Arrivederci Italia

All was smoothed out this morning, clearing the air after the irritations of last night. After bidding very fond farewells to Lorenzo, we set off for the airport at the civilised hour of 9:30. We arrived at 1 pm; everyone else had a few hours to hang around, but it worked well for me. I whizzed through queueless checkin and security and had time for something to eat before the 3 pm flight left on time, despite another strike by French air traffic controllers. I'd thought I'd have to hang around for ages in Toulouse, but a nice SNCF chap let me use my slow-train ticket on an express train for which it was not valid, and I was in Carcassonne before eight. Home for a glass of wine and some Italian cheese with S and happy Mystère.

So the Italian adventure is over -- backblips start here. Abruzzo is one of those places that capture my heart immediately, like the Basque country, Northumberland, and Orkney. Its beautiful, wild, and varied landscapes, cultural heritage, fabulous locally produced food and wine at reasonable prices, and generous, hospitable people are worth travelling for. The local authorities are now pushing the development of tourism, so go quickly before it gets to be like Tuscany. I really hope I will be back for more adventures.