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Don't like to make the suggestion, but might it be a cockroach?  Apparently cockroaches live in a wide range of environments around the world. Pest species of cockroaches adapt readily to a variety of environments, but prefer warm conditions found within buildings.   Uuugghhh!

There are LOADS of insetti here and without a photo it would be difficult to identify........cockroaches (I've not seen them here but I live in the country) are very quick but tend to move more when disturbed..........a type of (harmless) beatle would be my call........ S

they move incredibly quickly and live in town and country.  Given the lack of information i.e. "enormous creature" and "oval" it isn't necessarily of the insect world?

Hi and thanks for the suggestions.  I just wasn't quick enough to get a photo but now I'm sitting here armed with a camera! If it appears tonight I'll wake up my dog!

from the description it could be a rhinoceros, but I suspect it is a gecco.... 

Hi, Ram.  I don't think it's a gecco but a rhinoceros sounds a possibility! Now you've got me thinking about that Ionesco play.... Pat

My feeling is a cockroach which tend to be reddish-brown and DO move quickly in response to light. My least favourite �������� critter is the scorpion NEVER poke about under flower pots, pile of tiles etc unless you can see where your hand is going . They tend to come out and lurk on walls at night time and their sting whilst not usually life-threatening is not nice! Now a rhinocerous-sized scorpion - there's a thought!

Hi, elliven.  My rhino-scorpion hasn't come out to play since Tuesday morning!  Once a private student of mine arrived and told me there was a "scorpione" on the stairs.  I was terrified but went to have a look as I'm less terrified of scorpions than spiders.  And there was a little "geco" lizard! I didn't know at the time that "scorpione" is the dialect word for these!  This morning Rosa, my Albanian cleaning lady and friend, came and attacked every corner viciously with a broom.  Nothing came out.  But I think these rhino-scorpion-cockroach-mice creatures are crafty! Will keep you all posted. Pat  

Hi Patz, Sorry that I cannot help you with your Crawlies as have no clue what it could be. I was on holiday in Arsita, in Abruzzo last year in a village house. There were loads of very large greyish coloured oval, humped, beatle-type insects at the house. If you opened the windows before going off for the day they would be on and in the folds of the voile curtains when we returned in the afternoons. They would crawl very slowly and were often static ( as though sleeping). Also at any time during the day, if we went out to sit on the balcony at the patio set, I had to send my friend out to get lots of them of the parasol every time. They were large and scary looking but I never found out what they were. Any ideas anybody? I hope that this is not the norm as far as creepies go. What else is there that we need to be aware off and how to prevent/get rid?

After 4 years of living with the wildlife in rural Italy nothing bothers me now......except for the Calabroni, the large hornets, cannot get used to them, whilst they seem slow moving and docile they have a hefty sting and a hospital visit is usually required, for people with an allergy they can be deadly so best avoided and not antagonised. There is one that seems to visit our balcony early every morning, and tries to get through the open cat flap....so beware!. 

On my last visit to my house there were quite a few very bright green bugs that are shaped like a shield, have longish legs and move very slowly then suddenly jump. They are the size of my thumbnail I would think, at least the largest ones I have seen are.   I was told not to squash them because they really stink.  As I don't like squashing any bugs even though I am not happy with them near me I haven't found this out for myself.  So my question is what are they and do they really stink when they are squashed?   Maralyn

We just call them stink bugs and they really stick if you go anywhere near them!

We get the green shield bugs in our garden in Dorset.  They are also called stink bugs but haven't actually killed any myself to find out.  There are loads of sites giving details of all types of bugs - just google and see if you can find what you are looking for!  Best to know what things are in case of bites/stings.

Thanks, Moruzzo. I hope it's not one of those!  Thanks, Angie and Robert. So far. I've not had a plague of hornets. Maralyn, Penny and Joy, those green things sound horrible!  Once or twice I've found a locust in the flat but that was not as scary as a crawly thing!  Will keep you all updated.