We love Italy. That’s official. We’ve only been here for 24 hours and we’re already waxing lyrical to each other about how great the architecture is, the people are, food is etc. etc. We’ve spent many holidays in Italy and we never tire of it.

Last night we slept to the peaceful sounds of waves breaking on the shore. When we awoke it was a glorious day. Clear blue sky, warm spring sun and a light breeze. Our location is so nice we decided to stay another day and take it easy. We no longer have a need to rush – anywhere.

After breakfast we went for a walk several miles down the seafront to Santo Stefano al Mare and beyond. It was a warm as an English summer’s day. Fleeces were discarded and sunglasses donned.

Our walk was uneventful. There was nothing special to explore, but the whole ambience was peaceful and laid back compared with the overdeveloped opulence of the French Riveria. Small pastel coloured houses and simple hotels lined the roads. The restaurants and shops were family owned, modest and welcoming. All felt right with the world.

The dogs again had a great time on the beach. Mabel has turned into a real stick chaser and Melek was not to deterred by his attempt to drink seawater!

As lunchtime approached we stopped at a village restaurant to treat ourselves to our first meal out of the trip. The owner was happy to accommodate Mable and Melek and even brought them a bowl of water.

Seafood pizzas were the specials of the day, so we ordered those together with a small carafe of local house white. The pizzas were spectacular and not what you are ever likely to find at Pizza Express. They both featured pesto, which is the speciality of this part of Italy. Sarah’s also had squid and mozarella, while mine was octopus, potato, olive and mozarella. Only it Italy. It was delicious.

The only discordant note was the price of luch. All the pizzas on the menu were €8 or €9 each. We had ordered the specials of the day from a blackboard without prices. A mistake it turns out. The bill arrived with the pizzas priced at €15 each! Well they were special.

Stuffed to bursting we slowed walked back to Basil for an afternoon of relaxation. Tomorrow we will move on, but our time in Italy has started well.