
We arrived in Rome, found the bus stop, found the bus and found the hotel without missing a beat, very satisfying. A nice hotel in a smart mews in the Flaminia district NE of the centre of Rome. The helpful, Italian receptionist welcomed us and asked for our passports for registration, she noticed Maidenhead marked as Marks place of birth and said “I know Maidenhead, there is a very good Italian shop there”. We knew straight away she meant the shop one street over from Marks childhood home which he has known nearly all his life! The receptionist said she had lived in Staines but all the Italians went to that shop. It’s a small world.




