messenger bag in lieu of a back pack
Thanks, although I am usually against the "man purse" I think an exception can be made for the sake of Italian style. Seems like a good way to make my necessities transportable without the tourist tag.
I think it's incredibly arrogant when Americans assume that everyone they encounter on their trip should speak English. Imagine how we'd feel if a Frenchman, or Italian was in line in front of us at our local Starbucks speaking his native language to the befuddled kid behind the counter and then got indignant that the kid didn't understand French!
Could not agree more with this statement, which is why Ive spent the last few months doing an Italian crash course. Obviously I wont be fluent before the trip, but hopefully the locals will appreciate the effort of me learning the basics.