I want amore, a more, a more

I don't know if it's in my blood but there's certainly something deep within me that makes me gravitate towards all things Italian.

There are times, it seems, that my love of Italy is completely out of proportion with reality.

But then, does that not define love?

It's the ability to see beyond the warts and admire things for what they truly are.

For sure, Italy has much to admire.

It may come as a surprise to most, for example, that Italy has more rules, more restrictions and more red tape than any other country.

But the real beauty is that Italians don't pay the blindest bit of attention to any of it.

Rather than worry about the curvature of bananas, towers that lean or buildings, such as the Colosseum, that remain unfinished, Italians simply live their lives.

They could teach the French a thing or two about joie de vivre.

Or if the Romans were still around, they would tell them to stop carping on about carpe diem and simply seize the day just as I am about to seize mine.

In fact, that's something I've been just about to do my entire life.

Mañana as the say in Spain, but practise in Italy.