Walking is a really nice way, I think, to get a feel of the culture of a place. It's just not the same when viewed through the window of a car.

That's right. In a car, you feel somewhat locked away from the world. Plus, if you're driving you do not even have the leisure to take in the scenery properly.

That conversation sounds very familiar to me. Add to that the fact that Rome's metro shuts down at 10 am every evening. This resulted in conversations like this several times:

"Uh, it's 10.30, how do we get back now?"

"We could take the bus..."

"Yeah, but which line is the right one? And do we even have a bus stop near the hotel?"

"Eh, no idea..."

"Then let's walk back."

"But that's 2 miles at least! And where do we have to go anyway?"

"Eh, cross the river and then walk... west?"

And I think (now that everybody seems to do it) I want a letter to. ;)