Italy is full of little road side chapelles, most of them are very beautiful and in ancient good taste. They create the charm of the country-side. In fact, the whole country is one big church, and I was surprised to see crucifixes in public places like banks and post offices.

I simply assumed that Italy was a secular republic, like France or the United States (and Turkey and Portugal, for that matter). But in my usual sadistic way, I have decided to show you none of that. Here are some photos of statues for sale in a Service Station off a motorway.

You'll notice that along side the 'gantze meshpucha' they've also got a fine and noble bust of Mussolini going. At 25,000 lire, it was a steal, and I don't know how I managed, but I resisted.