Things I have learned about Italy (so far)

·         Italian hotels don’t believe in washcloths.  There are towels aplenty. There are hand towels galore, usually in a couple of different forms.  My current bathroom has four hand towels- two of a thin linen type and two of regular terrycloth.  I think the last one had four also.  These hand towels are all huge.  There is soap, shampoo and lotion.  There is plenty of toilet paper (contrary to warnings).  There are not, however, any washcloths.  Thankfully I was warned of this and brought disposable washcloths, but I do wonder what the average traveling Italian does for a washcloth.  Do they all bring one from home when they travel?  Why the washcloth and not the towel?  Is there some secret Italian method of bathing that does not require a wash cloth?  Washcloth questions abound.  I am not brave enough yet to question a native about their washcloth habits.  Perhaps google will know…

·         Italians as a whole don’t seem to believe in toilet seats.  THAT has been interesting. 

·         All of Italy seems to be uphill.  You would think the laws of physics would prevent this, but it does seem like Kate and I trek uphill constantly.  Venice is flat, but there are stairs everywhere to get over bridges.  Florence had approximately 9.7 million stairs taking you into the houses and museums and up and down the hills.  Rome really is uphill as the city was built on seven hills.  Plus they really like stairs too.  We shall see about Naples.  I think it is built on a hill side too.  Sigh.  You would be up a creek here if you were in a wheelchair.

·         A Coke costs the same price as a glass of wine.  You can’t seem to get tap water in a glass.  All the water is bottled and you have the option of natural or fizzy.  Water costs only a little less than a Coke or a glass of wine.

·         The population as a whole seems rather blasé about ancient art and architecture.  Ruins are everywhere in Rome especially.  Office buildings and homes are built in and out of ancient roman ruins with no demarcation between the two.  Everywhere you turn there are spectacular sculptures, buildings and art and no one seems really impressed.

·         The best places to eat have owners and waiters that don’t speak English.  You can order a perfectly lovely meal by pointing at things.  So far our most successful culinary forays have been through randomly choosing little hole-in-the-wall joints.  One place in Venice was amazing and the little trattoria we discovered last night was divine.  The better the English the worse the food.

·         Italians are either really friendly or they act as if you don’t exist.  Old Italians are a lot nicer than young Italians.

·         Walking on the sidewalks is almost a blood sport.  If you try to be polite and step to the side you will never make it down the path.  It is a silent game of chicken most times.  Loser has to step out into the street to pass.  Kate and I are channeling NFL and SEC linebackers as we try to go native.

·         Italian drivers make Nashville drivers look like grannies out for a Sunday drive.  We took a taxi in Florence to get to and from the train station and the hotel.  The driver paid no attention to the lines on the road, nor did he recognize the traffic lights.  Even more fun is the fact that pedestrians don’t recognize the demarcation between the sidewalk and roadway.  People were EVERYWHERE and the taxi driver neatly zipped around and between them, sometimes coming right up against them.  All of this was accomplished in silence- no horns, no squealing tires, no Italian profanities.  In Rome, they drive the same way, but they add in the horn.  Rome is a loud city.  They generally recognize crosswalks, but not always.  It’s like the old Atari game Frogger.  On top of the cars careening about merrily, there are eleventy billion little scooters moving in and out of everything.  The scooters don’t recognize any rules at all.  Apparently they are free to zoom between cars, around cars on the shoulder and down pedestrian walkways.  I have yet to see one go over a car, but it wouldn’t shock me at this point.  It seems the Italians still yearn for the old chariot races.  We are still racing about, but have added a combustion engine to the festivities.  NASCAR has nothing on Italian drivers.

·         Gelato is every bit as good as everyone says.

·         There isn’t near as much garlic bread as you would think.  Unless you specify it as just garlic bread, it will come piled high with tomatoes.

·         PETA clearly doesn’t have a presence in Italy.  We have seen a veritable herd of old women in full length fur coats.  They are luscious.  The coats, not the women (although the women seen delightful).

·         Everyone wears really great shoes.  The only tennis shoes and ugly shoes seem to be on tourists.  Italian women seem to prefer heels and apparently walk miles in these heels with no problems.  I would most certainly break my neck.

·         Lastly, Italy is a gloriously chaotic country.  People are everywhere. Pigeons are everywhere.  Dogs are everywhere.  Cats? Not so much.  People bring their dogs with them everywhere. This afternoon I saw a smartly dressed little benji type dog under a cafeteria table happily scarfing up crumbs.  When the elderly couple he was with finished their lunch, he obediently trotted out with them.  Most dogs seem to be off leash and yet they stay right with their people and never seem to run out in the street.  It is remarkable.  My ill-behaved mutts are clearly not Italian dogs.