In which I eat a lot of pasta.
Day 36, 9th October 2023: Florence
I had a walking tour booked at 10, so I headed out just before 9 to the nearest well-rated cafe on Google. It was a really nice place and I got a macchiato and a well-filled pistachio croissant for a mere €3.60.
It was the first tour I’d done where the guide had a microphone, so it felt much more conspicuous. However it seemed to be the norm in Florence, and was necessary in some places because of the noise of the traffic and the crowds.
After being schooled in the history of the Medici family, I had a wander around by myself and then stopped at a sandwich shop I’d been recommended by the tour guide. I went for ham, rocket, and roasted aubergine (along with a healthy amount of olive oil!), then went to munch it in the Piazza della Republica.
I popped back to the hostel for a bit of a chill and a break from walking, then in the afternoon ventured out for a bit more pottering and a much needed gelato (salted almond and crema, only €2!).
Day 37, 10th October 2023: Florence to Naples
I had a bit of time before check out, so I headed back to the same cafe as yesterday and had the same delicious macchiato and pistachio croissant combo. I stocked up on foccacia for the train, then picked up my bag and headed to the station.
It was a very quiet high-speed train, so I had a nice time reading, journalling and watching the countryside whizz past in a blur. I pulled into Napoli Garibaldi station at about 2, then navigated the metro system to Montesanto.
I emerged out into the hustle and bustle of Naples. It reminded me slightly of somewhere like Bangkok, with narrow streets, high buildings and scooters coming from every direction, and was certainly in contrast to the very touristy Florence.
I managed to find my hostel through the maze of streets, checked in, and then immediately went for an explore around the city with a friendly German I’d met in my room.
Naples was a different sort of busy, with fewer tourists and everyone conducting their life on the streets. There wasn’t particularly a main city centre, but we walked east and then south towards the coast, before perking up with an espresso. As we were in Naples, we stopped at the first pizzeria that took our fancy and got an incredible mushroom pizza for €4.50. Safe to say it disappeared immediately!
In the evening the hostel had a happy hour in the garden bar, which was two drinks and family-style dinner for €5. We had courgette and pancetta spaghetti and pumpkin and sage rice, washed down with some very generously poured gin and tonics.
There was a really nice bunch of people at the hostel so we stayed and chatted in the garden for ages, then popped out for the second pizza of the day to keep the carb levels topped up!
Day 38, 11th October 2023: Naples and Pompeii
I didn’t realise the hostel had free breakfast, but it was definitely one of the best breakfasts I’ve had. There were all the usual suspects, along with frittata, sauteed veg, pancakes and muffins.
After some extensive suncreaming, I headed off to Pompeii on the train. I then learnt that Pompeii has two stations, and I’d got off at the one the furthest away from the archaeology site. Ten very hot, flustered and tiring minutes later, I arrived at the gates just in time to join my tour group!
I didn’t really know what to expect from Pompeii, but I didn’t expect it to be quite so massive! We walked around (incredible slowly) for around 2.5 hours, and only saw maybe 1/6th of the excavated areas, and there’s still 40% of it that hasn’t been excavated yet. I was definitely glad I’d splashed out on the guided option as there weren’t loads of information boards.
After, I walked around some of the quieter areas by myself and had a mooch around the museum, before finally bailing around 3pm. I got the train back to Montesanto, picked up some delightful arancini and a frittatina (deep fried pasta ball), then went back to the hostel for a very quick shower and refresh.
I met up with the rest of the hostel gang and we headed to a nearby castle to watch the sunset, paired with some of the most terrible corner shop wine I’ve ever experienced!
Defeated, we decided to go to a family-style restaurant we’d been recommended the night before, which turned out to be a fantastic example of managed chaos. After putting your name on a list and waiting in a gaggle, a man with a microphone would call you out as soon as a table was free.
It was only €15 for a starter, main and side, and the waiters were all hurtling round at top speed and yelling orders through a hatch to the chefs in the kitchen. After tucking into octopus spaghetti, fried cod, broccoli and house wine out a plastic cup, we headed back to the hostel bar until it was bedtime.
Day 39, 12th October 2023: Naples to Rome
After another fantastic breakfast, I had a last little wander and then headed to the station to catch my slow train to Rome. I’d opted to save my €15 seat reservation fee for an extra two hours on my journey, but I enjoyed the steadier pace.
I dropped my bag at the hostel, which was far more corporate than Naples, then headed out to explore straight away. It was really busy and hectic, and a whole other level of touristy.
I found the Pantheon and went around a couple of other nice squares, mostly by accident. I then headed over the Tiber to the Trastevere neighbourhood, which has smaller, quieter and prettier streets. I picked up some oxtail ragu and cacio e pepe suppli, then a chicken cacciatore trapizzino, a sort of Roman sandwich.
After all that food, it was definitely a far slower walk back to my hostel!
Day 40, 13th October 2023: Rome to Pisa
I splashed out €9,90 for the hostel breakfast, then went for a little mooch around before my walking tour at 10.30.
Naturally, the tour focused on the ancient history of Rome, which I naively didn’t realise had been around for quite so long! It finished about 12.30, by which time it was baking hot. I did a quick flyby of the absolutely heaving Trevi fountain, then stopped at a pasta shop for a huge tray of pesto, green bean and potato calamarata for a mere €4.50.
I’d paid to store my luggage at the hostel, so I nipped back just in time to pick it up, then headed to the station. My train was leaving from a platform that was further away than the main station area, so I had a but of a mad dash reminiscent of trying to get to platform 13 at Manchester Piccadilly at rush hour.
Again, I’d opted for a slower train, so after watching the sun set over the hills I pulled into Pisa at about 8.30. My hostel was close, so I did a quick bit of washing and journalling in the hostel garden before turning in for the night.
Day 40, 14th October 2023: Pisa
I didn’t really have any plan of what to do in Pisa, which was quite a nice change. As it was a smaller town I knew I didn’t have to rush, so after a steady morning I headed out and picked up a flatbread for breakfast.
I paid €5 to go on the city walls, which were quieter than the area around the tower and had some great views over the mountains. I followed them all the way until they met the river, then stopped for a flat white to recharge.
For lunch I stopped for cecina, a Pisa speciality comprising a slice of chickpea pancake served in a foccacia-style roll. Definitely beige-on-beige, but also delicious!
I then carried on my wandering and stopped by the tiny but ornate church of Santa Maria de la Spina, then went and whiled away the rest of the afternoon in a park.
For dinner I found a pick and mix pasta restaurant, and being the budget-conscious traveller I opted for a large as it was only 50 cents more than a medium. Safe to say an enormous pile of delicious aubergine and hazelnut linguine arrived, which I dispatched with skill. That and a large glass of house red only came to €11.50. Again, I had to waddle back to the hostel!
Day 42, 15th October 2023: Pisa to Finale Ligure
I started my day with a very disappointing macchiato and pistachio croissant from the hostel, then popped out to pick up some foccacia for my journey.
I got the train at 10 and got into Finale at around 2.15, and it felt slightly strange to be back somewhere I’d been before after doing so much exploring on this trip. I was also meeting my partner later, which I naturally was very excited about!
I checked into our self-catering accommodation, which was up in the roof of a little apartment block. I immediately put a wash on, and then headed out along the seafront to pick up some groceries, and it was still quite lively considering it was October. After a quick shower, I then pootled back to the station to surprise my partner, as I’d told him my train was supposed to arrive after his!
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