Counting the cost of a holiday rental car

A brief warning for those planning on renting a car in the coming months while on holiday.
A couple of years ago we booked a vehicle with a reputable company we always use for three weeks in the summer.
As we only take cabin bags we scooted past the holidaymakers hauling their suitcases off the carousel and figured we'd be sat in our local bar before last orders.
When we reached the car hire desk however we were informed that, unlike the previous five occasions that we'd used them, we would need to have a credit card in the name of the main driver in order to secure the vehicle for the duration of the rental.
Of course neither of us had both our credit cards (with PIN) AND driver's licence and were refused the car that we had already paid for. And though the company reimbursed the few hundred pounds we'd paid immediately, we found ourselves forking out almost £1,500 for a replacement car.
We were lucky. It was one of the rare occasions we actually had some cash in the bank. However while we were in Sardinia last year I saw the very same thing happen to half-a-dozen other travellers.
So remember. Whether you're in Italy, Spain or any part of the globe take your licence, the credit card you used to book the car, the PIN number and if you're not the main driver get him or her to take all of the above too. Or it really could cost you dear.

Italian government to build bridge to Sicily

"It has been dreamt of since Roman times, and plans have repeatedly sketched out on the drawing board only to be torn up because of cost, bureaucratic obstacles and fears of earthquakes and Mafia involvement.

But today the new centre Right goverment of Silvio Berlusconi declared that an historic two-mile bridge from the mainland to Sicily over the Straits of Messina - the longest single span suspension bridge in the world - was an “urgent priority” and that work on it would start 'soon'”.
Read the full report on The Times site

Italy announce squad for Euro 2008

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni has announced his team for Euro 2008.

The provisional 24-man squad is:

Amelia (Livorno), Buffon (Juventus), De Sanctis (Sevilla); Barzagli (Palermo), Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Chiellini (Juventus), Grosso (Lyon), Materazzi (Internazionale), Panucci (Roma), Zambrotta (Barcelona); Ambrosini (AC Milan), Aquilani (Roma), Camoranesi (Juventus), De Rossi (Roma), Gattuso (AC Milan), Montolivo (Fiorentina), Perrotta (Roma), Pirlo (AC Milan); Borriello (Genoa), Cassano (Real Madrid); Del Piero (Juventus), Di Natale (Udinese), Quagliarella (Udinese), Toni (Bayern Munich).

No chance of escaping the Arctic blast

Haven’t updated the blog over the Bank Holiday weekend due to the fact that I’ve spent most of it huddling in one room with my better half. Our boiler blew up on the coldest weekend of the year, knocking out the electricity in most rooms of the house and leaving us debating the benefits of a wind up laptop and whether we she have invested in a convector heater when there were actually some on sale. Still, at least I can console myself with the fact that it's freezing in Sardinia too.

A couple of stories I noticed on my return to the 20th century.

According to Reuters Naples police rescued two teenage Bulgarian sisters from a circus in southern Italy which forced one of them to swim with flesh-eating piranhas for the amusement of guests, police said.
While the 19-year-old sister swam in a transparent tank, the younger, 16-year-old was forced into a container where the circus staff tossed snakes at her.

The Pope took the controversial step of baptising former Muslim, Magdi Allam, and was branded “provocative” and accused of "scoring points" by Aref Ali Nayed, head of Jordan's Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre and apparently one of the ‘moderates’ we read so much about in the UK press.

According to Allam a writer for Corriere della Sera, Islam is “physiologically violent and historically conflictual” and “legitimises lies and deception”.

Needless to say he’s now received a number of death threats and is under police protection.
Read the full story here

And finally throwaway culture came back to bite Italy in the arse when - according to the Independent newspaper - it emerged that that most Italian of food stuffs buffalo mozzarella had become contaminated as a result of illegal dumping of toxic waste in Campania by a branch of the Italian Mafia.

"Move the hands away from the nutsack!!"

The Italian courts are a mass of contradictions, which I guess is in keeping with the country's Catholic roots.

Just last week the Supreme Court – the highest court in the country – heard the case of a Milanese man accused of "ostentatiously" groping himself in public, and ruled that touching of oneself under one’s clothing is “contrary to public decency”, going on to suggest, “if they need to, men can wait and do it at home”.

And yet this week the very same court ruling in the case of a 48-year woman engaged in an affair with a secret lover decided it was legal to lie to the police about extramarital affairs if revealing them ruins your reputation.

Note to self: Must buy VERY baggy pants for next trip

Sparks fly between Wales and Italy

A row has been brewing in the press between Wales’ rugby coach Warren Gatland and his Italian opposite number, ex-Springboks man, Nick Mallett.

Gatland has accused Italy of infringements at the breakdown during earlier Six Nations showdowns, and has threatened to have a word with the referee before Saturday’s match at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Italy have countered that they must have the Dragons rattled for Gatland to even resort to such tactics.

Wales, who are favourites to win the match in our house - though probably not with the bookies - haven’t beaten the Azzurri since their 38-8 demolition job of 2005, ensuring this encounter will be edge of the seat stuff.

One thing’s for certain, with Wales chasing a Grand Slam the mind games will continue right up to the starting whistle.

And then Wales will win. Handsomely… maybe

Read all a’bhart it here
...and here

You mean the Italians invented rugby?!

During the dark days of the 2007 Six Nations - well they were if you were Welsh - it looked as if the Italian team were well on their way to the holy grail for northern hemisphere rugby teams, namely beating England.

So it's disappointing that despite a valiant effort, and given England's near cabon copy of their capitulation at the Millennium Stadium the previous week, the Azzurri simply ran out of time.

Funnily enough a few weeks back whilst reading the usual extravagant claims in the Welsh press about our national team's chances in this year's competition I noticed something that took me by surprise.

Apparently "forms of football involving hands and feet..." - that'd be rugby then - "were played in Italy from Roman times to the medieval era".

Digging a bit deeper I found that according to some historians it was likely the Romans may have introduced the game, which they called Harpastum, to Britain nearly 2000 years ago.

The Romans themselves apparently borrowed much of the game from Greece where it was variously called Phaininda (meaning to pretend) or Episkyros.

Who knew?