Below are the Top 10 Things of Interest, in no particular order.

1) Italian food is incredible. Everyone said it would be different from American Italian which is true if you only eat at the Olive Garden (no need to identify yourselves). But I did not find it radically different from up-scale Italian food in America. The Pizza was wonderful, but not that different then those served in Bertucci's.

2) Wine is the least expensive liquid in Italy -- cheaper than Coke, or even water!

3) Rome has nearly 1,000 churches (982 to be exact). It is not uncommon to stand in one place and see five or six churches. They only have a handful of pews and feel like museums. Not one, except St. Peters, felt like a church.

Embracing capitalism, some churches charge admission, and others have coin slots that turn on the lights for a set period of time. No Lira, no Jesus. It probably borders on a mortal sin to be so tacky but I guess they have to pay the bills some way.

One other interesting church note -- in over 35 churches, Christina and I did not see one reference to a risen Christ. He died on a cross. The end.

4) While Americans start comprehending their own mortality at about 25 and curb their reckless ways, Italians hit this stage at about 75 (if they live that long). The only speed limit they comprehend is that of physical limitation. They will go as fast as their car/scooter will go or as fast as the person in front of them is going. Red lights are for tourists and wimps. Center lane lines can be crossed at any time. It doesn't matter how close you come to a pedestrian as long as you don't kill or maim them. Well, those are the basic rules.

If they don't die from their driving, then lung cancer gets them. The only one in Rome that doesn't smoke is the Pope (as far as we know). If America outlawed tobacco, Italy could sustain North Carolina alone.

5) Italian TV is fun to watch -- especially watching things like Scooby Doo and Little House on the Prairie (seeing Mr. Olson and Pa depart with an enthusiastic 'Ciao!').

Their news is shameless. Behind a story on the International Space Station, they played the Star Trek theme (with William Shatner's 'Space, the final frontier...'). After that followed a medical story where they played the ER theme.

Their commercials show us that if we eat a chocolate/hazelnut cream on our bread, we will turn from robots to beautiful naked ladies lying on couches (maybe you had to be there...).

6) Italians don't understand bathrooms. For starters, we take for granted that the flusher is always on the left side of a toilet. Not in Italy -- some you have to push, others pull, squeeze, yank, etc. Many have arrows to show you what to do. Each pit stop is it's own adventure.

Showers are different too. Many bathrooms lack shower curtains, forcing you to soak the bathroom floor.

7) Something I forgot from living in Germany -- there is a giant ice shortage in Europe. It is impossible to get ice in your drinks.

8) The primary export of the USA that we saw was McDonalds. There is one right by the Spanish Steps, right by the Pantheon, and every other primo location. It was a bit embarrassing. I am sure St. Peter's will get the next McDonalds (with the McPope Burger). The Happy Meal toy would be a Pope action figure in his pope-mobile.

9) If not prepared, one could easily be offended at the way Italians bump, push, squeeze, and in every other way manhandle you. They think it amusing when tourists feel compelled to excuse themselves when they bump someone.

Further, the words, "Let's move -- we are blocking the way" have probably never been spoken in Italy. It is just a different way of seeing things -- but to an ugly American, they could be seen as clueless in public places.

10) Chris and I were walking down the street and saw an Opel, parked next to a Smart, next to a Fiat, next to an Opel, and then a new Volkswagen Bug -- and the Bug looked GARGANTUAN in comparison. An Accord would be too big to fit on their streets. A Ford Expedition would make the local news. With gas at $6 a gallon and with tiny streets, this makes sense. For every car in Rome, there are 20 motor scooters.