Nice country getaway

One of the lovely things about Rome is how easy it is to go somewhere nice outside of Rome in only about an hour. This weekend we celebrated our friend's birthday at his house in Amelia, a small Umbrian town with the requisite surrounding walls and hilltop views. Only an hour's drive from Rome, it's a great way to get out of town and breathe some crisp, clean air, soak up some sunshine (or grey clouds as was the case this weekend!) and just get away from it all. Unfortunately, the drive back into Rome, especially on a Sunday, especially when it's nice weather (and all the Romans who did what we did are returning en masse), can sometimes be a real let-down. A very odd thing for me is that the highways, MAJOR roads, do NOT have lights on them. So you depend on your car's headlights, or those of the surrounding cars. I find it eerie and disconcerting, not to mention dangerous. Is this a money saver? They didn't think of it? It certainly is good for the environment, which I am for...but in this case, I am more for public safety. But that would make too much sense.