Italians can be masters of chaos. Traffic – it’s madness. Parking? Sideways, on the footpath, wherever. Queueing to get on a bus or a train – why bother they seem to say, let’s all move forward at once?
But when it comes to beach-going, there is ritual and order. Come summer, regimented rows of brilliantly coloured umbrellas flourish on beaches, stretching as far as the eye can see. With their co-ordinated sunbeds they are colour blocked as if for a fashion shoot.
