We’ve been in Ameglia for three months now and membership of the local Blockbuster has been just one more step down a road of increasing domestication.   On our return from Cologne we finally acquired an Italian mobile ‘phone and on the 9 th January after much ringing around and comparing of prices we travelled back to Milan by train to pick up a small blue hatchback which we are renting for two or three months.   Driving back from Milan we got a real insight into a Northern Italian winter as snow and sleet lashed against the windscreen.   Travelling in darkness over the range of hills that overlook the gulf of La Spezia the temperature was well below zero and the snow was starting to settle on the autoroute.   Fortunately the coast is milder and we lost all trace of sleet and drizzle as we dropped down into our local town of Sarzana. Having had a car for three weeks now it has changed our lives and given us an even better feel for the local c...