Back in the car, we made our way back to the city. We were back just before five. The party split up to put cars to bed, deposit cameras and freshen up before joining back up to head off to dinner at an eatery called Caffe Italia. It does the BYO wine only bit, which gave me an excuse to knock over one of the two bottles that had made the transcontinental odyssey with us.
Brook Eden Pinot Noir mightn't have been the perfect match for the entree of Arancini di carne al sugo (rice balls stuffed with cheese & peas). Still, it went down quickly enough for me to order a bottle of Waterwheel Cabernet Merlot to go with the main course.
Having sighted Maccheroni all' osso buco (pasta with osso buco in tomato and basil sauce), a hearty red seemed like the way to go. The Waterwheel appeared to go down well with the other mains ordered around the table.
We'd arrived shortly after opening time, and when we left just after seven, the place was filling up. That was a factor that should have entered my consciousness at the time but had a significant effect on Thursday's evening meal arrangements.
Still, we'd eaten well and were feeling no pain. The stroll back to the corner that marked the divergence of the two parties' paths was enough to remind us that tomorrow was another day. It would need a gathering of strength to negotiate.
After five days on the road, there was a load of laundry to be attended to once we'd passed on a thank-you bottle of Rockford Alicante Bouchet. After that, it was a matter of gathering strength for the morrow and ensuring that the new day would be greeted with freshly laundered clothing.