Couch surfing in Roma

Our host picked us up at a metro stop in his tiny black Mercedes and took us back to his apartment so we could shower and drop off our things.
It was a holiday, and he was going to the beach. We were tempted to go with, but we really wanted to see the city, and knew we didn't have time to waste.
He was very nice, gave us a key, and we were set to go.
We went to the train stations, made reservations for our departure, and then got lunch - our first Italian dish.
Leslie ordered pizza, thinking it was a slice, and they brought out a whole pizza. Wow. I got penne pasta, and tried to help Leslie finish her huge meal. It was so good. But we found out, apparently, that people just eat whole pizzas there. The dough isn't as thick, but still!
And then we went to a tourist office to plan our time in Rome.
We spent our evening taking a 3-hour walking tour through the city, ending at the Colosseum.
The tour was great, hard to understand our guide with her Italian accent, but we saw so much just by foot. Seeing the ruins of the Roman Forum just left us speechless. The remains actually were covered by dirt over the years and had to be excavated by archeologists, so the ground where the Roman Forum used to stand is much lower than the rest of the city.
Next to the Roman Forum, I later read, stands the prison where the disciples Paul and Peter were kept before they were matyred. I believe the Forum is where the two men were executed as well. Incredible. To think we stood that close to the place where Paul may have written letters that we read today in the Bible. Wow.
The Colosseum was also incredible - it's just so big. All of the architecture is so amazing. It's hard to believe how long ago these structures were constructed, how beautiful they are, and how long they have remained. It really humbles the idea that our advances in technology make our generation intelligent and important.
Later, we met up with our host for dinner and drinks. And honestly, we didn't quite know what to make of him.
I don't know if it was his swagger walking into the restaurant with two women as though we were arm candy, or maybe it was the way he reprimanded the waiter for bringing regular water instead of sparkling water. "Who brought this?!" he asked impatiently. "Which one of the waiters? I wanted sparkling water."
Funny, he never asked us what our preference was...
He's traveled a lot, to many parts of the world, and he speaks two languages besides his native tongue, Italian.
So you would think that he can appreciate differences in culture and might have a greater understanding about different types of people. But he sure wasn't afraid to tell us how much he hated New York, calling it "hell on Earth."
Ha...uhm...did I dare tell him I want to live there?
Oh, and he said the people in New York are rude and the subway smells.
Naw, I won't let him know how much I love the east coast, specifically NYC.
Leslie and I laughed about it the next day, we couldn't believe that he would say that to us when we live in the US. It's almost like us telling him, "We hate Florence. Italians smell." Yikes.
Our night with him was interesting. It was obvious that he loves the Roman culture, but there is a fine line between loving where you live and arrogance.
He was nice enough, but we just felt awkward a lot of the time. And he didn't seem eager to inquire about our culture, our likes and dislikes, and our life at home. It was just strange.
But that didn't stop us from cracking jokes about it all the way to and from Florence. In fact, we're still laughing - even from Greece!