Day 1 - It's gripped, sorted - let's travel Italy...

OK, so it's day 2 now but that's hardly a good way to start a blog is it. Hmm, hmm?

Don Adriano (or rather me to brutally honest), successfully arrived on The Peninsula using fare means and foul, tried his hand (so that's my hand really - do you see what I've done there) at the ol' lingo and navigated his way to the hostel of choice for the first three days, namely Ostello La Cordata. The guidebook recommended it as the numero uno whic means the rest of the bunch must be pretty bad indeed.

Still I do have free internet. Free I tells yer, free!

I had a wander in to the centro and saw a huge Gothic cathedral (it's the world's largest you know), various piazze and a lot of shops. And then some more shops, ans then a shopping arcade and then some tree lined avenues containing shops. OK so they weren't tree-lined but they had shops on them all the same.

I also found the main police station which was to find out if I needed a permesso di soggiorno in order to avoid being kicked out of the country. The policeman seemed impressed with my pigeon Italian and didn't shoot me so I take that as a victory. But I do have to go back this morning so who knows what might happen.

Then a bit of supermarket food and back to the hostel whereupon I encountered my dorm-mates. They murmured a response to my perfect 'Ciao' but that was it, so I shunned them. Haha! That'll teach them to mess with Don Adriano.

I found a better area of town later in the evening for eating and drinking and again survived without being shot (which I see as a positive boon) and then opted for an early night considering the recent lack of sleep I'd had in preparation for this whole escapade.

And having spent a night and morning in the company of my friendly dorm mates I conclude that they are not Italian or English, they snore a fair bit, and spend half an hour in the bathroom expectorating. All of them.

Well that's it for now. I have to use the facilities before the cleaners kick me out and then it's off for more exploration and such with the continued aim of not getting shot.