Destination: Florence, Italy
Day 6 would be my first full day in Italy, and I had a great itinerary lined up. I was planning to start the day by visiting some of the Cinque Terre villages I’d not yet seen and then go to Florence, via Pisa!
Stop 1: Levanto beach
I hit my very first problem almost as soon as I woke up. The campsite reception wasn’t open until 8.00am and I’d wanted to leave by 7am. This was a valuable lesson to learn early in my trip … to always pay for the pitch in advance and not get stuck onsite.
I hadn’t slept too well, as there was a lot of noise during the night, coming from the area around the campsite, earplugs a must if you are going to stay here. But determined to enjoy my day, I headed off for my first stop which was the beach at Levanto.
It was easy to reach and there was parking right on the sea front, so that cheered me up considerably. Although the day was quite overcast, I had a lovely stroll along the prom. Having grown up close to the sea it always feels like home, and I properly chuckled when one of the huge gulls took a liking to my TentBox. Although, I’d have been a lot less amused if he’d decided to leave me a souvenir of his visit!
As I was now considerably behind schedule, I encouraged Mr Gull to find alternative accommodation and left for my next stop.
Stop 2: Monterosso al Mare
I’d not managed to see all of the Cinque Terre villages the previous evening, so I was hoping to visit the last 2 before heading to Pisa.
The closest was Monterosso al Mare, and although it was just a couple of miles down the coast, the drive took a good 40 minutes. It was becoming obvious I’d probably not make the last village, but who could be disappointed with such beautiful drives.
The tiny town in the distance, on the coast, is Levanto.
Once again, there was parking right on the beach at Monterosso and better still it was an automatic barrier that recognised my tag, super easy!
I had a lovely walk along the beach to take a good look at one of the main attractions of Monterosso, the ‘statua gigante’ of Neptune carved into the rock. It was quite something, very impressive close up, it really is gigantic!
Taking a stroll along to the other end of the beach, I noticed some tiny villages along the coastline. As luck would have it, I was able to zoom right in on my camera, and get a really good look … at Vernazza! Ok, so I might not had the time to visit in person, but at least I did get a great shot of the village from a very different angle!
As well as the beautiful little villages, the coastal Cinque Terre has a huge and scenic network of hiking and cycling trails. It’s definitely on my list of places to go back to and hopefully I will see Vernazza closer up next time. But this made me happy for now.
Stop 3: Pisa
My next stop was to be the historic city of Pisa. Aside from the one very obvious attraction (and yes, I do have the obligatory photo) there’s a lot to see. I’d pre-booked parking just outside of the Pisa ZTL (low emission zone) at Piazza Vittorio Emmanuel II, a 15 minute walk from the historic centre. This worked really well as it was easy to find and felt quite safe.
Despite it being a relatively brief visit, I thoroughly enjoyed my stroll around Pisa. Although the area around the Torre di Pisa and Piazza del Duomo was VERY busy, the rest of the city seemed really laid back. There’s something very chilled about places with so much history, I guess because they just don’t have to try too hard to be interesting!
Stop 4: Florence
Luckily my next stop was not too much of a drive. I was heading for Florence, which was going to be one of the highlights of my trip. I was intending to camp up, then spend the afternoon and early evening in Florence, before heading back to my overnight stop in Fiesole in the suburbs.
The next minor change to my plans was came about quite by accident. As I came off the autostrade (motorway) just outside of Florence, I noticed a huge park and ride called Villa Costanza. I had not seen this during my preparatory investigations and decided to check it out. It was absolutely ace! Easy access to the autostrade, automatic payment via the toll tag, safe, convenient for the tram into town and a lovely cafe and loo area. I decided to ditch my plan of heading to the campsite and getting a bus into town. I parked up at the park & ride, and had a lovely coffee before catching the tram.
The tickets for the tram are super cheap at 1.5€ each way and are available from the machines dotted around the station or the ticket booth. As with many places the operators spoke good English, and they were really helpful, giving me a city map for just 1€.
Also, note for anyone buying coffee in Italy, you pay before you get the coffee and present the barista with your receipt, which makes so much more sense to me!
As with any train travel, it’s important to get your travel ticket validated by punching it in one of the machines at the station. I’d forgotten to do this, but I was in luck as they had one on the tram. A word of caution to anyone even thinking of dodging the fare … don’t do it! There were inspectors on each of my 4 tram journeys and it was always tourists getting caught out.
The tram only took around 20 mins to get right into the centre of Florence and was a really pleasant ride. The main tram stop is located next to a huge underground shopping mall, and is really well placed for most attractions.
The Duomo & Brunelleschi’s Dome
I was very excited as I got off the tram and headed towards the first of my organised tours. As attractions can sell out months in advance, I had pre-booked most of them through ‘Get Your Guide‘ which I can 100% recommend.
I was heading towards the Piazza del Duomo in the centre of town. I absolutely loved the buzz of the busy centre, and was blown away when I reached the square. The imposing Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore is incredible. Although entrance to the cathedral itself is free, I had bought a ‘skip the line’ ticket to climb the ‘cupola’, otherwise known as ‘Brunelleschi’s Dome‘.
Anyone who is going to attempt the dome climb should understand that the 476 steps are quite challenging. And as it’s hard to stop on the narrow stairwells without holding everyone else up, some fitness is required. Additionally as the cathedral is a place of worship, you must be respectfully dressed, so shoulders and knees covered, and no hats. Also you can’t take backpacks into the cathedral, but there is a great lockup at the back of the square. Aside from these minor points, all that’s left to do when you complete the climb is marvel at the architecture, the frescoes and the views, which are absolutely stunning.
And then, once you’ve caught your breath, it’s back down those 476 steps!
Having taken some time to enjoy the rest of the Cathedral, it was time to head off to my next tour just a short stroll away in the Piazza della Signoria.
Palazzo Vecchio
I was so excited to be visiting the museum of Palazzo Vecchio, having been fascinated by the history of Florence for some time. I had done quite a bit of research as I wanted to make the most of my trip and booked my tickets through the official site. I was particularly keen to see Dante’s Mask as it featured heavily in Dan Brown’s book ‘Inferno’ and the film of the same name. And of course I wanted to learn more about the history of Dante and of Florence itself. I wasn’t disappointed, the Palazzo Vecchio was so interesting, I could have literally spent days wandering around soaking it all in.
The artworks were absolutely incredible, especially considering the times in which they had been created and how long they have been preserved. The frescoes and murals were stunning. I loved hearing about artists like Donatello, Michelangelo and Da Vinci, and their relationships with the families who supported them.
And yes, Dante’s Mask was every bit as mesmerising as I had imagined it would be!
Unfortunately though, they did eventually kick me out, as the museum was closing. If you are visiting, be aware that it is open most days until 7pm, but it does close early on a Thursday.
Overnight: Fiesole, Florence
I’d had an absolutely awesome day but by now was feeling the heat and all that walking had worn me out! I made my way back to Villa Costanza, feeling really chuffed that I’d sussed the trams. Honestly it couldn’t have been easier getting in and out of the city. I was straight onto the autostrade, and luckily my campsite which was in a suburb of Florence called Fiesole was very easy to reach from there.
I was staying overnight in Camping Village Panoramico, situated on a hillside on the outskirts of Florence. It is a lovely site, well maintained with level relatively private pitches set on terraces, and decent showers and loos.
As an added bonus on this site has a fabulous pool and restaurant. And they both share the incredible view over Florence above, which is something else.
Additionally, the reception and bar staff were really lovely, spoke great English and were very welcoming. It was wonderful to just sit and chill on the terrace, with a couple of beers and some freshly made pizza while watching the street lights of Florence sparkle below.
Being situated in a rural suburb, the campsite was very quiet and it wasn’t long before I was out for the count and getting some much needed rest.
Day 7 would be another exciting day!