Friendship and fun help Charles and Camilla enjoy the perfect Italian job

THE whirling sounds of a folk band bounce off the walls of the market square, as flag-waving locals who have queued since 6am jostle for position under the afternoon sun.

- BY RUSSELL MYERS Royal Editor on the Italy state visit

Dozens of uniformed security guards wearing dark sunglasses and radio earpieces stand around while stallholders yell out offerings of meats and cheeses.

In a scene that would not look out of place in a comedy caper, the King and Queen shared plenty of laughs as they visited the stunning historic city of Ravenna on their royal tour of Italy.

In the Piazza del Popolo, with its town hall at one end and former Papal ministry at the other, Charles and Camilla were ushered around a local farmers’ market.

In a bid to keep up, one of their hosts, quick-stepping like Fred Astaire himself, shouts over: “We're going this way!”

Good luck, I think, considering it's in completely the opposite direction to the tide of outstretched hands hoping to have a brief audience with the royals.

The couple - who this week celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in Italy and have of course seen such chaos before - are in buoyant mood.

Camilla looks over to where I am standing, with a dozen photographers lenses locked on her, and gets the giggles.

She gestures to her husband with eyebrows raised, as if to warn him to buckle up for the ride, before a typically flamboyant Italian TV chef takes them around a pasta stall. On the final engagement on their four-day state visit to Italy, there is, true to form with this exuberant crowd, one last push before they jet back to Blighty.