<b>In the wry but affectionate tradition of Bill Bryson, <i>Ciao, America! </i>is a delightful look at America through the eyes of a fiercely funny guest &#8212; one of Italy&#8217;s favorite authors who spent a year in Washington, D.C.<br></b><br>When Beppe Severgnini and his wife rented a creaky house in Georgetown they were determined to see if they could adapt to a full four seasons in a country obsessed with ice cubes, air-conditioning, recliner chairs, and, of all things, after-dinner cappuccinos. From their first encounters with cryptic rental listings to their back-to-Europe yard sale twelve months later, Beppe explores this foreign land with the self-described patience of a mildly inappropriate beachcomber, holding up a mirror to America&#8217;s signature manners and mores. Succumbing to his surroundings day by day, he and his wife find themselves developing a taste for Klondike bars and Samuel Adams beer, and even that most peculiar of American institutions -- the pancake house.<br><br>The realtor who waves a perfect bye-bye, the overzealous mattress salesman who bounces from bed to bed, and the plumber named Marx who deals in illegally powerful showerheads are just a few of the better-than-fiction characters the Severgninis encounter while foraging for clues to the <i>real</i> America. A trip to the computer store proves just as revealing as D.C.&#8217;s Fourth of July celebration, as do boisterous waiters angling for tips and no-parking signs crammed with a dozen lines of fine print. <br><br>By the end of his visit, Severgnini has come to grips with life in these United States -- and written a charming, laugh-out-loud tribute.<br><br><br><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>