I have to say I was initially dubious about a trip to Italy. The Italians have a very different attitude towards animals (but then I have to keep reminding myself that most people have a very different attitude to animals than me! I'm often told that I'm the one thats not normal and I'm afraid I just can't get my head round that thought!) so I was concerned as to how easily I would find vegan food other than pasta with tomato sauce.

In the end my big problem was not finding food I could eat but fitting in with the bizzare eating times and general lifestyle:

Wake up early and find that nobody else is up. Wait a few hours and realise that nobody will be up til midday. Spend the entire morning thinking about food (I'm a breakfast girl. I like to eat shortly after rising. I get very crabbit if I don't get to eat. very.) and making pots of strong espresso.

Midday: People start to get up and say that we need to leave in 20 minutes to get lunch. At 2.30 everyone is ready to leave for lunch. I am by this point very bad tempered and totally wired on caffeine. Excellent. Go to a lovely little restaurant and eat my way through as many courses as possible. Start with some bruchetta topped with the ripest and most succulent tomatoes, followed by a huge platter of griddled and dressed thinly sliced vegetables such as courgette, aubergine, fennel, tomatoes, potatoes etc...wheatever is fresh that day and I really need to stress that the vegetables are bursting with flavour. Next up is a plate of perfectly cooked al dente pasta ( I never understood this really until I came here) coated in a sauce made from courgettes, their flowers and potatoes or fresh porcini mushrooms. Drink liberal amounts fo white wine and complete the meal with a tiny strong and sweet espresso.

Go home and sleep.

Get up at 6pm and wait for people. Again. Everyone will finally be ready at 8pm but first we have to have aperetifs. So off we go to watch the world go by and eat fat, meaty olives and drink Champagne before rolling off to dinner at 10. Choose from salads, antipasto, more pasta or the most delicious crusty pizzas. They are happy to leave off the cheese, after giving you peculiar looks, and will top it with anything you choose. I have to say that pizza without any topping and just the tomato, garlic and basil base is sensational but topped with some peppery rocket or some suculent oily aubergines...words fail me. Divine. Naturally this must be accompanied by more wine as water dilutes the acidity of your stomach and leads to poor digestion. Really? Does it? More wine then!