Final thoughts.

Cleaning the house & subsequent journey back was relatively uneventful, flights were OK and pretty much on time, and our car was delivered by the parking people in exactly 15 minutes after making the call to say we were ready.

Italian drivers have 2 speeds: too slow and too fast, plus no inhibitions about overtaking multiple cars on short straights with blind bends coming up.

The Ford Fiesta we had as a hire car was really great on the tight, twisty and even unmade roads where we stayed, with supple suspension that absorbed small potholes yet remained flat with little body roll on tight corners. It was completely ideal for this driving and so pleasant to drive that I wondered whether it might be a good consideration as a next car. However driving back to the airport on the motorway was a completely different experience - what worked well between 30kph and 90kph became a slightly white-knuckle experience around the speed limit of 130kph, with the car feeling like a frightened cat trying to walk on ice and spreading it’s legs wide to cling on tight around motorway curves. While my mini would have been much harsher on the bumpy roads, I really appreciated the assured and safe driving experience on the 2 hours back from the airport.

Food was good value to eat out, but not in the supermarkets. It was a relief to get back to a diet not based on wheat products (i.e. pasta or pizza). Since returning I’ve eaten 3 Indian-style meals, 2 Chinese style, plus fish & chips (home cooked) and are due for more Indian-style food tonight. Such is the traditional British diet. ;-)

I'm gradually cranking my way through the photos. Including Chris's there were >2200, first cull dropped that to 800, second cull to about 300. Some are challenging to process because of the considerable mistiness present at times, while others are completely simple with just a few tweaks to levels. Overall pleased with some of the landscapes so far, but the next set to do are the interiors.