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Day 8 Joe Q. & Sue:

Hello from Florence!  Here, we are staying in an authentic Italian building.   The hotel is on the third floor of a 600 year old building close to the city center in Florence.  The rooms are very quaint and all of us were together except for 5 players  who stayed in a separate apartment across the street.  For the first time,  breakfast was not served in the hotel lobby.  A few items were available in our room  - just  croissants and coffee.   We all were given tickets to have an "american  breakfast" at Cafe de Sola - 1 block away from the hotel.  The owner greeted us with an enthusiastic "ciao!" and served a delicious hot breakfast.  
 
After breakfast, our group was free to separate for shopping in downtown Florence until 11:30 which was the meeting time in front of the hotel.    Some of us shopped in the 'leather" market which was not far from Piazza de Seforia where the famous Uffizi Museum is located.  In the large square or "Piazza", there is a 17 foot tall replica of "The David" sculpure that was sculpted by Michelangelo in the 15th Century.  The original work is located in a museum a few blocks away.  Even the replica is breathtaking!
 
After shopping, we reunited and  walked 15 minutes to the train station and caught a train to Pisa.   We spent 3 hours in Pisa.  The tower is a beautiful marble building that was completed over a 200 year span.  We learned that it has been sinking and leaning continuously since it was built hundreds of years ago.  As of 2009, the tower has now been permanently reinforced and is no longer moving - at least for the next 200 years!  Of course, the first few minutes were spent taking pictures of everyone individually trying to appear to be holding up the leaning tower! Some shopped, some found places to sample the local gelato while some of the girls curled up on the grass near the tower to get some much needed sleep!  
 
After a walk to the trainstation in Pisa, we caught another train for a 30 minute ride to Castelfranco Di Soto to play a local volleyball club team. Upon arrival, we were picked up by several local volleyball club sponsors and taken to a shoe factory where shoes are handmade and imported to Saks 5th  avenue in NY!  Several girls (and one head coach!) actually purchased exquisite shoes/boots at a significant discount - a fraction of the cost in the US. :-)  The shoe factory visit was a highlight for the girls and created a little time-crunch in advance of the match that evening.  However, no one complained about this...    We left the factory and then traveled another 10 minutes to the arena to play the Castelfranco Di Soto club team.  Despite the travel, difficulty with finding enough water to drink, a less than perfect pre-game meal and severe fatigue, the girls played their best match of the tour.  It was a real ass-whoopin by Metro State (OK, WE MAY NEED TO DELETE THAT SENTENCE).   The girls beat the club team in 4 sets with relative ease.
 
After the match, we were driven to a local restaurant and treated to an incredible meal at a local Italian restaurant.   It was a large room filled with players and coaches from both teams as well as several of the local club team's sponsors.  Antipasto, spaghetti with meat sauce, pizza and regional beverages were enjoyed (and enjoyed and enjoyed...) by all!  Finally, we boarded a charter bus for a 40 minute ride back to Florence - with all of the girls singing karaoke. I'm sure the patient bus driver would tell you that no one need need try out for American idol! We arrived back to hotel by 1:20pm.  Off to bed now - we need to pack our things and get ready for a morning train ride to Orvieto tomorrow.  

Arrivederci!  
Susan and Joe


Day 7 Alex & Steph:

Bonjourno!

Today, we woke up to sunshine for the first time in about five days which made for the “500 meter”  walk (turns out 500 meters in Italy are much farther than 500 meters in the US) from the hotel to train station much more tolerable.  When we arrived in Florence, we walked another “500 meters” to a cozy bed and breakfast in the heart of the city center. We walked around the center, saw yet another Duomo (beautiful none the less), shopped in the leather markets, and, of course, had pizza for lunch along with homemade tiramisu (DELISH!). After hours of deliberation, Savannah finally decided on a leather jacket… one that none of us had seen her try on.  We also saw the statue of “David”… authenticity of the outdoor statue we saw is questionable. The statue inside the museum is the real one sculpted by Michelangelo when he was 24 is now in a glass box after someone tried to attack his feet. 

After sightseeing, we traveled to Figline for our match against the U18 Valdara club team. They are currently in preparation for their national tournament. When we got to the train station in Figline there was a small van and 3 small, European cars. Three of the cars filled up fast, and there was no more room on the van, but Alex tried to fit anyway. An older Italian man insisted Alex ride with him, alone, in his car, for the 10 miles from the train station to the gym. We were all concerned that we may have lost her forever. Luckily, she arrived at the gym safe and sound after a very awkward silent drive.
When we arrived at the gym we were unaware of the excitement that surrounded our match. Coach made sure to inform us of the enormity of the match (aka pretty much an Olympic event). They took tickets at the door (which all the proceeds went to the children’s hospital they support) and they mayor of the town was going to be there. We were marched in following eight year old girls on a local volleyball team carrying the American flag. During warm ups and time outs a lot of country music was played as well as some Colorado themed tunes.   We started well, winning the first game. Then the match took a turn for the worse…. Not really, but it was not pretty. We lost in four.

On the way to dinner with the team, we took a detour through the Tuscan countryside, and pulled up to Sting’s driveway. It was pretty awesome. Dinner took place at Camping Village which was a resort in wine country. We had yet again appetizers of sliced ham, salami, and cheese. The main course was, surprisingly, pizza. Our coaching staff was not pleased when they received the anchovy and caper pizza. They persevered and bargained for a new flavor.

When returning to Florence half the group decided to go to the gelato festival which was delicious and plentiful. The tasting turned into a mound of gelato as we arrived thirty minutes prior to it ending. Meanwhile, Tammy and Savannah decided to venture on their own without telling anyone, causing Gavin and Audri to run through the streets of Florence screaming their name. Turns out, they were on a quest to find a nutella crepe (ps. Which are absolutely delicious).  Luckily, they were found nutella crepe in hand and unharmed.

All in all, the first day in Florence was a success. It is a beautiful city with a lot of history and culture that we were all able to embrace and enjoy! Can’t wait to see what the last few days have in store for us.

Ciao! 


Day 6 Michaela & Vanessa:

Ciao! Bonjurno!

Italy is beyond words. We are absolutely in love. We are debating selling our passports for more euros. So, if we don’t come back you know where to find us. But, good luck. A piece of our heart is in Roma, a piece in Milano, and a huge piece left in Venice. Speaking of pieces, we love pizza! But anyways, after leaving Rome and Milan we didn’t think the trip could get any more bulicimio (beautiful for those Americans in America), but we were proven wrong. After a two hour train ride of Vanessa dominating card games we arrived in the magnifico (magnificent J ) city of Venice. We’ve walked about 785492783 kilometers in Italy, and 785492781 of them were yesterday. And it was raining Italian raindrops (which are way different than American raindrops and way better). On our way from the train, Vanessa’s face made her a friend. A man selflessly rode his bike with one hand while holding an umbrella over Vanessa. Things were going great until he started asking for her phone number, Facebook, and where we were staying. His chivalry was short lived and turned creepy quickly. Michaela shooed him away with her fluent Italian (but mostly uninviting glares). We arrived to our hotel exhausted, but we were granted a solid 20 minutes of rest. The treacherous walk to our hotel was one million percent worth it when we crossed the bridge to Venezia (the island of Venice)!

On this island, there were flying unicorns and huge elephants dancing on the golden streets where the fat pigeons feasted. Just kidding about the unicorns and elephants, but the pigeons are very fat! And the streets aren’t made of gold, but instead slippery cobblestone especially when covered in Italian rain (Alysa knows this best). Venice is a lot like Rome – tourists, venders, and gelato on every corner – but the scenery is one of a kind. The currently sinking city is jam packed with apartments, small alleys, tons of stores and more. The city is a giant maze and in order to get from one place to another you have to cross bridges, and make turns and lucky guesses because Italy doesn’t have street signs! Lucky for you, anywhere you turn will either take you down a beautiful alleyway or across a bridge that goes over the canals that run through the entire city. The canals are filled with giant, man eating, bone crushing fish… just kidding, again! But Kylie did see one jump out of the water! And Vanessa bought catfish linguini. But really, they are filled with boats, water taxis and bella (pretty J) gondolas. These gondolas are equipped with men, just as pretty as the boats themselves, which row you through all the twists and turns of the city streets.

After a shopping filled 4 hours, we realized we were hungry so we found a pub and watched Bayran versus Brurussia in futbol (don’t count on our spelling here). Another group got quite lost in the streets of Venice, but eventually ended up at a restaurant where they ate pizza and nutella crepes and drank vino roso (red wine J). After dinner, we all scattered and found some fun Italian bars! Everyone gathered again at Piazalle Roma at 10:45. All the players were on time, but the coaches cut curfew pretty close. They are wild party animals. Overall, our experience in Venice was totally beyond words! So this blog doesn’t do it justice, but we did our best!

We can’t wait to see what Florence is like! There aren’t much of our hearts left to leave here in Italia (Italy, duh), but we’re sure we can manage. If we fall further in love, don’t expect to see us anytime soon. We’re working on our Italian and it’s looking promising that we’ll be fluent in about two days. Give or take a year.

See you soon! Maybe! But probably not! But we do miss all of you…

You can visit us :)

Chao! Arrivederci!


Day 5 Gavin, Lindsey & Coach:

Bonna cerra (Good afternoon) and hello to everyone back home!!  Thank you for following our stories and all your support to get us to the wonderful place. 

It is officially day 5 of our trip, and as we woke, it seemed to be a very dreary day.  The weather did not want to cooperate with our plans for fun in the sun at Lake Como.  After a nice, familiar Italian breakfast, we took a charter bus to Lake Como.  The city and lake was much bigger than we expected.  A picturesque view emerged as we turned the corner to see a city nestled on the descending mountainside of the Alps.  Only two kilometers from Switzerland, the view was breathtaking.  As we exited the bus, we learned that the unfortunate weather had followed us from central Milan up the mountain; it was roughly 10 degrees Celsius (`50 degrees) with a chilling wind that made it feel even colder.   We spent a few hours exploring the town, eating lunch, shopping and experiencing the culture.  A few chose to charter a small boat to see more of the lake, while others feared sea sickness and stayed land bound.  Possibly due to the rain and cold, Lake Como was quieter than any other place we have visited thus far.  Some quick facts about Lake Como, it is over 400 meters deep, and one of the deepest lakes in Europe.  The bottom of Lake Como is more than 200 meters below sea level.  The town city center, much like many of the other places we have visited, consisted of beautiful cobble stone streets, and a large marble clad Duomo (or church).  As we all walked around to see the shops and eat lunch, it is our constant tripping over the very uneven cobblestone that has become a running joke.  No one is immune from the uneven walkways, except maybe the locals.  Although beautiful, we were all happy to load back into the bus and head back to our comfy hotel for some much needed rest before the match. 

Bergamo was our next stop, and our second match of the trip.  Bergamo, a city of approximately 120,000, was our first experience with small town Italian life.  The facilities were very nice, and the hospitality was even more impressive.  Welcomed with smiles, and the playing of both national anthems, the match was well fought by both teams.  The match started at 8:45 pm and set into motion a very late but exciting night.  Metro falling to the local team after the 4^th game was unfortunate, but began the celebration of both cultures around the dinner table.   We divided up our team to allow the girls to mingle with their staff and players.  As we sat down, we started with crunchy bread sticks, salad, green beans, and cannellini beans (the biggest ones we’ve ever seen).  As the Valapala team arrived, we were also served cooked carrots, steamed spinach, sliced tomatoes and shredded carrots for our salad.  The menu was obviously in Italian, so the help of our new found friends (the local team) attempted to help us decipher what we would like to order.  Many of us stuck to the Italian staple (pizza), but no matter what came from the kitchen, whether it was what we expected or not, it was absolutely FABOULOUS!!!  Beyond the delicious meal, the girls truly enjoyed the company of all the Italian players, talking about American pop culture, football, and the nuances of America.  By the end of the meal, all the Italian players wanted to come live in America… and a few of our girls wouldn’t mind living in Italy!!  Before we left, the Valapala team had made a cream cake in our honor and it was delightful.  As we ended the evening, the shear joy of our favorite night in Italy carried us back to the hotel. 

We expected on the bus ride home (it began at 1am) to be full of sleeping girls, exhausted from the hard match and late night, but quite the contrary happened!  The bus was full of chatter and excitement carried over from the dinner.  Some funny chatter we’d like to let you all in on came from Steph, Lindsey, Tammy, Kylie, and Betty about the intended use of the bidet.  When, how, wiping or not afterwards… no conclusion was drawn, but the line of the night came during the conversation from Tammy, “I want to use it as intended…” however that is.  After a barrage of laughter emerged from the bus, we continued our journey back to the hotel, talking and laughing all the way. 

On a side note, Alma, our guide, has been fantastic!!  She has navigated us through the busy streets of Rome, translated and negotiated on our behalf and set up the most phenomenal places for us to eat.  She has also taught us about Italian culture… and in return we have taught her a few things.  Her typical Italian accent and tone often causes us to giggle and lovingly copy her… for example, when we need to exit a train or bus her blunt “Git off” has caused out bursts of laughter and multiple attempts from the girls to repeat her whenever they feel appropriate.  Towards the end of our dinner, Gavin, Steph, and Lindsey attempted to teach Alma some southern slang, in order to help us to exit any moving vehicle.  She now tells us “Git off all ya’all”, and much like you could imagine, it is a crowd pleaser!!   

We arrived back at the hotel after 2am still excited for our adventures to continue in Venice the next day.  Several of the kids mentioned that the dinner and the cultural exchange with the team of Bergamo was the highlight of their trip thus far.  We definitely agreed!!


Day 4 Kylie & Audri: 

Ciao` from Milan! Today we left the beautiful city of Rome and took a 3 hour train ride through what we think to be the Tuscany region to get to Milan. It was beautiful! Audri, on the other hand, was too busy cuddling with coach to notice and Kylie was learning how to play hearts with Lindsey, Tammy, Sue, and Gavin. In the front seats, Savannah tried to sleep while the rest of the girls through Twizzlers in her open mouth. Once we got to Milan, we checked into our hotel, and then took the subway to the cathedral in Duomo. The stain glass windows on the cathedral were magnificent and there is so much detail in every single piece of art put into that building! There are also a few corpses inside of the church, which was a little unexpected. We had to be very quiet in the cathedral and only one of us were able to take pictures. Overall, the church was breathtaking.
                After we visited the cathedral in Duomo, we got to spend a couple hours shopping around the area. Steph, Alex, and Alysa saw a few hot Italian men, but only managed a mere “Hello.” Afterwards, Alex, Lindsey, and Michaela fed the pigeons as about 5 of the “rats of the air” landed on their arms to pose for some very nice pictures. Some of the groups found themselves in fabulous high fashion shops that we can’t afford in any kind of currency.  Later the groups met up for dinner at a restaurant in the city center of Milan. Unfortunately we were spoiled in our extravagant four course meals in Rome and dinner seemed to be more average compared to our other Italian meals. However, after our meal we all walked and got the best gelato from a little chocolate and gelato shop down the street! The store was so busy we had to take a number and wait. It was well worth the wait! Afterwards we all walked the streets a little more and met in front of the Duomo where savannah, Vanessa, Alex, and Lauren danced the salsa with an Italian man while the rest of us observed and took pictures!
 
Ciao!


Day 3 Betty & Lauren's Blog:

Ciao familia and friends!
Today we took a step back into time and visited the Coliseum, The first king of Italy’s palace which was an amazing white marble masterpiece that is centered in the bustling city. We toured some of the forums of some of the great historical figures. A lot of them we know because of the story of Julius Caesar. We all wanted to spend a lot more time inside the coliseum but our tour guide thought that we needed to be rushed through it and that “history was more important than taking photos”. She has some spunk to her ;) The movie The Gladiator was a pretty good comparison to the culture that we learned about today. If you have never been to the coliseum you need to go. Pictures do not do it justice. We had no idea how big the structure was and it only took 8 years to build!! The exact year it was constructed was 80 A.D so 8 years doesn’t seem long when all you have to work with is horses and carts. After our last tour our feet were looking like Italian sausages for how swollen they got! We were let out into the city for a couple hours to get lunch again and let me tell you, “their pasta never fails the expected expertise”. A man was playing accordion which added to the scene. On the way to our game we saw a group of workers on strike which was crazy considering this was the second time we saw a protest. The autobus (Italian accent) was packed! We felt like sardines in a can, something I won’t miss.
The game today was very different from the setup we have. We were scheduled to play at 5:45 and we ended up getting to the facility at 5:15. Hitting warm-ups took forever!! I think it ended up being 20 minutes of straight hitting outside and right side with our one little middle Audri taking her turn after everyone else. The first game we won and we played really well, the second we lost because we let the team get a big early lead in the beginning and just had to play catch-up the whole time. Third game we were neck and neck the whole time until they pulled ahead to win in the end. We won the 4^th game playing pretty well; mainly serving got us through that game. The 5^th game we thought we had but ended up losing 13-15. The cheering of the other team was a lot different than ours. At times is felt as if they were cheering for our made mistake instead of being excited that they got a point. Thunderstorms began during our game which was crazy to hear! We had to speak even louder then we already do just to hear each other. At the end of the day it was an awesome experience and who says they get to play Rome often? Not many people! Dinner never failed and was exactly what we needed after a long day and game. We’re pretty sure we’re all going to bring Italy back with us just by how much we’re probably going to gain from all the amazing pasta!
Arrivederci!! (Means good bye!)


Day 2 Savannah & Tammy's Blog:

Ciao friends and family!
We had a busy second day here in Rome! We had breakfast down the street at a neighboring hotel called

Hotel Assassi which consisted of delicious cream and chocolate croissants, granola and yogurt, and lots of cappuccinos! Our guide Alma led us through the subway and we made our way to Vatican City. From the outside all we could see were towering brick walls and the huge line of people waiting to get in, which wrapped around the entire square. Luckily, our group got to bypass the line and go straight in! A slight miscommunication made coach our “teacher/guide” and when they gave us all headsets and coach the microphone our biggest fear was recognized…..coach’s voice was in our head! The museum was breathtaking! More ancient sculptures and statues then we knew existed and we got to see the Sistine Chapel and The Last Supper. We also walked around to the other side of the square and saw the area where the Pope comes to talk to the gathered crowd. We took the opportunity as a photo op! Michaela attempted to barter with a street vendor for a fake Prada purse for ten euros, which Sav assured us “must be fake” since its only ten euros. Alysa ended up with an adorable red jacket that ended up coming in handy when it started to rain and got a little chilly. Alma led us down the streets past tons of stores where we had time to shop, past one of the Italian parliament buildings where we witnessed a protest about citizenship and immigration laws, and finally to St. Agnese Square. The square was filled with shops and vendors selling their paintings, and the St. Agnese Square was filled with ornate statues and crosses. A huge dome tops the church. Kylie, Lauren, Vanessa, and Betty were all serenaded by an Italian boy singing Beatles songs. All of our feet were sore filled with walking so we were all glad to sit down for dinner at the same cute restaurant as we ate last night.  The best news we got all day was from Alex, when she told us that coach was letting us go out and experience Rome’s night life. Tammy and Audri grabbed some gelato and crepes before meeting everyone else at a wine bar. We met some girls from Virginia in Italy doing a study abroad and a few fine Italian men, we like to refer to them as “ Massimos” or “Fabrizios”! A rainy, busy day here in Rome but full of great memories!



Day 1 Alex & Alysa's Blog:

Greetings from Rome! It is about 9:26 pm here in Rome, making it 1:26pm in Denver. Although, it feels like we have been up for hours. Our day started at 5:45 this morning, June 19, when we met at school to head to the airport. Our first flight left Denver at 8:40am for Washington DC. We had a three hour lay- over in DC before boarding our flight for Rome at 5:20pm. When you first walk into an international flight, you see all the first class seats, and think, oh, this nine hour flight might not be so bad… then you keep walking, and there’s coach. Let me tell you, this was not a glamorous nine hour flight. We saw sleeping positions I have never seen before. Even Savannah and coach, the smallest people on our team, couldn’t find a comfortable sleeping position… so imagine Alysa’s discomfort. I, Alex, on the other hand, slept like a sweet, precious, little baby for eight hours (I made sure to be awake for dinner and breakfast).
                Finally, we landed in Rome at 8:30am, May 20. When we arrived to our hotel, Hotel Dei Mille, it should have be en a hint at how small our hotel rooms were going to be when the elevator capacity is only 2 people, and if that wasn’t a good enough hint the hallways should have been. Although, despite the size, our view of the streets of Rome is something you see in the movies. It’s absolutely beautiful. We only had 15 minutes to put our bags away, and get downstairs to start Rome adventure. Alma, our Rome native tour guide, took us through the streets of Rome to the subway. That was an experience all by itself. We learned the people don’t say excuse me, and you just have to push your way through or you’re SOL. Next stop Spagna.
                We soon found ourselves at the Spanish Steps, and it was exactly how you see it in pictures. There were mass amounts of people everywhere, and the energy was awesome. Everyone was out. Our coaches let us lose in the streets of Rome for lunch, and had to be back at the steps in an hour. So, Savannah, Vanessa, Michaela, Lauren, and us (Alysa and Alex), went on our way. We definitely l earned a thing or two about Italy, the Italians, and us as Americans. First, Alex, got side swiped by a UPS truck on the streets. The cars don’t stop for anyone, and you just have to be assertive. Then, Vanessa almost got pooped on by a pigeon, they don’t stop for anyone either, and they are EVERYWHERE! We also learned that if you say, “Ciao,” to someone they like to assume you know how to speak Italian and being a conversation with you. Then there’s that awkward pause of “uhhhhhhhhhh…. No ahhhhhhhh parlo italiano?” All said in a horrible Italian accent.
                We found this cute little outside restaurant and decided we would eat there. Well, as Americans and always in a rush, we only allowed ourselves 30 minutes for lunch. Everyone ordered pizza, except for Michaela who got pasta, so we figured we would be in and out. Well, Italians like to take their time and relax and actually enjoy their food, but we were on a time crunch... We were those tourists. We literally got our food, pounded half a pizza in .5 seconds, left the money on the table, and ran… and we were still late. I’d say it was a successful first day.
                Once we all met back, we went to the Travoli Fountain aka where Lizzie McGuire met Paolo for the first time. None the less, the Travoli Fountain was beautiful. We all got our coins, made a wish, and threw it into the fountain. We again had time to do a little sightseeing. Most of us got ice cream at the best ice cream shop in Italy, some did some wine and food tasting at a local store, and others just soaked up the sun at the fountain.
After the fountain, we had to muster up any energy we had left for practice. Coach told us before we left to expect the unexpected and that we could be practicing in some random places. The gym we practiced in happened to be nice. Practice was practice, not bad, but not good. The combination of the hot muggy gym plus a slide resistant floor made for some painful dives. You dove for a ball and just stuck there.
After practice we finally got to come back to the hotel and shower. We went to dinner at a little restaurant down the street, and immediately after sitting down the server brought out a plate full of pasta and gnocchi. We inhaled it. Little did we know that this was just the first of three courses! We also got pizza, and then chicken with potatoes, and a delicious salad with tomato, mozzarella, and olives with a vinaigrette.  We got an hour of free time after dinner where we all went and indulged in some delicious gelato, and did a little window shopping.
                After a very long and eventful day, here we are back in our hotel room at 9pm ready for bed. We are all so exhausted, but our first experience of Italy has been much more than any of us ever expected. The food is awesome, the people are great, and it has already been such a blast being here with our team. We can’t wait to see what the next 9 days have in store for us! J
 
-Alysa and Alex




As the trip draws near, our team, coaching staff, and the chaperones are all excited for the adventure to come!!!  Metro State has been fundraising money diligently over the past four years to completely finance the trip.  Great Job Team!!!

Here are some Tips from the article “How to Survive Italy”
 by Alexander Reed

http://expatriates.yourguidetoitaly.com/italy-survival-guide.html

1. Time: Kick of your shoes, throw away your watch… everything is relative.  Whilst much improved over the recent years trains, buses and people work on an “approximate” timetable.  **GO WITH THE FLOW!!
2. Nationalism: Unlike Northern Europe, English is not as widely leant and used.  Many Italians already knave to learn two languages, Italian and their local dialect and until recently French was promoted above English.  Italians suffer from a language inferiority complex so that they do not and therefore only speak if necessity insists.  Luckily the Italians are experts at and signs and the language is so infiltrated by English words that one way or another everything works out :)
3. Drink: Italian bars often double as coffee shops and there is a much more limited drinking culture.  Italians on the whole do not have a “drinking culture” and many bars reflect this less intense relationship with alcohol, although the club scene is more “traditional” in its appeal.  In many areas wine is cheaper than bottled water and whilst a staple feature of Italian meals, it is rarely drunk in excess. 
   
4. Sport: One thing all Italians agree on is the National football team (soccer), often referred to as Italy’s “true” religion.  When Italy won the world cup, people took to the streets in their cars, blowing horns, standing on car roofs and the entire nation’s transport system ground to a halt for 2 hours as Italians demonstrated their passion for the game.  Other sports take a back seat although cycling, volleyball, skiing and especially Formula One have their occasional place on the front pages.  One of the largest selling national newspapers is entirely dedicated to sport (La Gazetta dello sport).
5. Food: Italians are passionate about… Italian food.  So much so that even when abroad, many Italians will go out of their way to seek out the nearest Italian restaurant… and why not?  Italian food is like an Iceberg, what you see and know, like pasta and pizza, are but a fraction of the rich and varied Italian cuisine.  Each region has their “local dish” and each dish may be prepared in a different way according to local custom.  Such is the strength of Italian food that finding a Chinese, Mexican or other type of restaurant outside the big towns, is a challenge, although McDonalds dot the landscape nearly everywhere. 
6. Queuing: or lines.  Until recently the concept was aan enigma for Italians.  The advent of supermarket deli ticket lines and other such devices are being readily adopted and even when no line exists, Italians appear to have uncanny sense of when it’s their turn. 
7. Greeting: Even vaguely familiar acquaintances will kiss each other on each cheek, but a hand shake will suffice.  “Buongiorno” (formal) and “Ciao” (informal) being the classic accompaniment, followed by “come stai” (informal) “how are you”.  In Northern Europe it is normal to reply “fine thank you” even if you feel awful, in Italy they may well tell you how you are!  Failure to greet or say good bye to somebody can be taken as an insult.
8. Fashion: Italians will generally conform to the latest fashion trend, color, and style, indeed foreigners can easily be spotted, even in a crowd, as they often do not conform to this hidden code.  Italians take pride in their dress and are much more brand conscious then some other nationalities. 
9. Humor: Warning “Sarcasm is not defined.”  DO NOT try sarcastic or ironic jokes on Italians, they will think you are serious.  Humor is much more light hearted and obvious and Italians are not afraid to make fun of themselves. 

 
ITALIAN FASHION!!
 
A huge question before we leave for Italy, is “What do we pack?”  in order to answer that question, it is important to address what is appropriate to wear while in Italy.  The following exerts from this article should help…


Italian Dress Code:  How to dress and what NOT to wear when traveling in Italy
By Catherine de Luca
http://www.yourguidetoitaly.com/dressing-tips-while-traveling-in-italy.html
 
Italians are very fashion conscious, but more importantly, they are very respectful of traditions and customs, which translates in the way they dress.  This means there is no such thing as an Italian dress code, but rather imperceptible, tacit rules, which may remain unnoticed for the untrained eye. 
 
The first think to know is that Italians adapt the way they dress to the moment of the day, the occasion, and the site or place they are visiting.  Some typical examples: no shorts for men in the evening and no tank tops of other shoulder-less clothing when entering a church or cathedral.  For the same reason covered shoulders, no shorts or miniskirts are recommended when visiting the Vatican. 
 
Showing respect also means that you dress up according to the level of the place people you are visiting, even if there is no formal dress code mentioned.  Explicit dress codes are relatively rare in Italy, because most people usually know how to dress according to the place.  This means that in finer restaurants and in luxury hotels you are expected to dress accordingly.  Not doing so may be interpreted as offensive or show disrespect to the place and the other clients.  It may also be interpreted as a sign that you expect poor service an you may well end up receiving that as a consequence.  This is relatively rate, though; in most cases Italians are just too polite to show any reaction or different treatment. 
 
Some clothing combinations may also look funny to Italians, like wearing white socks under trousers, or wearing socks with sandals.  Reversely, some pieces of clothing always require their complement, for example, closing shoes always need socks (except moccasin-style shoes or yachting shoes).  Please see list below for additional “do’s and don’ts”.
 
Do’s:
 

• In case of doubt it is always better to over-dress for a specific situation that the opposite.  Remember that for Italians style and elegance is translated by the overall picture, NOT by some specific attire, such as a tie.  Wearing a tie on a jeans or an imperfectly ironed shirt is worse than wearing no tie in a classy suit.  The first thing Italians will look at are your shoes and then the quality of the fabrics, rather than what they represent. 
• Italian women always wear make-up (usually the kind of make-up that looks very natural) and have their hair, eyebrows and nails done (especially toe nails), but they hardly wear perfume. 
• You can wear jeans (even in a more formal situations), as long as they are combined with an elegant jacket or stylish accessories.  They should be well-fitting and stylish.  Never wear a tie with jeans, though. 
• For men, always wear socks in closed shoes.  The only exception to this are moccasin-style shoes are yachting shoes, but even here Italians will usually wear a type of socks specifically adapted to this kind of shoes, called fantasmini (‘invisible’ or very short socks). 
• Rome and Milan being fashion capitals, designer labels are always immediately recognizable and considered a sign of elegance (unless it is over-done). 

 
Don’ts:

• Avoid sweat suits or sports shoes in the city, except if you are doing sports.  The only exceptions to this are very stylish, branded sports shoes, but these are usually not flashy and should always look VERY new. 
• No tank tops of other shoulder-less clothing in churches or sacred places.  It is always a good idea to cover up your shoulders when entering a church.  Entering a sacred place with sleeveless or should-less clothing may be interpreted as an insult to the sacred. 
• No oversized shirts or baggy trousers.  Italians always wear appropriately sized clothing.
• No fanny packs or belt packs. 
• No extra short shorts (especially the sports type), unless you are heading to the beach or vacationing in a beach resort and even then prefer then longer (knee level, Bermuda shorts type).  An absolute no-no are running shorts or wearing shorts in the evening!  Also avoid wearing socks with shorts. 
• No flip-flops or thongs in the bigger cities (this is a tricky one, because some thongs can look really elegant, so it does a little depend on the type). 
• No socks in sandals or open shoes
• A big no-no are white socks with trousers! Socks should always be as discrete as possible, preferably black or blend in wither with the color of the trousers or that of the shoes.  White socks are for sports only!
• No bright, flashy colors.  Italians so wear bright colors, bur in specific combinations and not at all times.  Some colors that are typically very popular in some countries look very strange to Italians as colors for clothes, such as mustard yellow, petrol blue, bottle green and dull Bordeaux red.  So, in case of doubt and to remain on the safe side, prefer earthy tones, or black, marine blue, cream and white.  Some red and other stronger colors are fine, but too much red, purple or flashy color combinations may soon look out of place.  Pastel colors such as lilac, pastel green, pastel rose and salmon are best reserved for Summer.  The only exception to this are shades of beige, camel, broken white, ivory and cream white and grey which can be worn all year round. 

 LANGUAGE BARRIER?! 
 
Since it appears that language might be a slight barrier on our trip, here are some great words and phrases to familiarize yourself with!! 

Found at: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/common-conversational-words-and-phrases-in-italian.html

Courteous phrases
Being polite is just as important in Italy as anywhere else in this world. The following words and phrases cover most of the pleasantries required for polite conversation. After all, learning to say the expressions of common courtesy in Italian before traveling is just good manners.

• sì (yes)
• no (no)
• per favore; per piacere; per cortesia (please)
• Grazie (Thank you)
• Molte grazie (Thank you very much.)
• Prego! (You're welcome!)
• Si figuri! (It's nothing.)
• Mi scusi. (Excuse me.)
• prego (by all means)
• Può ripetere, per cortesia? (Can you please repeat.)

Phrases for travelers
There are some Italian phrases that are particularly helpful to international travelers. Below are several phrases may come in handy during your stay in Italy.

• Mi scusi. (Excuse me. [Formal])
• Non parlo bene l'italiano. (I don't speak Italian well.)
• Parla inglese? (Do you speak English? [Formal])
• Parlo inglese. (I speak English.)
• Mi sono perso. [M]; Mi sono persa. [F] (I'm lost.)
• Sto cercando il mio albergo. (I'm looking for my hotel.)
• Sì, lo so. (Yes, I know.)
• Non lo so. (I don't know.)
• Non so dove sia. (I don't know where it is.)
• Non capisco. (I don't understand.)
• Capisco, grazie. (I understand, thanks.)
• Può ripetere, per cortesia? (Can you repeat, please? [Formal])
• È bello. (It's beautiful.)
• È bellissimo. (It's very beautiful.)
• Vado a casa. (I'm going home.)
• Domani visitiamo Venezia. (We'll visit Venice tomorrow.)
• Due cappuccini, per favore. (Two cappuccinos, please.)
• Non lo so. (I don't know.)
• Non posso. (I can't.)
• Non potevo. (I couldn't.)
• Non lo faccio. (I won't do it.)
• Non dimenticare! (Don't forget!)
• Lei non mangia la carne. (She doesn't eat meat.)
• Non siamo americani. (We aren't American.)
• Il caffè non è buono. (The coffee isn't good.)
• Non è caro! (It's not expensive!)

Common places and locations
It is also helpful to know the correct vocabulary for some of the common places or locations that you might need or want while traveling in Italy.

• banca (bank)
• città (city)
• il consolato Americano (American consulate)
• il ristorante (restaurant)
• in campagna (in the country)
• in città (in the city)
• in montagna (in the mountains)
• l'albergo (hotel)
• l'ospedale (hospital)
• la casa (house)
• la polizia (police)
• la stazione dei treni (train station)
• metropolitana (subway)
• museo (museum)
• negozio (store)
• paese (country)
• spiaggia (beach)
• stato (state)
• ufficio (office)

 
For another great website the allows you to hear pronunciations of all the words and phrases, go to: http://www.linguanaut.com/english_italian.htm