Menton (France) to Lucca (Italy)

If treading in dog shit is supposed to bring you good luck, then I'm in for a very good day!

We leave Menton in warm sunshine and clear blue skies, so that's a good start and subsequently the day just gets better.

The drive along the autostrada to Genoa is nothing short of spectacular. Imagine if you will, a motorway built 400 metres up the side of a mountain that alternates between long tunnels and jaw dropping viaducts, with snow capped mountains on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. Unbelievably beautiful villages clinging to hillsides or perched incredibly on mountain tops. Whatever you think of the Italians, they certainly know how to build motorways. It's good to be back.

Italy has recently introduced a no smoking ban in public places - why does the UK trail way behind other countries with this type of legislation? - but anyway, when stopping for a coffee at a motorway service area, you see hordes of people smoking furtively outside, which has the added advantage of being able to get more easily to the bar. When I say bar, I mean bar, inasmuch as you can buy any kind of alcohol in these places. They may have tried to reduce death from smoking but not necessarily from drinking. The shop is stocked with every kind of cheese, salami and booze - everything you need for a long journey. Boy, do I love this country.

Bear with me while I have a little rant. Road numbers - nearly every country on earth has a road number system. What do the EU do? They set up a department of, no doubt, highly paid bureaucrats, who commence to assign new numbers to the motorways of Europe. What was wrong with the existing system? In the case of Italy, their systems have worked perfectly well for hundreds of years. Giving each road another number just makes things confusing, especially when you have to make quick decisions at junctions, and seems a totally pointless exercise. The UK, has of course resisted this bureaucratic meddling but then they still allow uncontrolled smoking. Come on Tony, get your priorities right! Rant over!

Back on the motorway, I feel that we are driving quite quickly until we are overtaken, quite comfortably, by a very small, very old, Fiat Panda. That'll be a good buy, second hand!

We arrive in Lucca mid afternoon and drive into the old part of this historic walled city. Boy, was it old and boy, were the streets narrow! At some junctions it's impossible to make a right or left turn. Thank goodness it was Sunday afternoon (when all sensible Italians are still eating or sleeping off a huge lunch) because we had to reverse up no end of narrow streets. We eventually found our bearings and were directed the wrong way down a one way street. The police car traveling in the opposite direction didn't seem too upset about it as we squeezed past - what a wonderful crazy country. This is Italy, where rules and laws are meant to be broken - where's the fun in obeying them?

The hotel, Alla Corte degli Angeli, Via degli Angeli 23, is a delight and highly recommended. At about 5.00 pm we go for a walk and the town suddenly explodes with families out and about on their daily passegiata. In summer this would take place in the cool of the evening but I guess at this time of the year sunshine and daylight are at a premium. The strollers are all very elegant and (I'm not getting involved with this argument) if you are over 70, a fur coat is de rigeur. It's great to be back!

The hotel has no restaurant so we are directed to Locanda di Bacco on Via S. Giorgio. What a difference. We have excellent food, several courses served on white plates, excellent wine and all for 117 euros. It makes the restaurant in Menton look silly.