When was the last time you were shouted at by a stranger wearing a lanyard? Or spent hours in a crowded public space with low ceilings and no natural light? Or paid £8.50 for a Pret sandwich? I’ll wager it was in a British airport, the unnatural habitat of humiliation, discomfort and rip-offs. Not to mention ugliness, rudeness and inefficiency. 

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Airports do not have to be this awful. Traveling through Rome’s Fiumicino (officially Leonardo da Vinci) Airport, for example, is a joyful, uplifting experience. The place is full of light, superb espresso, fresh-made pasta, pizza and ice-cream. Hard-core junk food addicts can find a McDonalds and a KFC, but they’re tucked away in a corridor far from the glories of the Italian-only food court. 

The shops are stunning. Fabriano – founded in 1264 – offers leather bound books, satchels and notepaper. Gallo has its trademark stripey socks, braces, tights and gloves, Borselino is stocked with hand-blocked fur felt fedoras. Its a very far cry from the mini British high street reproduced in our airports. And for those who require it, there are clean, transparent smoking areas throughout – unlike Gatwick, where you have to pay £40 for access to the only lounge that allows smoking. Heathrow has no smoking lounges at all. 

At Fiumicino nobody shouts........

© The Spectator