I spent three weeks in Italy in October with my wife and here are some things that I noticed while I was there:

1) Italian women wear really high heels. It's amazing watching the women walk on cobblestone streets with their stilettos on.

2) Gelato is awesome! We quickly became gelato snobs and didn't buy any from shops that had it stacked up high in open containers. The best gelato was in shops that keep their gelato covered.

3) Even in the best hotels, Italian bathrooms don't have fans. That leads to steamed mirrors and subjecting others in your room to rude bodily noises.

4) Italians like their coffee, but it's served in microscopic amounts by U.S. standards. Starbucks would go out of business if they charged $3 or $4 dollars for a thimble sized shot of cappuccino.

5) Many shops and restaurants close for a few hours in the middle of the day.

6) Italians have fancy dogs. Some of the dogs looked like they stepped out of a Dr. Seuss book.

7) Italian women look like they never sweat.

8) Pizza. Wow! It's delicious! Pizza comes in one size and Italians order one pizza per person. They also eat their pies with a knife and fork. Unlike Americans, Italians don't share their pizza. In fact, Italians in general don't share anything when they are in a restaurant.

9) People have boring ring tones that sound like old-fashioned telephones.

10) House wine in Italian restaurants is good and cheap.

11) Don't tip in Italy, except for bellmen.

12) Waiters don't ask you how your meal is, if you would like more water or wine, etc. You get your menu, you order, you eat, you pay. The bad part of this is that you might want something. The good part is that they don't push drinks like they do in American restaurants.

13) Italian women must spend two hours getting themselves ready in the morning. Their clothing, hair and makeup always look perfect.

14) Italians wear very expensive designer eyeglass frames.

15) Italians are very passionate about food. Ask any Italian and they will go on and on about a particular dish that they love.