It’s Sunday & a drive south. The coast & the railway are reassuringly present for much of the journey. On the left, the mountains, with their collections of human habitation scattered amongst the foothills, watch with interest as the moving traffic, on road & rail, head to their individual destinations. Where the mountains recede inland, creating more flat space, farms & smallholdings have appeared with fields of vines & maize, cultivated crops & plastic hot houses. At the side of the road, a number of grizzled farmers man shabby stalls with boxes of strawberries or broad beans for sale to passing trade.

So, the first thing to do when we reach Pizzo is find a parking space. A blue one requires payment at a meter. There follows 9 attempts to enter data on reg no & credit card which all result in being thrown out. Ah, Italians turn up….I stand back & watch. After 3 attempts they simply enter a €2 coin & get a ticket. A €2 coin mind you – not a credit card, not 2 x €1 coin. They stay & help. After 6 more goes – yayyyyyy – all purses have been searched & the coin found, it all slots through & yes …..a ticket for 2 hours is churned through to huge cheers from all 6 interested parties.

At the top of the main street into town the huge church doors are open to allow the sound of an angelic chorister to escape & fertilise the souls of parishioner.

Then down into Pizzo’s piazza. The town started life in the 13th century on a high cliff as a fishing village with a fort.

A Sunday in April allows the locals to emerge to do what they always do on the day of rest while a handful of tourists try unsuccessfully to dilute the authenticity of the place.

Midday is greeted with a cacophony of haphazardly rung bells from several churches which drown out the interactions within the ancient piazza. Locals & visitors then continue about their traditional Sunday business.

Us? Having wandered the streets we spy a corner pizza stall charging €1.50 a 🍕. We choose our elements & retire to a metal bench to consume the best slice of salami topped, pizza, ever.

Eat your heart out Pizza Express!