Wow, I am in Italy since March 31. and I spent the first week in beautiful Verona (my third time there). From Verona I made my way to Venice for a day and one day I spent in Bologna.
Today I arrived in Florence and have to say, it did not change.
Thanks to the internet I found a cheap place to stay close to the train station with free wifi and breakfast. Had my cappuccino right after the checking into the place and now I am sitting in one of the gardens and write this.

Now, when you travel Italy, you will find out, that things are very different here. I mean, compared to other European countries you travel. Sometimes you think, or at least I do, why is it all so complicated. You want to check your email at an internet place or phone shop, you will have to show your passport which will be held and copied or at least the information will be written down. No ID, no internet.

It happened to me twice the last two days, that I stood on the platform, waiting for a train after checking the info board which part of the platform I have to bord the train so I am on the right wagon. Now, when you have a seat reservation for car number 12 and the board tells you that car number 12 will stop at plattform section "F", you walk there and wait, so you don't have to move around to much with your backpack and day bag when the train comes into the station. You can imagine my stupid look, when twice in 24 hours, I waited for the train I was going to take and twice car number 1 stopped in front of me. Ever tried to walk the length of an Italian train along a platform of a train station in a major Italian city??
Safes you a lot of money for the fitness club, I can tell you. And it is a good football training, because you got to avoid bumping into people for 12 cars or better, a hell of a lot of yards.
From now on, I will always wait in the middle of platforms, you never know.

Interesting is when you ask locals for directions. Even having a map of the city you are visiting at the moment, sometimes you think the map is of some other town, because you can't find what you are looking for. Now, you turn around a couple of times and look for someone who might speak one of the stuff you can. Having found a local speaking English you might think helps near, but .......
When you ask for the post office for example, the person shows you into a direction and says, "Do you see the church down the road?" you  say yes, " when you get to this church, you went too far, so don't go there!"
Hmm, that info is helping great time, cheers.
First time this happened, I thought that guy is pulling my leg, but it happened very often and I do understand tourists now, who walk around with those little GPS boxes. They don't want to walk too far.

Italy just voted for the 63. government since the end of World War 2. Now, the war ended in 1945, which, by my bad math makes it average and one in count, just a moment,......... every year one new government. Wow.
We are talking about a country that is first of all one of the early members of the European Union and, well, I better check again on Wikipedia, but it is true, one of the members of the G8, well 7, or whatever. Guess when Russia is number 8, then, what number is Italy? For you out there who need some refreshing on economics and else, the G7, or 8, represents the 8, or 7, richest industrial countries in the world.
Hmm, I wonder if Italians know about that one.