5 things in Italy that made me thinkÂ ðŸ˜œÂ ðŸ˜®Â ðŸ˜

Five things I experienced in Italy that make me see the USA differently.

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I of course loved Italy I. was fortunate to tour on motorcycle last month and will return to do again in 2017.

I am resisting the temptation to go all "Here's how I spent my Italian vacation" on you. You're welcome (!).

Instead, I'll leave you with some impressions that are making me think differently about my life here in the U.S.A.

1. Free-Range Children. On a Saturday morning kids were riding their bikes, playing hopscotch, and accompanying their grandparents to the cafe on the piazza.

Contrast that with the empty streets in American suburbs, because kids are being ferried to an adult-organized activity, or perhaps inside playing with digital devices.

2. Elderly people everywhere. Not until I saw so many old people in everyday life did I realize how seldom I see them at home.

This gentleman with a cane? I saw people in all levels of mobility everywhere. Some with a cane, others with two, still others leaning on a family member—none of them tucked away from sight in retirement "ghettos."

3. Clotheslines. Big city or small village, most everyone air dries their wash. The environmental impact is lower—and it's free.

I have friends—perhaps you're one of them—for whom a clothesline is against the rules of their HOA, punishable by fine and eventual expulsion from the community if they persist. C'mon, Americans!

4. Bikes, scooters, and motorcycles. Life on two wheels is the norm.

Even in Rome, there is a social contract of mutual respect between drivers, cyclists, and bikers. Scooters and motorcycles go to the head of the line at traffic lights. More in this video.

3. Real Food. Italians eat FRESH-LOCAL, and that there are markets in every village. Your taste buds know it wasn't trucked in from Spain.

You can't get food that's out of season—looking at you "year-'round tomatoes"—and that builds anticipation for when the season returns.