232 Sono numero dieci

Ciao, mi chiamo Peter e vivo a Horsham, West Sussex.

errrrr. better do it in English, I guess...

Maggie and I went to italy the first time in September 1990, staying at Cadenabbia on Lak Como. Since then we had six other holidays out there, and I developed a passion for the country and for many things Italian - not everything for let's not forget that Italy has its dark side. You only had to see what happened in the San Siro on Tuesday to appreciate that.

I doubt very much that we will ever go again, since Maggie has the progressive form of MS. However, I am a member of two or three Italian language forums and attend evening classes and there are a number of Italian restaurants, either in town or within reasonable driving distance. After years of just social learning I am actually taking GCSE this year, fool that I am!!

I don't think I will ever lose the love I have for Il Bel Paese. I often wish that our way of life was more like the Italians'; I used to love just sitting at a pavement cafe watching life go by and enjoying a beer or a cappuccino. It's always seemed more civilised, particularly with all the brain-dead binge-drinking and violence that befoul our city and town centres nowadays. Far better to have a nice meal of, say, pesce spada, washed down by a glass or several of Sangiovese!

In bocca al luppo

Peter