This is not a Facebook relationship status but trust me, it’s complicated. Embarking on the minefield which is Latin dating can be riddled with uneven paths and furious explosions as well as tears, suffering and angst. Over the top? No way, José – I was married to an Argentine for nine years and could be the person to get you clambering over the initial hurdles with some first dating tips.

My lessons in Argentine love kick off with a psychology degree. If you’re already qualified, then you’re streets ahead of the rest of us. Your journey and my story end here. Three extra years of studies aside, a peek at the national psyche won’t hurt: around two-thirds of Argentines’ roots belong in the birthplace of the pizza – check out point four on this list – (classic date fodder, by the way) and if anyone likes a drama, it’s the Italians. The eruptions, the bubbling passion, the fire – Vesuvius might as well be mixed into the Argentine gene pool.

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