Trip Report - Florence, Vernazza, Lucca, Pisa
Oct 7, 2010, 3:13 am
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Trip Report - Florence, Vernazza, Lucca, Pisa
Just thought I'd pass on a little feedback / trip report! We had a fantastic five days (four nights) and visited all the above places - easily enough to scratch the surface and have a good 'taste' of each. Italy has become my favorite country I've ever visited - it really was amazing and I don't know how else to put it than to be really cheesy and just say we 'connected'! It lived up to and exceeded every expectation. The sights, the food, the wine, the culture, the people... All amazing.
We did two nights Florence, one Vernazza and one Lucca. We stayed in cheap accommodation this trip (we usually favor high end) but knew we were literally only going to need a bed and a bathroom so that's all we paid for (wasn't interested in having luxury accommodation/service this time). This was definitely the case - Florence we were out past mid-night both nights and up around 8am, Vernazza we sat in the Piazza all evening and Lucca we did head to bed a bit earlier being a Monday night, but our B&B here was fine. So anyway, glad we didn't splurge this trip - completely did not need to.
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Florence
Beautiful. Stunning. Delightful. Exquisite. Magnificent. Dazzling. I could go on and on! There is not one word to describe Florence. I really loved our time here. We flew into Pisa (on Ryanair who were actually fine, just based at Stanstead which is a pain) and caught the bus (there was a train strike) into Florence. This took just over an hour (the train is about the same). We stayed in a hostel quite close to the train station. Hostel was fine - we literally just slept in the room so I wasn't fussed about facilities. The area was fine too - contrary to the norm in Europe, the area around the train station in Florence is fine - there are a couple of large churches and one nice piazza. Very lively and safe.
So the first afternoon (we arrived just after lunch time) we just wandered aimlessly. Florence is the type of place which lends itself to being absorbed. We didn't schedule anything other than the Accademia. I phoned ahead and reserved our tickets. Completely recommend doing this - being able to skip the horrendous line (even in the lower season) was a blessing. The Accademia was very cool. Some nice art here and of course seeing the real David was awesome. I snuck a few sneaky pictures when the guards weren't looking... Completely worth the visit I think. We were there for just under two hours. That evening we just wandered around the main squares and looked at the architecture. We spent probably about an hour and a half sitting on the wall by the Arno near the Ponto Vecchio bridge eating some delicious food we bought at some great little mini supermarket / deli. The sunset here was gorgeous. We also went for a wander across the river to the Palazzo Pitti - we didn't visit inside here this trip, but would like to - apparently the gardens are outstanding. Had dinner at a lovely restaurant and sat outside on a piazza. Can't remember which one, but it was a quaint one we found probably halfway between the main square (where Palazzo Vecchio is) and Santa Croce.
Next morning we got up early and did the Uffizi. Again, phoned ahead and reserved the tickets. Well worth it. Even at 8:15 there was an epic queue for those without reservations. The Uffizi was incredible. One of my favorite paintings (Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli) is here so it was amazing to see it. Their earlier religious works are just incredible. The frescos and just the general building itself is also amazing as well as the views you get from the gallery that fronts the Arno. There is a great Da Vinci here too which we stood in front of for probably 15 minutes - so much was going on in it! We spend probably three hours here. The cafe has great views across the Florence rooftops but is a bit pricey! Worth it though.
The rest of the day was spent wandering in and out of random streets, churches and buildings. Lots of shopping too - Italian fashion is the best in the world - in my opinion and in terms of male fashion. There is just so much to see in Florence and we really just enjoyed roaming around, stopping for caffe or gelato or pizza... We must have spend €100 on gelato this trip! We loved the main shopping area where the up-market shops are. But we also loved the area around Santa Croce which was very young, hip and extremely lively at night. They had a cool European (mostly German I think) market here which had great food and cheap beer.
So I guess my main recommendations are yes, do the two big galleries. But if you're only in Florence for a couple of nights (spread the nights over at least a Friday or Saturday - good nightlife!), do them at the start or end of the day so you can leave the rest of the day free. Obviously don't plan too much and just wander and enjoy... You can't really go wrong with location for accommodation, but I would suppose the best area would be the triangle made up of Palazzo Vecchio, the Duomo and Via de' Tornabuoni. This way you are literally in the CENTRE of things. But to be honest, it really is a walking city and even the 'other side' of the Arno would be fine for accommodation - everything is so close and so accessible and a delight to discover on foot!
Vernazza
We got up the next morning SUPER early and caught the train (second class) to Vernazza via La Spezia. This trip was fine - we stopped in La Spezia for about an hour so went and chilled at a cafe for a bit. Nothing much was going on here - it was early on Sunday. We got to Vernazza about 11:00am. I found a cheap (€59) room online and turned out to be an awesome little guest house right in the harbour. We had a harbour view and everything so it was a nice surprise! Share bathroom though, but for the price, quality and location, I wasn't complaining!
That afternoon we started our Cinque Terre time with a little wander around Vernazza and then caught the ferry to the first village Riomaggiore. Everyone must get the ferry between a few of the villages - it is amazing to see how they hug the side of the hill from the sea. We spent a little time in Riomaggiore (basically ate our way around Italy!) and then walked to Manarola. I would say this is the second prettiest village of the four we saw (we were too lazy to see Montorosso - the largest) after Vernazza which is just stunningly postcard perfect. After eating again in Manarola, we walked up the hill (my God you need to be fit to do this!) to Volastra (mini town in the hills, nothing really going on here, cute though with incredible views and typical vine/farm scenes) and then down to Corniglia. This was the longest walk we did. The coastal route from Manarola to Corniglia was closed so we did the mountain walk. Definitely recommend it, but people need to be prepared for a hard walk - we were the only people without hiking shoes that we saw! That said, for fit people who enjoy scenery and just relaxing (with a bit of initial effort), definitely worth it. Corniglia is beautiful - it has the best views of all villages from its cliffside terrace. Cute piazza too where we ate again! We caught the train back to Vernazza from here.
So the Cinque Terre was great. Vernazza is by far the best village - worthy of its reputation. Lots of really nice restaurants here too and we had great seafood. This area isn't actually in Tuscany, but is the very southern part of Liguria. I'd probably recommend two nights minimum here. We would have liked to see Monterosso, but we ran out of time and were a bit tired from the big day the first. We spent the morning relaxing drinking cappuccinos and reading by the harbour. We then caught the train to Lucca - it was delayed, but we were able to rework our connections and still get there within about two hours (via La Spezia and Viareggio). Train travel around Italy is so cheap and even in second class, definitely comfortable. Plus the trains go a bit slower so we enjoyed spotting castles, forts, hill towns, churches, etc.. The countryside is so picturesque!
Lucca
We arrived here early afternoon. The station is just outside the city walls. I have been wanting to visit Lucca for AGES largely due to it being so well persevered (still inside intact city walls) and old. Plus the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro is awesome - a piazza built based on the foundations of a Roman arena. The city is again a walking city. Very pedestrianized and I wouldn't want to drive inside the walls. We spent the afternoon wandering - we didn't plan anything at all for Lucca so we just completely enjoyed being in the city. There are some lovely churches with some very significant religious artifacts. The main duomo houses a carving of Jesus supposedly carved by a disciple present at the crucifixion. The carving (life-size) then miraculously made its own way unassisted via a random unmanned boat across the Med and then was dragged to Lucca by a mule. The other significant site we saw was the corpse (yes, corpse) of St Zita inside the Basilica of San Frediano. She apparently stole from her rich boss and gave to the poor and one day when confronted re what was hidden in her apron (bread) she told a white lie and said flowers and when the boss opened her apron, the bread had indeed miraculously turned into flowers! There is another church (we didn't go into it) San Michele which is very Pisa-inspired. It is in the square where the ancient Roman forum was. So that was the afternoon... Fab shopping in Lucca too.
The next morning (after an AMAZING meal of specialty Tuscan style steaks - I repeat - AMAZING) we hired bikes and rode the city walls (about 4km) which was great and meant we could see some of the villas and gardens without paying. We also rode around the city which was fine and easy - although dodging pedestrians down Via Filiungo was a challenge! We didn't do a whole heap in Lucca really - just wandered and ate and shopped! Love the shopping in Italy... We left Lucca at about 4:00pm. It is a short train trip to Pisa - about 30 minutes (and then 5 more minutes if you want to connect through to the airport).
Lucca was amazing - would recommend two nights here, one minimum. The thing about moving around vs day trips is that once the package tourists leave these smaller places at night (so Vernazza and Lucca for us on this trip), the town takes on a different atmosphere. I considered just staying in Florence and day tripping, but TOTALLY glad we did it like this. We stayed in a B&B here inside the old walls just behind the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro. Was only €50 and it was AWESOME.
Pisa
LOVED PISA! We spent about four hours here before our flight. The train station has baggage storage for €3 a bag so we dumped our carry-ons here and walked the short walk to the ecclesiastical area of town. Wow! When you round the corner and first see the complex and the Leaning Tower it really does take your breath away. The Piazza dei Miracoli is a beautiful site - the lush green meadows and the stunning white marble duomo, the Leaning Tower (the cathedral's campanile), the baptistry and the camposanto. The site also is surrounded by nice Tuscan buildings and a city wall. We luckily had the sun come out and as the sun set, the colors were amazing. We decided not to pay to enter these buildings - had seen enough and didn't feel the need to climb the tower. So we just relaxed on the grass and enjoyed being in such a beautiful setting. Of course we took a bunch of photos doing the token holding up or pushing over the tower... The buildings here are all actually leaning - it is really interesting to see the sloping cathedral! We had dinner near the train station before we head off to our flight.
Again, visiting Pisa at the end of the day meant we avoided the crowds and we saw the complex at twilight which was magic. It was amazing the contrast between when the crowds were around and then just after 6:00pm when they'd all got on their tour buses and left. So if you can slot this in before flying out of Pisa in the evening, this is the best time to see Pisa. The town itself is quite young - very studenty as there is a big uni here. The palazzos fronting the Arno are also gorgeous - can get some nice views walking along the river or crossing the bridges. Wouldn't stay overnight in Pisa though - I guess people only come for one thing here and it has unfortunately (perhaps?) got that feel.
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So that was our trip! We probably spend about €700-€800 in five days excluding accommodation. It isn't that Italy is expensive - we just loved to eat, drink, see the sites we wanted, etc. This doesn't include shopping, but does include the trains (quite cheap if second class). We really loved our time here and would hate to travel to Italy worried about money... It isn't the type of place where you should go with a strict budget, because you'll want to exceed it every day with all the amazing food especially! Ryanair was fine and on time both directions. Definitely no frills... But hey, we paid £10 return each. Who can complain at that price...
I guess the key here is that yes, you can do these places in a short amount of time (especially Florence) and they definitely ARE worth the visit however short it may be. You can always go back, but if you don't, one or two nights is plenty to see some amazing things and experience each individual location from the surface. We loved Florence so much we're going to probably spend a month there in an apartment once our UK work visas expire - just a great vibe here!
Anyway, let me know if you have any questions - happy to answer!
We did two nights Florence, one Vernazza and one Lucca. We stayed in cheap accommodation this trip (we usually favor high end) but knew we were literally only going to need a bed and a bathroom so that's all we paid for (wasn't interested in having luxury accommodation/service this time). This was definitely the case - Florence we were out past mid-night both nights and up around 8am, Vernazza we sat in the Piazza all evening and Lucca we did head to bed a bit earlier being a Monday night, but our B&B here was fine. So anyway, glad we didn't splurge this trip - completely did not need to.
----------
Florence
Beautiful. Stunning. Delightful. Exquisite. Magnificent. Dazzling. I could go on and on! There is not one word to describe Florence. I really loved our time here. We flew into Pisa (on Ryanair who were actually fine, just based at Stanstead which is a pain) and caught the bus (there was a train strike) into Florence. This took just over an hour (the train is about the same). We stayed in a hostel quite close to the train station. Hostel was fine - we literally just slept in the room so I wasn't fussed about facilities. The area was fine too - contrary to the norm in Europe, the area around the train station in Florence is fine - there are a couple of large churches and one nice piazza. Very lively and safe.
So the first afternoon (we arrived just after lunch time) we just wandered aimlessly. Florence is the type of place which lends itself to being absorbed. We didn't schedule anything other than the Accademia. I phoned ahead and reserved our tickets. Completely recommend doing this - being able to skip the horrendous line (even in the lower season) was a blessing. The Accademia was very cool. Some nice art here and of course seeing the real David was awesome. I snuck a few sneaky pictures when the guards weren't looking... Completely worth the visit I think. We were there for just under two hours. That evening we just wandered around the main squares and looked at the architecture. We spent probably about an hour and a half sitting on the wall by the Arno near the Ponto Vecchio bridge eating some delicious food we bought at some great little mini supermarket / deli. The sunset here was gorgeous. We also went for a wander across the river to the Palazzo Pitti - we didn't visit inside here this trip, but would like to - apparently the gardens are outstanding. Had dinner at a lovely restaurant and sat outside on a piazza. Can't remember which one, but it was a quaint one we found probably halfway between the main square (where Palazzo Vecchio is) and Santa Croce.
Next morning we got up early and did the Uffizi. Again, phoned ahead and reserved the tickets. Well worth it. Even at 8:15 there was an epic queue for those without reservations. The Uffizi was incredible. One of my favorite paintings (Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli) is here so it was amazing to see it. Their earlier religious works are just incredible. The frescos and just the general building itself is also amazing as well as the views you get from the gallery that fronts the Arno. There is a great Da Vinci here too which we stood in front of for probably 15 minutes - so much was going on in it! We spend probably three hours here. The cafe has great views across the Florence rooftops but is a bit pricey! Worth it though.
The rest of the day was spent wandering in and out of random streets, churches and buildings. Lots of shopping too - Italian fashion is the best in the world - in my opinion and in terms of male fashion. There is just so much to see in Florence and we really just enjoyed roaming around, stopping for caffe or gelato or pizza... We must have spend €100 on gelato this trip! We loved the main shopping area where the up-market shops are. But we also loved the area around Santa Croce which was very young, hip and extremely lively at night. They had a cool European (mostly German I think) market here which had great food and cheap beer.
So I guess my main recommendations are yes, do the two big galleries. But if you're only in Florence for a couple of nights (spread the nights over at least a Friday or Saturday - good nightlife!), do them at the start or end of the day so you can leave the rest of the day free. Obviously don't plan too much and just wander and enjoy... You can't really go wrong with location for accommodation, but I would suppose the best area would be the triangle made up of Palazzo Vecchio, the Duomo and Via de' Tornabuoni. This way you are literally in the CENTRE of things. But to be honest, it really is a walking city and even the 'other side' of the Arno would be fine for accommodation - everything is so close and so accessible and a delight to discover on foot!
Vernazza
We got up the next morning SUPER early and caught the train (second class) to Vernazza via La Spezia. This trip was fine - we stopped in La Spezia for about an hour so went and chilled at a cafe for a bit. Nothing much was going on here - it was early on Sunday. We got to Vernazza about 11:00am. I found a cheap (€59) room online and turned out to be an awesome little guest house right in the harbour. We had a harbour view and everything so it was a nice surprise! Share bathroom though, but for the price, quality and location, I wasn't complaining!
That afternoon we started our Cinque Terre time with a little wander around Vernazza and then caught the ferry to the first village Riomaggiore. Everyone must get the ferry between a few of the villages - it is amazing to see how they hug the side of the hill from the sea. We spent a little time in Riomaggiore (basically ate our way around Italy!) and then walked to Manarola. I would say this is the second prettiest village of the four we saw (we were too lazy to see Montorosso - the largest) after Vernazza which is just stunningly postcard perfect. After eating again in Manarola, we walked up the hill (my God you need to be fit to do this!) to Volastra (mini town in the hills, nothing really going on here, cute though with incredible views and typical vine/farm scenes) and then down to Corniglia. This was the longest walk we did. The coastal route from Manarola to Corniglia was closed so we did the mountain walk. Definitely recommend it, but people need to be prepared for a hard walk - we were the only people without hiking shoes that we saw! That said, for fit people who enjoy scenery and just relaxing (with a bit of initial effort), definitely worth it. Corniglia is beautiful - it has the best views of all villages from its cliffside terrace. Cute piazza too where we ate again! We caught the train back to Vernazza from here.
So the Cinque Terre was great. Vernazza is by far the best village - worthy of its reputation. Lots of really nice restaurants here too and we had great seafood. This area isn't actually in Tuscany, but is the very southern part of Liguria. I'd probably recommend two nights minimum here. We would have liked to see Monterosso, but we ran out of time and were a bit tired from the big day the first. We spent the morning relaxing drinking cappuccinos and reading by the harbour. We then caught the train to Lucca - it was delayed, but we were able to rework our connections and still get there within about two hours (via La Spezia and Viareggio). Train travel around Italy is so cheap and even in second class, definitely comfortable. Plus the trains go a bit slower so we enjoyed spotting castles, forts, hill towns, churches, etc.. The countryside is so picturesque!
Lucca
We arrived here early afternoon. The station is just outside the city walls. I have been wanting to visit Lucca for AGES largely due to it being so well persevered (still inside intact city walls) and old. Plus the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro is awesome - a piazza built based on the foundations of a Roman arena. The city is again a walking city. Very pedestrianized and I wouldn't want to drive inside the walls. We spent the afternoon wandering - we didn't plan anything at all for Lucca so we just completely enjoyed being in the city. There are some lovely churches with some very significant religious artifacts. The main duomo houses a carving of Jesus supposedly carved by a disciple present at the crucifixion. The carving (life-size) then miraculously made its own way unassisted via a random unmanned boat across the Med and then was dragged to Lucca by a mule. The other significant site we saw was the corpse (yes, corpse) of St Zita inside the Basilica of San Frediano. She apparently stole from her rich boss and gave to the poor and one day when confronted re what was hidden in her apron (bread) she told a white lie and said flowers and when the boss opened her apron, the bread had indeed miraculously turned into flowers! There is another church (we didn't go into it) San Michele which is very Pisa-inspired. It is in the square where the ancient Roman forum was. So that was the afternoon... Fab shopping in Lucca too.
The next morning (after an AMAZING meal of specialty Tuscan style steaks - I repeat - AMAZING) we hired bikes and rode the city walls (about 4km) which was great and meant we could see some of the villas and gardens without paying. We also rode around the city which was fine and easy - although dodging pedestrians down Via Filiungo was a challenge! We didn't do a whole heap in Lucca really - just wandered and ate and shopped! Love the shopping in Italy... We left Lucca at about 4:00pm. It is a short train trip to Pisa - about 30 minutes (and then 5 more minutes if you want to connect through to the airport).
Lucca was amazing - would recommend two nights here, one minimum. The thing about moving around vs day trips is that once the package tourists leave these smaller places at night (so Vernazza and Lucca for us on this trip), the town takes on a different atmosphere. I considered just staying in Florence and day tripping, but TOTALLY glad we did it like this. We stayed in a B&B here inside the old walls just behind the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro. Was only €50 and it was AWESOME.
Pisa
LOVED PISA! We spent about four hours here before our flight. The train station has baggage storage for €3 a bag so we dumped our carry-ons here and walked the short walk to the ecclesiastical area of town. Wow! When you round the corner and first see the complex and the Leaning Tower it really does take your breath away. The Piazza dei Miracoli is a beautiful site - the lush green meadows and the stunning white marble duomo, the Leaning Tower (the cathedral's campanile), the baptistry and the camposanto. The site also is surrounded by nice Tuscan buildings and a city wall. We luckily had the sun come out and as the sun set, the colors were amazing. We decided not to pay to enter these buildings - had seen enough and didn't feel the need to climb the tower. So we just relaxed on the grass and enjoyed being in such a beautiful setting. Of course we took a bunch of photos doing the token holding up or pushing over the tower... The buildings here are all actually leaning - it is really interesting to see the sloping cathedral! We had dinner near the train station before we head off to our flight.
Again, visiting Pisa at the end of the day meant we avoided the crowds and we saw the complex at twilight which was magic. It was amazing the contrast between when the crowds were around and then just after 6:00pm when they'd all got on their tour buses and left. So if you can slot this in before flying out of Pisa in the evening, this is the best time to see Pisa. The town itself is quite young - very studenty as there is a big uni here. The palazzos fronting the Arno are also gorgeous - can get some nice views walking along the river or crossing the bridges. Wouldn't stay overnight in Pisa though - I guess people only come for one thing here and it has unfortunately (perhaps?) got that feel.
----------
So that was our trip! We probably spend about €700-€800 in five days excluding accommodation. It isn't that Italy is expensive - we just loved to eat, drink, see the sites we wanted, etc. This doesn't include shopping, but does include the trains (quite cheap if second class). We really loved our time here and would hate to travel to Italy worried about money... It isn't the type of place where you should go with a strict budget, because you'll want to exceed it every day with all the amazing food especially! Ryanair was fine and on time both directions. Definitely no frills... But hey, we paid £10 return each. Who can complain at that price...
I guess the key here is that yes, you can do these places in a short amount of time (especially Florence) and they definitely ARE worth the visit however short it may be. You can always go back, but if you don't, one or two nights is plenty to see some amazing things and experience each individual location from the surface. We loved Florence so much we're going to probably spend a month there in an apartment once our UK work visas expire - just a great vibe here!
Anyway, let me know if you have any questions - happy to answer!
