THE service might be slow, the waiters may be more interested in chatting up your girlfriend than dishing out your pasta, but a visit to an Italian restaurant is rarely dull. And the food! Well, the flavours are strong, rich and clearly defined.
Exactly the same as their cars. Styled with passion and enthusiasm, they may not hit the mark every time but you can rest assured that every ounce of effort has been wrung out of the designers.
A recent introduction that ticks all the right boxes is the Alfa Romeo GT, a full four seater coupe with drop-dead gorgeous lines, a choice of three widely varying engines and all the practicality of a shopping hatchback.
Larger coupes with real living areas are making a comeback. Witness the success of the Mazda RX8, an excitingly shaped four seater with four doors.
The Alfa GT may not have any rear doors but it does have an opening tailgate and rear seats that fold to boost luggage space, which for many motorists is more use.
Prices range from £20,995 to £26,695 and the line-up kicks off with a 1.9-litre diesel. Top dog is a lusty 3.2-litre V6 which cracks 150mph and below that is the £21,495 JTS two-litre petrol.
I took the frugal route and tried out the Multijet Turbo diesel or JTD for short.
For many high mileage users this choice may be made for logical economic reasons. But others will relish the high torque and effortless cruising ability of this 1.9-litre oil burner which packs no less than 225lb/ft of torque - even more than the super-fast V6 version - and develops 150bhp, making it one of the most efficient engines for its size.
All this adds up to a performance that would do credit to a two-litre petrol - 130mph max and zero to sixty in nine seconds. And you can expect to squeeze around 42 miles out of a single gallon of juice.
The GT is one of those cars that actually looks better in the flesh than photos. With the traditional Alfa grille dominating the nose, it adopts the set-left number plate of the 156 saloon.
The windscreen is steeply raked, emphasising its sportiness. And the rear is stubby yet truly graceful. Bertone has penned one of the best looking cars around.
The cabin follows Alfa's usual theme with three large dials directly in front of the driver and a large central console. It looks classy and works well. Headroom is a little tight in the rear because of the way the roofline slopes.
It's not enough for a coupe to just look good, it must deliver in the driving department too. The GT is miles more composed than the 156 during fast cornering, yet well able to cope with patchy surfaces and undulations.
Fast, precise steering helps reinforce its sportiness. It's not quite as sensitive or agile as the 3-Series but close enough to make little difference.
Your £21k buys you anti-lock brakes, six airbags, cruise control, alloys, central locking and a trip computer, making the GT one of the best packages around.
FAST FACTS
Alfa Romeo GT 1.9 JTD
Price: £20,995
Mechanical: 150bhp, 1,910cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 130mph
0-62mph: 9.6secs
Combined mpg: 42.2
Insurance group: 15
CO2 emissions: 176g/km
BiK rating: 21%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 3yrs paint; 8yrs anti-rust