Italia 2006 part 1

Let's be clear from the start, I love Italy. The lifestyle, the history and the culture, the food and the wine, and the wonderfully relaxed attitude to life*. So, I went to the Italian Riviera for a week, to just outside Diano Marina to be more precise, and no that isn't the picture above**, that's Monte Carlo, where there were some seriously fabulous boats in the harbour, and some incredible cars parked outside the casino.

But, to go back, I had a great time, though it took me a couple of days to start to relax. What was lovely was not having access to a computer for a whole week, and never turning the tv on the whole time I was there. I knew when Italy won their football match***, and when England got knocked out, and that was all the news I had. Apart from that, I sat in the shade - it was far too hot to be out in the sun for long, reaching 39C one day - I saw the sights, I shopped a little and ate lovely Italian food. I didn't drink a great deal of vino, as, again, it was just too hot.

The Riviera is a part of Italy I'd not visited before, but which has long been on 'the list', and it lived up to expectations. The scenery is lovely as the Maritme Alps sweep down to the sea, with tiny villages in sherbert colours perched impossibly on the top of hills. And I've always wanted to go to Portofino.

We went to San Remo, home of the 'Italian Festival of Song', the inspiration for the Eurovision, and to Monaco and Monte Carlo and I realised that I really don't like playing the game of following the guide with the umbrella, and like to go off and explore on my own.

I find it difficult to describe Monaco. The streets are pristine, and you are apparently likely to get arrested if you so much as eat a sandwich in a park. It has an air of affluence, but also of slight unreality. Real people don't live like this, and therefore I didn't see any around. In fact it was mainly tourists and I thanked God that I wasn't on a cruise ship and hadn't been made to waer a sticker identifying me as such. We went into the Casino in Monte Carlo. You just pay an entrance fee, and go in to see the building, and play at the tables, or slot machines, if you wish. As this was during the day time, the reality was less James Bond and more old Americans in bad cruise wear playing the tables. I just know I would never make a gambler - I really don't like not getting anything back for my money. And I think that so much of the Principality has been developed on the back of the money made from the Casino tells you who really wins.

A week isn't really long enough. You wind down after a few days, and as you get to the end of the week, feel you've just settled in and have got to know the area, and could do with a couple more days, but, alas, I had to come home.

*unless driving, in which case passions run high
**my photos of Italy were on film, not digital, as I still think it's better for views, so I don't have them back yet. Ergo, you get a pic of Monte Carlo
**we were on a boat, in the harbour of Imperia and heard the shouts go up from a crowd watching outside a bar - the captain then did a little dance on deck!