I'm in love. The five tiny fishing villages - "Cinque Terre" - on the Italian Riviera charmed me from the moment I got into Riomaggiore. I'm doing a consolidated entry for my two nights there (not nearly enough), because I didn't really feel like taking time to write yesterday, and because internet access is astronomically expensive in these relatively remote villages. Some of the practical stuff first for my friends and family who've never heard of this place. Cinque Terre (literally "five lands") is a series of 5 small villages on the Italian Riviera. They are, in order from south-east [View Full Entry]

---

---

I'm glad the people who designed the Busabout routes were considerate enough to make an exception to the usual scheduling policy for Pisa. Normally, day stops are in-and-out affairs, but we had an hour and a half in Pisa. That was actually perfect to wander around, take pictures, and have lunch. It was nice to see the oh so famous architectural screw-up in person, and yes, we all did the obligatory photos. Entry on the real treat - Cinque Terre, will be done later. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Having done all the major sights (or at least all the ones I was willing to do), I basically just wandered the streets and markets of Florence today. Florence is famous for its leather, and there's a huge outdoor market near P. San Lorenzo with just about everything you can imagine, but a heavy emphasis on leather. Being a market, suffice it to say that you better know what you're looking for and what it's roughly worth. The Busabout recommended shop (Leonardo's) had great quality stuff, but was incredibly expensive. It was useful in giving me an idea of what I [View Full Entry]

---

---

Reghina, my hostel's proprietor, has gotten rave reviews from everyone I've met who have stayed at Locanda Starlight. I'm now part of that group. I had previously tried to book a reservation to the Uffizi and Accademia Gallery, since the lines to get in can get as long as 4 hours. I was told at that time that they were booked until the end of July. I had braced myself for a test of how much virtue (of the patience variety) I had, until I came back to the hostel last night. While I was gone, Reghina had apparently found out [View Full Entry]

---

---

I got up early today especially to go up Il Campo (bell tower) in town. I discovered soon enough that I had neglected to consider the fact that Il Palio was going on, and that preliminary events start today. That meant, 1. The bleachers set up in Il Campo were overflowing with people, 2. There were horses galloping around the dirt track, and 3. The bell tower's courtyard was now a stable. Suffice it to say that no tourists were going up that tower for the next few days. When one opportunity shuts however, another one opens. The town is just [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today is split into 2 entries to make both writing and reading these posts easier. First post is for my morning in Siena, second post is for my afternoon and evening in Firenze (Florence). §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ I think I like Florence. The city has that dynamic mix of history and modern culture, but lacks the sheer chaos of Rome that turned me off. The bus ride from Siena was very short (less than an hour), but the Camping International Florence pickup/dropoff point is very out of the way. I'm very glad that I didn't choose to stay there. It's a 15 mintue [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today has been a mad scramble. I was planning to do the Vatican in half a day, so I got up early and was down to reception by 8. Unfortunately, checkout was slow (hence the reason for my wanting to checkout last night). Traffic wasn't ideal either, to put it lightly. Did I mention the Rome Metro system is the worst I've seen anywhere? In short, it was 9:30 by the time I got to Termini Station. After a 15 minute walk, fully loaded with by backpack, to the very inconveniently located left-luggage office (I wasn't about to wander around Rome [View Full Entry]

---

---

Getting up at 6am isn't fun. To find that the bus which leaves at "7am sharp" is goign to be late is even less fun. This was a god send for a couple of guys though. They had one hell of a night partying, and a few looked like they had a night worth missing the bus for.... Luck was on our side, and traffic along the very narrow Amalfi Coast wasn't bad. When they built this road, they were obviously not thinking of the massive tour-buses that would exist a century or so later. I understand now why Busabout [View Full Entry]

---

---

The rich and famous know how to holiday - Capri is beautiful. We only had a day there (downside of being shepparded around in an organized tour). Got to see quite a bit though. We got on a boat tour around the island the minute we got off the ferry. I originally wasn't planning on visiting blue grotto (venus flytrap, tourist version). Couldn't help myself in the end though. It was just amazing watching these guys guide the tiny rowboats into miniscule hole. The entrance is completely covered by every wave, and the buys piloting the row boats have to time [View Full Entry]

---

---

I'm really glad I made the snap decision to take an excursion south. The tour is basing out of a campsite in Sorrento (Camping Santa Fortuna). Wisened by my experience in Venice, I opted for the best accomodation option available. The result was a dorm-style cabin with 4 beds in my room, a kitchen, private bathroom and fridge. It overlooks the swimming pool, and is overall quite nice for a campsite. Finally, I checked: there is hot water! The only downside will be mosquitoes, but those are inevitable anyways. I actually consider the place quite a steal (especially at 16 euro [View Full Entry]

---

---