It was the dream assignment. A couple of nights in Rome before boarding a sparkling new ultra-luxury cruise ship for a four-night preview cruise in the Adriatic Sea, with a day excursion in Dubrovnik. We would disembark back in Italy, in Trieste.

Feeling slightly the worse for wear after the flight from Sydney, we staggered into the foyer of our hotel for a much-needed coffee, complete with powdered chocolate Colosseum design on top.