LOL!
Sicula and the Tornado!!!

Alice said "(nations' names do not require the article)"

I thought that masculine ending nations required the article. e.g. negli Stati Uniti o nel Messico.

That's not perfectly true. Stati Uniti requires the article (as well as Regno Unito and Unione Sovietica, which is no more, but I needed a femminine example) because it is a composed name that suggests a union of some kind (le Isole Vanuatu are another example). Messico does not require it. So you have "Negli Stati Uniti", "Nell'Unione Sovietica" but "In Messico".
Also, all nation's names have an article when they are the subject of the phrase or the "complemento oggetto" in a direct phrase , so "Gli Stati Uniti, il Messico e l'Argentina sono in America", but also "L'America ospita gli Stati Uniti, il Messico e l'Argentina".
In the above case, though (complemento di stato in luogo) only composed nations names that suggest a union bear an article.

Well Alice, I had to break out the good ol' "Schaum's Outline Series Italian Grammar" book. I will type the quote:

The definite article is omitted when the name of the continent, country, island, or region is proceeded by the prepositions "in" or "di":

In Europa, in Sardegna, di Spagna

The definite article is used, however, with the prepositions "in" and "di" when the name of the country or region is masculine.

Vado nel Messico
I miei nonni sono nel Lazio
La capitale del Canada e Ottawa

I had also learned the same thing from my Italian professor which didn't use this particular grammar workbook. I swear, I'm not trying to argue, but simply hoping to clarify. I remembered the Messico thing because I'm half Messicana! Viva la raza!

Oooh! I love this! I'm probably the only Fodorite who thinks grammar is fascinating!

So jahoulih, are you saying that "agrifogli" translates to the word "holly"? (Just personally curious, that's all)

Tha'ts be cause complemento di specificazione, complemento di stato in luogo are more or less the two that apply to nations' names 8plus complemento di moto a luogoo, also introduced by in, in this case). Complemento di moto da luogo (introduced by "da&quot also requres articles, ando so does complemento di causa efficiente, which is little used, though.

This is giving me a splitting mal di testa!

Hey Alice - How much do you charge for private lessons ??

Correct, Holly. It's "agrifoglio" in the singular, "agrifogli" in the plural.