This is something that I vaguely perceived at the time rather than really noticed, probably in part because we were usually part of a tour group. There are a lot of Italian towns which are very quiet at times. Not everywhere, of course. And yes, it's probably true of some suburban streets in Sydney though I really can't think of that many off the top of my head. Not ones where there is, for a time, just nobody else around.

When I looked back along the street that we had just come from, I noticed that there was nobody at all behind me. Just a silent street with silent houses. It was almost like a film set waiting for actors. Unfortunately in parts of Italy, especially outside of a handful of the major cities, that is too accurate. As with many Western countries, Italy has a problem with an ageing population and lack of work outside of a few concentrated areas.