Silver Fox who sent Anglo-Italian relations soaring

There he was at the helm of the English team, which reconfirmed for me the long-standing relationship between our two countries.

Seeing the fans in Rome, just as excited and enthused as those in Leicester, really brought this home to me and I loved that shared jubilance of spirit which demonstrated this Anglo-Italian bond.

However, this relationship is not simplistic, because defining Italy is a complex thing. It has wide regional variations and was historically a group of independent city states.

Anyway, I digress!

In modern times, I’m very attuned to the mutual respect and admiration we have, as well as hearing that expressed in both countries.

We love to holiday there and enjoy Italian cuisine while my Italian friends think England’s a great place and admire many things we have too, though back in the ‘80s I can assure it was neither our food nor our climate!

What could be a more telling tribute to our love of Italian cuisine than the abundance of eateries here in Britain.

As a greedy gobbler, I’m rather partial to a nice Italian meal and particularly enjoy a good traditional pasta dish. Also, my love for Italian cheese is legendary. One day I’ll write a homage...

Any visitor to Lancaster should know there are some fabulous Italian-themed restaurants and pizzerias here.

Pizza Margherita has been a long-standing favourite of mine, serving scrumptious titbits along with scrummier pizzas topped with delicious mouthfuls, such as olives and capers. It’s also well located near The Dukes Theatre so you can ‘gobble and go’ to your play afterwards.

Then there’s The Sun Cafe which does exquisite Mediterranean fare, both at lunchtimes and in the evenings. Simply sublime.

Meanwhile, Etna’s, is a long established restaurant which does delicious and authentic Italian meals.

Finally, Marco’s where I’ve had some good times whilst devouring their tiramisu.

If I’ve overlooked any eateries, please forgive me and feel free to invite me for a sample and review...