Rome
Every one soon or late comes round by Rome.
When my novel 'Beach Music' came out in 1995, I had included a couple of recipes in the book and had tried to impart some of my love of Roman cuisine and the restaurants of Rome.
I had rather be first in a village than second at Rome.
I've always wanted to see what Egypt was like when they were building the pyramids or Rome at the height of the empire or Greece — more specifically, Crete before it was destroyed. Why? Because I'm curious how we all hung out on a day to day basis, what was the chit chat, etc. Reading things in a book never gives you the feel.
Egypt gave birth to what later would become known as 'Western Civilization', long before the greatness of Greece and Rome.