I am writing this week’s blog in a particularly relaxed frame of mind having recently returned from a ten-day break with my family in Italy. 

While the beauty of the Amalfi Coast will live long in the memory, it struck me that what makes Italy so unique isn’t just the stunning scenery or the ancient and medieval city centres, it’s the people. In a Europe of increasing political and economic integration, where there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of difference between your average German, Swede or Belgian, there is always Italy and there are always the Italians.

More than most, the Italians seem to have mastered the art of actually enjoying life. The things that matter in Italy all seem to begin with ‘f’ - family, football, food and faith - in any order you like and all vital to the Italian identity. The more Europe seems to sleepwalk into a bland, homogenous super-state, the more I hope the culture of Italy remains typically Italian, despite the fact that you really do take your life in your hands every time you cross the road even at a pedestrian crossing. The secret, as I kept telling my wife and kids, was not to make eye-contact with the drivers and they will eventually stop to avoid hitting you - when in Rome and all that.

Still, although I could wax lyrical about Italy all day, the bridging market never sleeps (although it may have been resting its eyelids in August), so I am pleased to say my feet are back under the desk, brain engaged (I think) and it’s ‘green for go’. I am praying my return coincides with an upturn in QPR’s fortunes after what can only be described as a shocking start to the season. As Yazz and the Plastic Population sang in 1988, “The Only Way Is Up” - here’s hoping…