Something I probably should have thought about earlier

Weird fact about Rome: the inhabitants speak Italian, not English. True!

Surprising fact about Rome: schoolboy French is not an adequate substitute for Italian, either.

Mystifying fact about Rome: impressions of Don Homer's "Molto Bene" and "That's a nice-a donut" also do not suffice.

Fun hint regarding people who communicate exclusively in other tongues: it doesn't matter how clearly you enunciate your language, if someone doesn't know it, which they don't actually have any obligation to when you're in their country, then they're still not going to understand what you're trying to say.

Useful shopping suggestion: if you are foolish enough to leave your hat back in Australia, buy one when you're in an English-speaking country (or England, if that's the closest equivalent available) rather than waiting until after you've left it for one which isn't. It will save yourself a day of pointing at your head and trying to gesture the difference between a cap and a hat with a brim.

Independent assessment of Jeremy's preparation for and successful negotiation of his first day in a non-English speaking country: FAIL.