What If We Went to Italy

What if we went to Italy
A suitcase of books and one bag a piece for the summer?
I don't speak a word of Italian
Except for Campari and soda for two
How much is a Lire? Yes, a villa will do
And a breeze in Tuscany please

What if we spent all of our days
Improving our minds, learning new ways to be lazy
It wouldn't be too much of a strain
Relax after breakfast till lunch comes around
Can't wait for dinner; oh, I need to lie down
And refuel out by the pool

What if the ancients were lazy like us
Too blissed-out to paint, to sketch, or to sculpt
Just as relaxed as the tower of Pisa
Not ever missing that old Mona Lisa

What if we never got back on the plane
As summer turned colder and then warmer again
Losing all track of the passing of years
Till it no longer mattered how long we'd been here

What if we went to Italy
Maybe next year, just you and me for the summer
I still can't speak any Italian
But words are replaced under Siennese skies
By nothing so much as a nod and a sigh
And a wish to be always like this