That's how long Jim and Brenda Piche have been planning their dream trip to Italy.

``We picked late spring, after Easter. You know, the crowds are pretty thin then,'' said Jim Piche, 67. ``I really don't like crowds.''

The New Tampa couple leave today for their 10-day vacation - starting in Rome. They will be joined there by an estimated 4 million other visitors hoping to pay last respects to Pope John Paul II.

``The timing isn't that great,'' said Brenda Piche, 59.

After hearing Saturday the pope died, the couple realized their trip changed before they had even left. They were about to land at the epicenter of what could be the most important Catholic event in a century.

As members of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, they thought it sounded pretty thrilling - at first.

``It was like, `Wow. We're going to be part of history.' But now we're getting nervous about all the reports of the huge crowds,'' Brenda Piche said.

Although the Piches booked a room at the Hotel Palladium Palace months ago, they have since learned that all lodging is overbooked with the crush of pilgrims descending upon Italy's capital. There may be no room at the inn once they arrive early Thursday.

To accommodate the tens of thousands arriving daily, city officials are scrambling. They're erecting tent cities on college campuses and fairgrounds, setting up hundreds of cots in concert halls and railway buildings, manning round-the-clock medical units, and pulling out the portable toilets. If the crush escalates, Rome's Olympic Stadium may be opened as an impromptu campground.

Even the mayor is concerned. Walter Veltroni warned the city's 3 million residents to brace themselves for an influx never before seen in a city accustomed to hosting the world's tourists.

This is Brenda Piche's second trip to Rome; she traveled there in 1968 with some girlfriends. It will be Jim Piche's first visit.

They had wanted to visit Rome was to tour the Vatican, then stop in Florence and Venice. Now, they intend to join the hours-long wait to view the pope's body, lying in state at St. Peter's Basilica. Because of logistics, they're not sure they will be able to go to one of the public sites where Friday's funeral will be broadcast on huge screens.

``We had counted on going to a papal Mass, or at least get blessed by the pope in St. Peter's Square,'' said Brenda Piche, a retired Delta Air Lines sales representative. ``I know he's been ill for some time, but who could have guessed this would happen?''

The Piches say they love their church, even if it has disappointed them in recent years. They said they were sickened by the clergy abuse scandal and don't believe members' donations have been tended to responsibly.

They admired John Paul II but said it's time for a new direction. They both said clergy should be able to get married and the priesthood should be opened to women - positions the pope strongly opposed.

``A lot of our friends have left the church, but we didn't think that was the answer,'' she said. ``We'd rather work for change.''

Jim Piche expressed hope for the future, saying people, not the institution, are the problem.

``All the problems you can blame on a failing in the leadership, not the church itself,'' he said. ``I'm hoping a new pope can move the church into reality.''

Two of Piches' three grown children are devout Catholics. The couple also have seven grandchildren, one of whom will be the beneficiary of special prayers offered from the heart of the Catholic Church. Those will be prayers to help in a fight against leukemia.

Jim Piche said the couple never considered canceling their trip.

``It's going to be an experience all right,'' the retired Navy mission commander said. ``Let's just hope it's a positive one.''

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Michelle Bearden can be reached at (813) 259-7613.