206 Miles, 4 UNESCO World Heritage sites (1 World Heritage “cultural landscape” included in the count), 4 cities, 1 leaning tower, 3 trains, 3 boats (vaporetti), 2 tiramisu desserts, 3 gelatos, 1 moment of falling in love with Italy, and $28.74 UNDER budget.
This week we moved from the NorthEast portion of Italy (Venice) to the NorthWest Ligurian coast. (La Spezia/Cinque Terre). The train took us through Florence and it was tempting to disembark there and say we were “detained” somehow. Alas, we had a leaning tower and 5 coastal villages to see, so we caught our next train and ended up in La Spezia just outside of the Cinque Terre by way of Pisa.
The overnight stop in Pisa was fun for a minute. Although we didn’t love the city of Pisa, the Italian love of life made it a worthy stop on the itinerary.
There is a sort of “Italian magic” that happens after the sun goes down in the cities we’ve visited. A piazza that looks a little rough and grimy in the daylight softens and comes alive in the evening with the golden lights from the street lamps. The streets fill with people meandering, talking to one another, sipping aperitivos, and eating gelato. The pace is relaxed, no one seems to be in a hurry to get anywhere in particular.
In Pisa, in particular, the leaning tower and the architecture of the complex of buildings around it was light and bright, which we loved. We had a fresh and amazing lunch at a fast casual salad place that catered to students. Definitely yummy!
Next week; Cinque Terre and Sienna, then on to Rome!
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