Thanks for the compliment, Alan! I had lots of fun taking them.
I have no good way of estimating the COL in Italy. Mostly we were in very touristy areas, doing very touristy things, so of course it was expensive. When we were out in Chianti, prices were much more reasonable.
I suppose the two best comparison points I could make would be: a bottle of water, usually about $1.25, and a package of tomato seeds, about $4.40.
