Headed back to the USA tomorrow! I'm ready, too. It's been very interesting and educational. I've never seen the art or the architecture that I've read and heard so much about. The Italian countryside is gorgeous and the weather was perfect except for a few wet days. Our tour guides were very knowledgeable with very good English. The Renaissance was an amazingly creative time. I cannot believe what skill and patience it required to spend years or even decades on a piece of art. The Italy I saw is pretty clean (not as clean as Germany) and we did not tour any modern city areas. In our bus travels I got glimpes af areas that showed more Western culture, stores, malls, car dealers, etc.
Downsides: The food was mediocre in most places. Nobody serves ice in any beverage. The local people and European visitors are, by American standards, rude. Nobody smiles, and people in crowds just brush you aside to get by without a word. Most of the service staffs were the same except the hotel clerks, who were very friendly. People were much smaller centuries ago and the building designs show it. The hotel beds are tiny.
It was a great trip. Our group of 48 geezers managed to stay together pretty well and they partied a bit. Even our minister drinks a little.
Ciao!