Today we start with a manouvering challenge against the clock. Then it is out of the hotel and on to the motorway. This is where the excitement started. The van coughed and lost power. I tried to coast through the Italian traffic to the side, fortunatly the engine restarted and allowed me to get onto a bit of hatch markings on a junction. I stuck the warning triangle out and installed a spark tester on a HT lead. It started again so I decided to try and drive with the engine cover up between the seats so I could see if the spark disappeared. My compatriot was not happy but I ignored her complaints.

I was able to limp a short way to a service area before it cut out again. It was still sparking as the engine died so there was a good chance it was a fuel problem. I stripped the carburettor down and then pumped some petrol without the ignition on. A flake of paint or rubber appeared which may be the cause. Once reassembled it ran perfectly so this was the problem. Hurrah!

Now we needed to get on with the real challenges of the day. To take a photo of a specific large roman aqueduct bridge with us and the van in it. While trying to find a suitable location I went the wrong way up a one way street and had to reverse back out with Italian cars who were going the right way following me. We eventually managed to get the photo.

The next was to get a photo of the lake with the Popes summer house on it. We though we had achieved this but on expanding the photo we had only got a field in it. It took several goes before an Italian who lived in the uk, and was visiting his family, took the photo for us.

The final bits of the challenge were to buy a postcard and stamp. Realising it was a Sunday, and this might be a challenge to far, I purchased a post card picture of the Pope and a stamp from the hotel shop before we left.

The final part of the challenge was to cross the finishing line at the lunch stop restaurant entrance, exactly 2.45 hours after we had crossed the start line, but with the minimum mileage possible. We will await the results, but are not holding our breath.