Rome

Ah, such a good decision on my part, to come to Rome just after New Year for a week. Nice mild weather, great for sightseeing, and not much in the way of tourists. great hotel too, The Hotel Ponte Sisto. Nice old-fashioned style, right down to porters in uniform. Nice quiet room, albeit very small - any cat given a half-hearted swing would be soundly brained, but the bathroom was spacious and nicely marbled.

The really strong point though is its position. Just about everything is within walking distance in one direction or the other - its easy to find - the Ponte Sisto itself is only a few metres away, but as its on a pedestrian street its actually very quiet. And very quaint. With a great gelateria on the other side of the road.

 There is a charming internal courtyard, but I was out too early sightseeing to enjoy it - would have had to be about midday to enjoy sitting out in it in winter.

 And the Ponte Sisto is lovely by day or by night.

Now, I shall say at the outset I just loved Rome. Haven't been there since I was a student inter-railing, so this was a very different experience. Very easy to get around. Apart from the traffic.

Rome, like London, could do with some more pedestrianised areas. And I never got to grips with the Italian zebra crossings. However, cars stopping to allow pedestrians to cross is clearly not the custom. So I am not sure what they are for. Maybe they are just a hunting device, to attract pedestrians in groups so they can be tidily slaughtered in one place. Or perhaps more likely its considered bad form if you actually drive over a pedestrian if they are on a crossing, but if they are otherwise on the road, well they are fair game and deserve whatever they get. In any event, there is no point in standing at a crossing as the traffic will just pass you by. And on a crossing you just have to hold your nerve as cars continue to hurtle at you or dodge you right or left. Some spots do have the blessing of traffic lights and a little green man to let you know you can cross. But some of these change pretty rapidly. So you have a 50-50 chance of making it before the light changes. If you are Usain Bolt.

And if you ever want to imagine what it would be like to be an ancient warrior facing chariots in battle, try crossing in front of a phalanx of Roman motorcyclists at a traffic lights, revving up with that glint of menace in their eyes. "Go on punk, make my day. Cross. Just try it."

I should also add that the Italians are missing a trick on the Olympics. They should get parking onto the list of approved sports. They would clean up. Tiny cars which they get into spaces so tight that you can't actually walk between them. Of course, the event would have three elements, skill in getting into an impossibly tight spot, speed of parking and most entertainingly, finding the oddest spot to abandon a motor vehicle. Any place will do, crossings, corners, well any space.