Dishwashers are not nearly as universal in Italy as in the US, due to small kitchen spaces and the high cost of electricity. Italian kitchens also tend not to have a lot of counter space where you can leave dishes to dry after hand-washing them.

The solution? Dishes are washed, then immediately placed in a plastic-coated wire (or stainless steel) rack suspended over the sink. They’re ready to be taken out for the next meal, and when not in use the rack is closed off with cabinet doors that match the rest of the kitchen.

This appeals to my senses of efficiency and greenness: it saves steps cleaning up after a meal, and air drying is ecologically good practice. (NB: This particular rack in my mother-in-law’s kitchen is quite old; they normally look better than this!)

This is a simple, cute, and clever idea that saves both passengers and Ryanair staff a lot of hassle. These little fisheye mirrors are stuck on each end of each overhead luggage bin, so you can instantly see whether there’s anything left in the bin – even if you’re too short to see directly into the bottom of the bin (as most of us are).