handle bar question, and bianchi bikes

howdy yall, i'm new to the forum here, i thought maybe you could help me with a couple questions.

first off; i've been a mountain biker for years and now my brother in law has loaned me his older bianchi road bike. i'm not sure what year it is, but it has the shifters mounted on the frame and full campy components. i had a blast riding it yesterday, but i'm curious about the general opinion on the bike. is it a nice bike that i should hold onto a buy from him, something that would be worth sinking more money into? the friction shifters are driving me nuts, my mountian bike has XTR rapidfires and i'm just to used to clicking through the gears.

also, i'm very very very curious about the philosophy of diffrent road bike handlebar combinations. could somebody please explain to me the diffrent applications and philosophy's in compairing the 'bull horn' type bars to 'standard' road bike bars?? the bull horns look like a fairly comfortable position for me, but i would like to know the real application diffrences.

THANKS FOR LISTING!!