Previously there was part 2, now some commentary on miscellaneous things: 

Public water fountains were located throughout many of the cities, which was awesome.  But there were no public bathrooms, which was not awesome. 

Rome Airport is pretty much nowhere near Rome.  They should probably call it something other than Rome Airport. 

Everybody smokes.  Even on the plane.  The "no smoking" signs were there and everything, but people just disregarded them.  If that happened in America, they would've kicked those people out mid-air. 

You can drink alcohol in public from an open container, which really isn't that big of a deal when you think about it. 

They sell alcohol everywhere, from cafes to pizza places to convenience stores.  But there was very little beer, and none of it came in multi-packs. 

Hotels often had tiny rooms, tiny bathrooms, tiny showers, but 10-12 foot ceilings.  Personally I would've liked 6-foot ceilings and a shower that could fit a normal-sized human being. 

Dogs were well-behaved, didn't bark much, and seemed hardly interested in human affairs.  They were often leashed, but seemed kind of independent. 

There were no screens on any of the windows.  And while the bug problem wasn't as bad as say, Africa, screens aren't exactly a new or expensive technology. 

We used Fodor's Essential Italy guidebook, Rick Steve's Italian Phrase Book, and Rick Steve's audio walking tours. #travel