[quote=The Nexerus]
Either catch a cold or buy a pair of nose plugs before you get to Venice. The water in those canals is ever-so-slightly less filthy than raw sewage.Your tour guide will stress this enough so that it's pointless for me to tell you, but regardless: watch your wallet, especially in Rome.
[/quote]

Venice didn't smell when I went. Maybe I'm just stinky and used to it. 

Buy exclusively postcards as Christmas gifts when in Rome because there will be a ton of guys walking around the colliseum selling 50 for like a buck. Postcards and rosaries. Not sure how they are related.