Jazz Ensemble's Recent Tour in Italy!

I recently had the opportunity to tour with my college's Jazz Ensemble in Italy and wanted to share a few insights. Even though this was not a tour with Rick Steve's, I made a point of watching several of his videos well before leaving and I truly believe it made my first trip to Italy fun and memorable! Of course, getting to play trumpet with my classmates at the Umbria Jazz Festival was a dream come true!
1. If you are traveling to Italy, I really suggest you go on youtube and find Rick's video on Italy travel skills. Take notes if you need to, but listen to everything he says in there. I didn't even think of a money belt or that making an online reservation to see something would make a difference, but it does. We had reservations booked into our trip to see the Vatican and other sites. Believe me, if you're not going with a tour group and want to see something, book it online before you go! The line at the Vatican was way down the street and we got there at 8:30 in the morning!
2. Learn some of their language. Go to Duolingo.com or pick up some other language tutorial, but learn at least a few key phrases. Most of the people I encountered have a better handle on English than I do on Italian, but do not assume they know how to speak our language. I went with the attitude that I was in their country, so I was going to obey their rules and do things on their terms. If you try to speak to them in Italian and you are struggling, they will try to help you. They will either ask if you speak English or they will find some other way to help. Most of the people there were very friendly and more than willing to be accomodating.
3. There are pickpockets there and they will take advantage of you if you let them. Buy a money belt or a money pouch to keep your money and important things like your license and Passport. I used a money pouch because it was so much easier for me to access. It hung around my neck and I just kept it under my blouse, so I always knew where it was.
4. Pack as light as possible. We not only had luggage, but instruments to carry. My trumpet is not that heavy and I can carry it in a bag over my shoulder, but some of our group had large instruments like trombones. Our hotels all had elevators, but they are probably half the size of elevators here which meant you were lucky if two people with their luggage and instruments could fit. From what I understand, not all hotels have elevators and if you're on the 4th floor, that's a long way to travel with a loaded suitcase!
5. Invest in a comfortable pair of walking shoes. We not only performed while we were there, we went on a lot of walking tours in the cities we visited. The streets are narrow and sometimes a car won't fit on them, let alone a tour bus. So our bus would drop us off and a tour guide would take us on a walk through their city. These can last anywhere from an hour to three hours, so comfortable shoes are a must! Also, take a water bottle along, especially in the summer. I did not see fountains everywhere, but some cities had fountains where you can fill it up for free and as hot as it is, you will need it.
6. Go with an open mind, prepared to enjoy Italy on it's terms. Have fun experiencing all their culture has to offer and make a point to connect with the people. Hope this helps someone thinking about going to Italy. For me, it was an amazing experience!