Yes, yes...as you may imagine, this top ten is primarily about food. BUT - I was in Italy, so it should be expected. Read at your own risk, as it may make you start to drool. It does for me at least. :)
1. Gelato: I know I have posted numerous photos of this heavenly food, but it needs one last commemoration. I have always been a fan of ice cream, but gelato is on a whole other level. We felt the need to have gelato at least once a day, trying new flavors whenever possible. I am a huge mint chocolate chip fan, but discovered that the more fruity flavors where in fact, even better gelato flavors. Flavors like mango, strawberry, tangerine etc. However, sometimes, one just needs a little chocolate in their day (see right). And one must always do two scoops, one scoop is for the wimpy gelato eaters out there. GO BIG OR GO HOME...as I always say. Also, it was interesting to see how the gelato would come accessorized..such as this pic, to make the whole eating process EVEN more enjoyable. I recommend this tasty treat for both hot, sticky days as well as cold, rainy days. No matter the weather, gelato hits the spot.
2. Pizza: I have always liked pizza...as do most individuals I believe. However, until one has tasted Italian pizza, you have not really had pizza. This is thin, crispy crust, a sweet sauce and cheese that slides right off the top. I usually vote for pepperoni, but now believe there's not anything that can beat the margherita pizza. The herbs that are scattered about on the top make this pizza to DIE for. This is the food I think about the most, now that I'm back in the U.S. I always end up trying to strategically hide my drool as I sit in lecture or other public setting. Now that I know the dream that is Italian pizza, that will be the first food I consume when I make a return visit. The only place at home that I've found can come close to the real deal is Punch Pizza. It's also fantastic, but it can't quite replicate the original. (sigh.)
3. Italian Accents: I had to break up all this food talk with something else. Listening to Italians speak was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It's a soothing yet energizing language that includes the entire body. Hand gestures, head bobs and of course, their animated facial expressions. Whether it was a waiter in a restaurant, a couple walking by on the street, our gondolier or someone selling us trinkets to take home - they all were so fun and entertaining to talk to. I sincerely wish I knew more Italian words than "Ciao" and "Bella" because it would have
been a great time to be able to communicate in Italian and not English. But, even without knowing the language, I still appreciated its lively sound throughout the trip.
4. Prosecco: I know I mentioned this wonderful drink before, but it deserved a mention in the Top Ten. For those that missed the previous mention, Prosecco is Italian champagne. What I wanted to highlight from this in particular, is that it was sold at little shops on the street, and you could take your glass and sit by the canal or the sidewalk and sip away (see right). It was the most refreshing thing to sip in the middle of the day...as you take in the sights around you. It fit well with the relaxed lifestyle of the Italians and was a great pick-me-up after walking around all day - especially in Venice. It's unfortunate that Prosecco is so dang expensive back home. Definitely a new favorite.
5. Wall-sits. Now you may be thinking, what!?! Wall sits?!? What does this have anything to do with Italy? Well, there was a little friendly competition that happened as our group walked back to our hostels one night after dinner. Ryan, felt he was superior in the wall sit competitive arena (if there was one) and Carolyn and I felt that was a challenge. Well, I failed miserably, lasting a long time for ME but not so much compared to the legs of Carolyn and Ryan. In the end, Ryan defended his title. It was such a hilarious, spontaneous thing that I felt it was necessary to highlight. It was spontaneous things like this that made the trip fun. (Picture to the left is mid-competition...and no hands were allowed, thus the hands up against the wall...)
6. Activities to do while it's pouring outside: As I referenced during the "More Roma Tomatoes", 
it began pouring on our group right after we saw and sat on the Spanish Steps. The closest hideout we could find from the rain was a McDonalds, and we knew we'd be there awhile, considering how hard it was raining. We were sitting around a table, after consuming our snacks and wondering what we could do to entertain ourselves. Some of our friends back at Maastricht had told us about a great game we decided to try. Everyone in the group needed five pieces of paper (the amount of people in our group.) First, everyone wrote down a phrase on one piece of paper...preferably containing a noun and a verb. The papers were then passed along to the person to the right and that person had to draw what they saw written on the first piece of paper. Again then, the papers were passed, only this time, the third person writes a description of the drawing they see from the person before them. They are not allowed to see the original description on the first piece of paper. The papers are passed a fourth time, and a picture must be drawn from the description written etc. You can do this with any number of people but five worked wonderfully. At the end, each person reveals what they originally wrote and the two drawings and descriptions that followed. It was HILARIOUS! Our group already had a colorful sense of humor and that mixed with the horrible drawing abilities we all possessed, well, it was a great time. I 
highly recommend this game to anyone - all you need is tiny pieces of paper and writing utensils. Above right is one of the more tame examples. :)
7. Canals. Something we enjoyed doing, on purpose, was getting lost. This was especially true while wandering the back alleys and 'roads' of Venice. Around every turn - literally - was another canal. We got in a good workout that day as we were climbing lots of stairs to get up and over bridges. There were some beautiful canals - with the water-soaked walls of the buildings adding to the charm. I could walk the streets of Venice for hours without getting bored. Here's just one of the neat canals we stumbled upon.
8. History. This deals more with Rome than Venice, but every single monument we passed, or street we walked down - each had their own, EXTENSIVE history. Walking around the Colosseum alone gave me chills knowing the events that used to happen within those walls. So many eyes have seen the inside of that monumental building, from all walks of life. The royalty to the common man to the gladiator fighting - everyone was a part of that building's history. Then you factor in the Vatican and the religious history and symbolism that entire city-state represents. Seeing the wonders that artists like Bernini and Michelangelo created makes you want to pinch yourself. Staring at certain sculptures makes you almost well up with tears, just in wonder of how the hell someone created something that looks so wonderful and has created the following that it has. For instance - not only is the Sistine Chapel something we all learned about as little kids, similarly to the Mona Lisa - but it also is where the Pope is elected. That place has seen so much history that it is astounding. That coupled with the fact that it's a beautiful piece of art is...well...so cool. I kept thinking about parts of Angels and Demons as we walked by the monuments mentioned in that book, which were only mentioned because of the mysterious and infamous history with both the artist and the Catholic church. All just things that made me go "hmm..." throughout the trip.
9. Rain. Well, we lucked out immensely with the weather on our trip. We were supposed to 
suffer from rain every single day we were in Italy and somehow only had a few rainy days. But, when it rains, it RAINS! In Venice we picked up pretty quickly that rain ALWAYS means flooding. The canals are so close to the level of the streets, at least when we were there, that the flooding happens almost as soon as raindrops start to fall. We had to jump around puddles as we made our way back to the hostel on our last night in Venice or we would have had wet shoes and pants...up to our calves in some spots! (See right for some examples of canal over-flow). Rome was also a bit rain-filled, as mentioned previously. Thankfully though, my lovely plaid umbrella that I bought in Venice for a whopping 3 euros, kept me nicely dry. Rain - can ruin your day, but only if you let it. :)
10. Time. This has two meanings - one, we didn't have enough, in my opinion. And two, the Italians never rush. Everything is about enjoying the moment, whether it's your glass of wine, your meal, the people you're with, anything. The Italian way of life - I picked up quickly - was all about going with the flow. As we all know I struggle a bit in this area, I actually enjoyed this lifestyle however. Venice especially for our group was about..."let's go do....THIS..." or "I'm starting to get hungry, perhaps....lets grab some...gelato!" Just kind of a go with the flow attitude felt natural. And also, I knew after our trip came to a close, that Italy was my favorite place. I had been VERY adamant that I didn't have a favorite place - as you well know - but as soon as I left Italy I wanted to go back! I am in luck however, as my younger brother Greg wants to study abroad in Florence at some point in his college career. I'm starting to save NOW so that I can hopefully make a trip back to the country (and the food, let's be frank) that I love so dearly.
That my readers, is the END, FINALLY of Italy. I dragged it out long enough, huh?!? One last trip to document - London. I will keep that particular recollection a bit more brief. Coming soon, stay tuned!
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