Episode Two: Title explanation/Summary of highlights

Before I continue posting about our misadventures in Italy, I thought I'd offer an explanation and a summary:

Explanation: Blog Title
Some of you may wonder why the title of this blog is "Two Rubes in Rome..."  I mean, Wendy and I aren't really rubes; we're college-educated urban professionals who are somewhat well-versed in a variety of areas, including literature (Wendy), history (Wendy), art (Wendy), the Renaissance (Wendy), and bass guitar (Gary).

Okay, at least Wendy isn't a rube! And  in my defense, I did NOT end up going with 'Plan A' for my travel outfit (a fanny pack, big white tennis shoes, cowboy hat, "God Bless the USA" t-shirt, stone-washed jeans, foam #1 finger). But between our inability to speak Italian beyond "Grazia" and "Il conto, per favore'" (which is either a way to ask for the bill or a request a conte' crayon), our occasional cultural blunders (like asking if we could walk through what is essentially the Rose Garden of the Italian White House), we pretty much felt like rubes through much of our visit. And, frankly, those rube moments are the most fun stories to tell. Thus the title.

Summary: My favorite things
To paraphrase a training video that my co-workers and I are all too familiar with, "A lot of people want to know the bottom line." And, although I am a beguiling raconteur, anecdotalist and all-round man-about-town, some of you may just have a passing interest in our little trip. So here's a list of some of my favorite Italian things; unfortunately I am not Oprah, so you audience members will not be receiving these items:
Gary's favorite Italy stuff:

• Michelangelo's David
• The cappuccino and gelati 
• Sistine Chapel and Raphael's School of Athens
• Saint Paul's cathedral (the Vatican)
• The cat shelter in Rome
• The cheesy Wax Museum
• The Pantheon, Roman Forum and Colosseum 
• The markets in Rome, Venice and Florence
• Reliquaries of saints' remains
• The Bone Church (Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini)
• The sheer cuteness of Venice
• Wax anatomical models at the Museo Della Cere
• Food at Porks and Pugi
• Boboli Gardens (Florence)
• Medici Chapel (designed by Michelangelo)

Future posts will talk about this stuff and much, much more in excruciating detail. Proceed at your own peril!

And now for some random Italy pix:

There are Roman ruins everywhere!

My tour guide and human GPS

You too can own fancy vestments!