We left Firenze this morning which was a bit of a downer as it was a blast. A little jewel of a city and such nice people at our B&B made our 2 days there very memorable. Then my greatest fear arrived - driving in Italy. Everything on the left side mixed with easily the most aggressive and impatient drivers imaginable. We got a couple of cabs to the Hertz office. Our driver was a smoking hot leather clad Italian diva who looked more at home on the cover of Vogue than behind the wheel of a cab. We picked up an Opel Insignia estate which I think is an upmarket Holden wagon. I tentatively managed to keep the panels straight getting out of Firenze on to the Autostrada. The Autostrada is easy enough once you get used to the "rules" - essentially the trucks of which are never ending own the left lane and the other lane is for overtaking - and I was left for dead often when doing 130 (the limit). They sit on your tail even at this speed and if traffic was to stop suddenly they would be cactus but this does not enter their arrogant heads. The toll system was confusing though but turned out to be pure genius. You get to a toll point where if you have a Viacard (Italian e-tag) you go through the marked lanes but the rest go to a gate and pick up a ticket - like in a car park (which the Autostrada becomes at times) and you pay when you exit the Autostrada network. Firenze to Mestre cost €18 so it is far from cheap but I guess the network would cost a heap to upkeep as there are many tunnels which scythe through the mountains (much to Tarn's distress) We stopped outside of Bologna for a toilet stop (as did 6 tour buses) at an Autogrille which essentially is a glorified truck stop. The weirdest thing apart from the prehistoric state of the toilets was the exit door. You go in an enter only to go in so you think it's the same deal but you end up in a subterranean delicatessen. What forethought you have a feed and grab a prociutto traveller. Nutters. We made it to Mestre which is essentially the mainland Venice. The station is down the rias which goes to the island. It took about 15 minutes and several heart failures to negotiate the last kilometer where a maze of one way streets nearly led to a couple of bingles as I lost my nerve completely and was happy to sit quietly in one of these narrow streets whilst some bloke jump-started his Fiat - mind you it did not stop a taxi trying to get past us both. Today is the first day I have wanted to come home and even though I love Italy the occupants en masse are very over bearing and can wear you down after a while. Nothing a liter of Chianti won't fix. One on one though most are lovely though, and we are here at Easter and next week Pope John Paul is being sainted do the place is going nuts. So having sone quiet time after the ordeal and look forward to 2 car free days (and wifi) in Venice over Easter. Bouna Pasqua