Italians - not entirely as stylish as one might think...

It's been a long, long time since I was last in Italy, more than thirty years, in fact, and one's memories do play tricks as senility sets in, but I had always had an impression that Italians are rather more stylish than the rest of us. Given my occasional tendency towards self-image doubts, that makes the prospect of a journey via Milan, Italy's style capital, slightly fraught.

However, times change, and I have to say that Linate Airport is a ghastly reminder of what flying used to be like before proper architects started designing airports. Yes, it does have the ludicrously expensive shops, but it is ugly, dirty and poorly lit, with insufficient seating, poor layout and... But I should stop there, I've said quite enough...

And, curiously, Italians aren't as interesting to look at as they once were. Admittedly, times are hard, but that effortless sense of style appears to have been lost, and instead, the people around me look like everybody else.

I fit in quite nicely...