Rome to Foggia

We are on the motorway by 10.00 am and the road is very busy. So busy that lots of drivers use the hard shoulder to weave in and out of the traffic. These people are crazy but it all works - so maybe it's just me being boring. More about Italian driving later.

Just after the first toll booth we pass a large service area. The first time we drove through Italy, several years ago, Jan was amazed that they would call a service area after her favourite tipple - Frascati! The motorway is beautifully named the Autostrade del Sole and as we drive south towards Naples we pass the snow capped Appenines on our left and mountains to our right. The scenery is gorgeous. The majestic Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino can be seen quite clearly up in the mountains. As you are probably aware, it was used by the Germans to control the main north south route through Italy during the war and was heavily bombed by the Allies as they pushed north through Italy. You tend to mention it in hushed tones when talking to WW2 vets. A little later, near Naples, just as you turn left to cross the Appenines towards Foggia you can see a snow capped Vesuvius on your right. All very dramatic and awesome scenery.

As we pass Avellino, mum mentions that the best chestnuts come from Avellino. As we pass Benevento I bow my head in reverence because this is where they make both Galliano and Strega. It must be something in the air! Italians always know where the best of anything comes from and this knowledge features heavily at meal times. Just to keep you in the loop, the best lemons come from the Amalfi area, the best mozzarela from the Naples area, the best prosciutto from San Daniele, and the list goes on. If asked in England where the best produce comes from one would tend to say Sainsburys, Tesco et al.

We arrive in Foggia at 2.00 pm. We immediately sit down to a 6 course lunch including wine and liquers. Normally Jan and I have a sandwich and fruit for lunch so by the end of the meal we can hardly walk. We later sit down at 7.00 pm and do the whole thing again. These meals should come with a health warning, but Italians love to show their hospitality by stuffing you full of food and drink and by proudly telling you where all the ingredients come from. If you refuse anything they think that you are either mad or dead. Either way you soon will be!

I have to mention Italian television. Frankly it is awful. Some programmes go on for 8 hours or more, all contain a game show element, are stuffed full with beautiful girls and people talk incessantly. It's TV at its worst, but in its awfulness it is also compulsive watching and very funny. I'm not too sure how long I could put up with it, but for a short period, great fun.