided across the surface of the water.

The outside walls of the buildings either side of the canals created natural acoustics for him.

This was his concert hall and the classically trained voice was making the most of it and providing the soundtrack to our romantic evening.

He just had to work a little harder out in the open expanses of water as he had to be heard by several other gondola couples.

We were all taking advantage of an optional extra on our Globus Italan Mosaic Tour - one many of us couldn't wait to do.

Being serenaded while lying back on a gondola in Venice, floating under quaint bridges and around a maze of canals, and being photographed by envious strangers from various vantage points: Tick.

The bucket list just keeps getting smaller. But this will be a night I remember.

Lesson of the day: Sometimes the Hollywood image in your mind doesn't quite stack up. Sometimes it's even better.

DAY 80-81: LAKE MAGGIORE

TIME to do nothing at all. And the best place we've found so far to do that is Lake Maggiore.

After more than two months travelling, we needed some downtime, and this was it: gazing over the water at the towns creeping up the mountainsides from our Hotel Splendid sun lounges in Baveno.

The (very) fresh waters of the lake welcomed us in for a brief dip once we'd built up a sweat in the glorious sunshine.

The views of the lake from our hotel were just too majestic to leave. So we lay there for hours. And hours. A rarity on any holiday for us.

We even decided to stay put instead of taking up an optional excursion to the palace and gardens on Isola Bella (but those who did came back gushing over the opulent interiors and beautiful setting).

By mid-afternoon, though, we did feel the need to get the blood flowing again.

So we took a 10-minute stroll into town and sat by the water with a local beer and wine at one of the pretty waterfront establishments called Bar Clipper.

With newfound energy, we walked uphill through town past the parish church (Santi Gervaso e Protaso) and train station and back down to the water's edge.

The 66km long Lake Maggiore is 10km wide with an area of 212.5square km and is Italy's second-biggest lake after Lake Garda.

Our evening was taken up exploring a second island in the lake, Isola Madre, which also boasts a magnificent 16th century villa (including a fascinating number of age-old marionettes complete with the Borromeo family's elaborate puppet sets and backdrops) and subtropical gardens, before a hearty dinner under a vine-covered pergola at La Pescheria on the third island in the lake, Isola Dei Pescatori O Superiore (Fishermen's Island).

The cruise back to the hotel was even more spectacular with a midnight blue sky pierced by the full moon, the Borromeo palace on Isola Bella glowing, and a fairyland of lights from towns all around the lake reflected on the water.

George Clooney can have Lake Como. Neighbouring Lake Maggiore is my special place in Italy.

Lesson of the day: Sometimes you see more by standing/sitting still.

Hairy, shirtless men count: too many.

Day 78-79: FLORENCE

HE is a chiseled god in his own temple that is shaped like a Latin cross and built just for him.

And from his high position at the back of the room, he commands attention from the moment anyone enters.

Casually standing in all his glory with sling draped over his left shoulder and its handle in his right hand, he is relaxed but focused about the enormous task ahead against Goliath.

This is no Jewish shepherd boy from the Bible teachings. This is an idealised fit and toned muscle man, standing at 5.17m - a man who was to be looked up to on top of Florence Cathedral.

Michelangelo Buonarroti's sculpture of David, created between 1501 and 1504, was recognised as a masterpiece after its unveiling and as such, was given the greatest honour of being placed instead outside the Florence Town Hall where the world could view it up close.

All of these facts we learn from local guide Andrea who is taking our Globus Italian Mosaic members through the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, where the famous statue is the star attraction in the Tribuna del David (Florence also has two copies of the statue which we see on our walking tour and drive to a lookout over the city. Photos inside the Accademia are forbidden).

Andrea is passionate about Florence but especially the priceless David.

He tells us that when Michelangelo worked on each piece, he believed he was releasing the sculpture that God had placed inside the marble.

As a result, he worked from the front to the back, allowing the figure to "emerge" from the single piece of marble - a very difficult process.

David was created freehand with the help of Michelangelo's own sketches but no plaster model.

The eyebrows are so perfect. The toenails so realistic. The veins pop out of the "skin" on his feet, arms and hands. The neck matches the turn of the head.

Andrea informs us that Michelangelo would secretly view and even dissect cadavers in order to ensure his works were anatomically correct.

Maybe that is why I have tears in my eyes.

The more I look at David - taking Andrea's advice to move from one angle to the next and even view it from behind (with that exquisite behind!), I cannot believe how even the great Michelangelo, aged only 26-29, could have painstakingly created such a life-like creature so early in his career.

He truly was a unique man who created truly a unique sculpture.

Sure, David has had to overcome gigantic problems including 400 years of weathering outside the Town Hall, a "broken arm" following a protest in which he was hit when a bench was thrown out a window, the move taking seven days from the centre of the city to his final home, plus a hammer attack on a toe by a crazed art lover.

But that just makes him seem even more warrior-like to me.

Lesson of the day: Copies never really come close to the real thing if the real thing is by Michelangelo. And even someone who failed art in Grade 8 can appreciate that.