All roads lead to - chaos!

IT'S THE Italian drivers that are the bane of our holiday here, in Campania.

I was told they were all mad before we came; they are!

But worse still, the road networks are completely potty. I mean we tried to get to Salerno the other day. Our road map indicated that we should take the main S444 (or whatever it was) but we found that none of the roads actually had any numbers indicated on them.

What's more the main S roads look no different to smaller P lanes and tracks - and these aren't numbered either.

Sign-posting is virtually none existent at any of the junctions and roundabouts you come to, and all the roads are in an appalling state of repair, potted with holes, with large tracts of them unsurfaced and jarringly uneven.

The there's the slight problem of lane and junction markings - again, there aren't any; and whereas in England you know who has right of way at such places, here it seems everybody has right of way.

The result is utter gridlock, with drivers simply forcing their way through and totally disregarding everyone else in sight and completely oblivious to the dangers they are causing.

And in the midst of all this chaos, My Good Lady and I sedately pottering along in our usual English way and causing no end of confusion by our very lack of madness!

In truth, I think we are more of a danger to the Italians by our simple obedience to the rules of motoring and our general courtesy to other road users.

If we survive to another day, we shall speak more of our trip later...