Two days in Italy - all the rumours are true!

We have surived our first few days in Italy really well, and we have discovered that all the rumours about Italy are true.

• The country is truly beautiful. Avenues of trees lead to our hotel and, in the light breeze yesterday, leaves drifted across our path from the trees either side.
• The people are mostly very friendly, (and forgiving) especially when we try to speak the language.
  
• Image is very important! Clothing is worn VERY tight - even when it really shouldn't be - and/or very elegantly.
  
• Driving is linked to virility. Cars are small but driven like you were on the track at Monza.
• Red tape is incredible. It took a total of around 10 visits to about 6 different offices over 3 or 4 hours to get the dogs from the airport.
• Italians love dogs. You should have seen all these men in overalls fussing over the dogs when we finally got them out of the travel cage.
  
• The food is divine - fresh, tasty, varied. YUM.
• The wine is CHEAP. In the local supermarket you can buy wine in five litre bottles for about €3-4. A good bottle of local Italian bubbly is €7-8.
  
• The modern electronic world hasn't entirely arrived. There is one internet connection in our hotel. It is in the reception area and it is a 56k connection... nothing at all in the rooms.
  

Yesterday afternoon we ventured out around the local area on our own with the Tom-Tom satellite navigator. A wonderful experience. Sesto Calende really is gorgeous and living there would be lovely. We drove back roads and made our way through some little towns with the narrowest streets you've ever seen. The houses open straight off the road, not even a foot path.

This morning Barry has gone off on his own to his office. Manuela, our relocations agent, will pick us up this afternoon to start looking for houses. She is trying to get us some SIM cards so we can use our mobiles here. (Vodafone disconnected my ability to roam so I cannot make or recieve calls or texts on my NZ number)

Must away - can't hold up the computer any longer. Ciao per adesso. (Cheers for now!)