YA-20: living the sweet life of spring-time Siena!

Hello again!

Even though I haven’t done much travelling lately (I haven’t done travelling at all tbh), I’ve had a great time in Siena. The weather has finally improved and literally gone from rain to full-blown summer with sunny days of up to 28°C. It has just been calling for sunny chilling on the Piazza and barbecues, so that’s what we’ve been doing.

On the Tuesday I went to class and ran a couple errands including picking up some books to read from the library’s very limited foreign language collection. In the afternoon I went to the Piazza to start reading one of them. It was so insanely warm I sat in the shade but was so warm anyway! Then I was joined by Vero and we spent a good three hours chatting and catching up because it had been ages since I’d last seen her! We got sort of hungry and decided to go to Peterland for some chips and nuggets. Cheat meal but it was so worth it! The amount of chips was insane and neither of us could finish them, but it was so good because I hadn’t had chips in a very long time… We spent another two hours and a half just lying on the Piazza chatting, “marujeando” like I say in Spanish, until we decided it was high time we went home! It was such a lovely afternoon-evening <3

On Wednesday I went to class, did some bulk cooking… The usual. After lunch I went to see the Storia Sociale teacher to have a clearer idea of what to expect in the exam and he was really nice. Now I can structure the studying properly (but actually sitting down to study it is a whole other story…). I did some work at home and then went out for a run before having dinner and getting ready to meet Vero in the Piazza for pres before Al Cambio. We bumped into the old man with his rabbits which Vero always mentions but I’d never actually seen. He just brings them to the square and sets them free and people pet them and take pictures. Oh, Siena, sometimes you’re weird. Al Cambio was a strange night though. I hadn’t been there on a Wednesday in like forever and it was quite empty (I guess people have already started to study for their exams). The theme was 80s and 90s music, but they were playing a really bizarre repertoire – music 4/10. Megan joined us and we found Emilio and Tsubasa and also Ody and his friends. I’d met Ody back in March when we were going to Vainilla but hadn’t actually spoken to him until now. His friend Stefanos was leaving on Saturday so they were making the most of his time left in Siena and we ended up hanging out with them and their two Italian friends – it was fun.

On Thursday I had one of those days when you just can’t do anything with yourself. It was also quite hot which didn’t help. I showered and did some work, went to cinema class (boring as usual) and then decided to grab some snacks in Conad and watch a bit of Modern Family because why not? I cleaned the house and then had a chill and early night because I was feeling tired.

On Friday morning I ran some errands and had something to eat before heading to PAM to meet Vero and buy some drinks and snacks for the barbecue. Ody and Stefanos had organized everything and so we went to their residence which is outside Siena near the Ospedale. It is amazing! I always find it interesting to see halls in other countries and this one looked a lot like an English one except for the shared bedrooms and the fact that it was right in the middle of the countryside. So we joined them two and Pier, Matthew and Zoe (yes, another Zoe) to head to the park and get the barbecue going. The guys took care of everything while us girls were chatting (they kept saying they didn’t need any help hey!) and we had a great lunch – everybody was starving! The meat was great and they’d made chips and an actual Greek salad that was so tasty. And music and beers to top it all off, it was a fantastic sunny afternoon and we couldn’t have asked for anything better. Vero and I left around half six and then I got home and decided to skip crossfit and instead take a shower and nap for a bit. We met up with them all again on the Piazza at around elevenish for Stefanos’ last night out in Siena and stayed there having some drinks until around half one when we decided it was time to hit Bellavista. The music wasn’t great but we had fun anyway and the guys kept the creeps away so it was a win-win situation. It was sad to say good-bye to Stefanos, he seemed like a really nice guy I wish I’d met him earlier.

On the Saturday I woke up around half ten and went out for a run and workout at the Fortezza. It took me some force of will to get out of bed but I felt so energized after doing some exercise! After showering, doing some laundry and having lunch I went to the Fortezza again to meet up with Emilia and Katy, who’d come to visit from Naples. It was nice to see her; we went for ice-cream at La Favorita (mint and lemon this time) and bumped into a parade from my very own contrada del Drago. I had no idea it was going on, as well as seeing a couple old cars from the Mille Miglia who’d come past Siena earlier in the morning.

I then decided to go to Santa Maria della Scala which is another museum in Siena opposite the Duomo. It’s an old hospital and has historical sites and also pieces of art on exhibition. It was interesting. I got a free audioguide with my free ticket (perks of being a Siena student) and wandered around on my own. High-lights of the visit were the Compagnia di Santa Caterina della Notte with the original archives, the Archaeological Museum which houses the Treasury (so eerie to walk on my own) and the temporary photography installation ‘Ten Years and Eighty-Seven Days’ by Lucia Menazzi Moretti, about the experiences and statements of death-row prisioners in Texas – it was very thought-provoking and definitely worth a visit if you are in Siena before the 4^th of June.

After the museum I dropped by Conad and did some work before having dinner and getting ready to go out yet again. I went with Vero to a friend of hers, Amber, for pres and Hà and Tsubasa happened to also be there, along with a few other people I didn’t know. We played a couple of games and left around midnight to hit the contrada party at Oca before it finished. When we got there it was packed! It was outdoors and they’d set up tents and the music was great, but there was so many people we had a hard time finding a familiar face! Ody and another Greek girl ended up joining us and we danced for a bit before heading to Al Cambio, where Megan joined Vero and I. I had such a fun night dancing and chatting to people outside the club. I saw Andrea, Sarah, Francesco and a few other people. The post-club slice of pizza was heavenly and much needed and I got home just in time to avoid the rain.

On Sunday I was really tired and kind of hungover so I slept in and had breakfast, then did some cooking and showered before lunch and sat down to study. Of course, it was not easy to concentrate, especially with the lovely weather outside, but I did what I could. I also spoke with Moni who caught me up on the Fécamp news while she was tending the bar in the Mill. I can’t wait to see her in Glasgow!

Monday was an average day. I went to class, I went to the gym and died, I bought a flag of contrada del Drago, cause you can’t live in Siena without having a flag of your quarter (also the party is this weekend so keep tuned for the next post!). After Power Pump I came back home quickly to shower and get ready to meet Vero, Jess, Megan and her parents in Pomodorino. Mike and Debra were so lovely inviting us for dinner – I had a nice evening chatting and eating pizza and dessert!

On Tuesday I was really productive for once. I woke up at 8 and went to do the grocery shopping in PAM because it wasn’t too hot yet. Then I came home and grabbed my packed lunch before heading to class and after Storia Sociale I had lunch under the sun with Jess and we spent a good three hours and a half in Sala Rossa which is an old church turned into study space. After that I came home, got changed and hit the gym for an hour. I was knackered but it was so worth it! Then I popped into Conad to grab a few bits I hadn’t found in PAM and came back home to do some cooking and chill. My tortilla recipe was published on Piazza del Campus and you can check it out here: https://piazzadelcampus.it/tortilla-espanola-5971/

On Wednesday I wanted to be efficient but that went out of the window. I went to the last Storia Sociale class and then came back home and sorted some stuff out and did some bulk cooking. I then had lunch and decided to take a short nap because I was kind of tired. At around fiveish I met with Grazia to catch up and speak a bit of Italian which was really nice. We sat in the Piazza – it was so hot!- and she also took me to a bookshop in Via Camollia with massive discounts due to closing so I got myself a copy of a thriller in Italian. I went back at around seven and had lunch and got changed to go up to UniStraSi for a Notte di Poesia or poetry night. Vero and Simay were reading so I went to listen to them. The event involved reading poetry in foreign languages and then their translation into Italian and was a nice evening, but I thought it dragged on a bit too long. We left before the end because they had an exam the next morning.

On Thursday I woke up early and went out for a run and workout in the Fortezza and then at home I did some laundry and a bit of revision before lunch and going to class for the film screening. We watched ‘À bout de souffle’ by Godard and I really enjoyed it! I want to watch more of his films. I then wanted to watch ‘I Vitelloni’ by Fellini because I didn’t go last Friday but the film guy was nowhere to be found. I borrowed a copy from the library instead but I didn’t realize my disc reader doesn’t work so I was left watching only half of it through online streaming fml I then decided to do a bit of work and organizing for the next day, as we were going to the beach! I didn’t do much else that day.

On Friday it was only Megan and I going to the beach. We decided to go to Castiglione della Pescaia which is about 2 hours away changing in Grosseto (which is a very sad looking town in my opinion). The trip was fine and we got to the beach in the morning and spent a good couple of hours sun tanning and swimming (even though there were no waves and it was very shallow). It was great to feel the sand and salty water again – once an islander, forever an islander!

We got back to Siena around six (and we managed not to sunburn so kudos to us!) and I decided to nap before getting ready to go out. We went to the Piazza for some drinks with Andrea, Sarah, Etienne (who came to visit for the weekend), Dan and Leona, Vero, Megan and Francesco and then hit Chiocciola for the outdoor party that everybody was raving about. It was really cool – the garden is amazing and the place was packed! The music was great and we had a tonne of fun. Afterwards Megan and I went with Emilio to Bellavista but there was no more music so in the end I just got some pizza and went home. Not bad at all.

As a sneak peak, just know that the next post starts with the Contrada del Drago party on my very own road, so definitely keep tuned to read that! Happy times!

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Alla prossima!

Zoe

YA-19: Sara in Siena, contrada parties and exams!

Hello again! You might want to grab a cup of tea and/or snacks for this one because it’s going to be a long blog entry (can you tell I’ve been neglecting my duties lately?). Enjoy!

On May Day morning I went to PAM with Dad to do a massive grocery shop (got to make the most while your parents are in town) and then I spent most of the morning studying. Unfortunately, after lunch it started to rain so we had to stay inside until it cleared up but the sun eventually came out and we were able to go on an afternoon stroll. I took Dad to San Francesco, the Piazza and then we went for coffee at MeetLife. I then left Dad who wanted to walk around a bit longer and I went back home to do some more work – had a lot to catch up and some exams looming over the horizon. All in all, it was a nice and simple public holiday giornata.

On the Tuesday I had lessons so I left Dad sleeping in while I went to class and then I had to run some errands and get the books for Storia Sociale. I had lunch at home with Dad and then we decided to go to the Duomo. We got tickets for the whole thing and I’d never been inside before but it is beautiful! My favourite part were the floors of the Cathedral and Libreria Piccolomini, which is decorated beautifully with frescoes and golden details. The view from the Facciatone is also amazing – you could see our house from it! And then the rest of the Complesso Museale del Duomo is also interesting, they have a massive variety of paintings and the crypt and baptistery are also pretty. Overall it was a good decision to go. On our way back home we bought a basil plant from an organization to fight breast cancer and Dan and I have decided to name it Boris. Unfortunately, we are struggling to keep it alive so any advice will be appreciated…

Dad was leaving on Wednesday morning so I went to Storia Sociale and then back home to say good-bye and drop him off at the bus station. It was lovely to have him around and explore Italy together <3

After dropping him off I decided to get to work and do some cooking and have lunch before going out for a run. I fancied running so I went to the Fortezza and ran three laps which adds up to about 5km – you can imagine how tired I was at the end but I was really happy to have got back into running. I showered and got comfy in order to start reviewing properly for my upcoming French exam and then was told there was a newspaper meeting in the evening. Unfortunately I really had to study so I had no more options than to stay in and go to the next one…

Thursday morning was the French test. The quiz went fine and when we got to the oral presentation everybody was so much more nervous than we should’ve been. The oral was in front of the students, which I find strange in comparison to England, but once it got going it was just a matter of managing to go next and get it done. I got 30 con lode in the subject, so I’m more than happy! I spent the rest of the day attending my other lectures and running a few errands, but mostly taking it as a break – a treat after the morning test. That night I met with Megan and Jess to go out for dinner. It had been a while since we’d been out and Megan and I have decided we want to go through the list of restaurant recommendations in Siena. We want to end our Erasmus experience being able to rate the restaurants and Contrada parties – worthwhile aim, huh? Food and dancing; can’t go wrong with that! That night we tried Osteria Gatto e Cane near Jess’. I went for pici cacio e pepe which I’d never eaten before and were really tasty, with some bruschettas and roasted veggies to share. All the food was good and the portions were filling, which was great! Cosy and local place to go for sure.

After dinner it was mildly raining but we’d heard there was a Contrada party at Valdimontone, so Megan and I head there. Fortunately, they’d set up a tent in the garden which was much needed because at one point it was raining cats and dogs. The music and atmosphere were alright – it was a fun night, but it’s not up there with the best. It also felt like Friday, but it was Thursday, and that totally threw me off!

Friday was a normal day of errands and lectures, but in the evening I met up with Jess, Nat, Emilia and Ivo to go to Morbidi for apericena. I hadn’t been there in ages and the food is definitely good. A pricier place than usual aperitivo, but so worth it! We got a table and it was lovely to catch up and have a chat. I’m such a fan of more social meet ups in which you can actually talk! After eating we went around town trying to find a nice place to have a drink and I then left them and head to Parsifal for a photo gallery event with the newspaper lot. It was a cute event – the photos pictured the impact of students in Siena, with before and after shots of different locations. We had a couple drinks and chatted; there was also a group playing some traditional music from the south and I ended up being taught how to ‘dance’ the tarandella. It was overall a great experience because I got to speak Italian and have a different Friday from the usual, as well as meeting a lot of new people (which, at the same time, means forgetting a lot of names…). We eventually moved onto Le Logge and hung outside but I left them at around half two. I wasn’t planning on a late night, but what can you do when you get caught up in actually being part of the Italian landscape of Siena?

Clearly after going to bed so late, my head wasn’t functioning properly the following day. However, I had to get up early because Sara was coming to visit in Siena. It was lovely to have her and I can’t believe she made such a long trip to and from on the same day – she must’ve been exhausted in the end! We were unlucky with the weather and had to fight heavy rain, but we made it work. I showed her around the city, we went into the Duomo, we had pizza at La Trofea and ice-cream at La Favorita (honestly, probably the best ice-cream in town)… She really loved Siena despite the weather which I’m happy about. Megan joined us by PAM for a bit before Sara had to go and catch her train, and we attempted and failed at taking a decent picture together haha

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing some cooking and napping before the evening. The plan was to go out to the Contrada party at Lupa, but the weather took a very wrong turn and there was a proper thunderstorm and horrible rain. However, Megan and I were ready and, since it seemed to subside a little, we decided to go to the house party at Saverio and Matteo’s. If it kept raining, we could always stay there if the Contrada party was outdoors… We dropped by for a bit but really wanted to go dance at the Contrada so we made a bit of small talk before heading to Lupa – turns out it was indoors which was great! It was a lot emptier than the day before, probably due to the rain, but the music was great and Megan, Fredericke and I ended up jamming away the whole time. We then found Emilio and Tsubasa so we joined them and stayed until the end of the night before deciding to move onto Al Cambio. However, I was so tired I gave up and decided to go to bed before actually reaching the club lol Lupa is definitely up there in the contrada party chart.

On Sunday the 7^th it was Mothers’ Day in Spain so I rung up Mum before heading to the Pinacoteca. I wanted to check it out because it was free the first Sunday of the month. There were a lot of medieval triptychs with gold paint, maybe too many for my taste as I’m not a fan of that period but I have to say if you do actually like it, you should definitely check it out. I spent the rest of the day home doing some revision but mostly relaxing and going to bed early to catch up on my sleep.

On the Monday we had a massive misunderstanding with our Cinema lesson. I had the usual morning and was thinking the class would be at 2 until Dan mentioned it starting at 12 and I was really confused and nobody really knew what the deal with it was, so we went round at 12 and it was only Erasmus and a couple Italian girls who’d turned up and the teacher was nowhere to be found. After waiting for a bit we decided it would be on at 2 then, so I went to the mensa at Sant’Agata with Duncan to grab some lunch before class. It was annoying to waste the time but nice to spend some time with Duncan outside the classroom lol Then back home I had to deal with Student Finance paperwork and ring them up a few times as well as go to the gym and do some work. The usual.

Tuesday was not much different. I went to class, I ran some errands, our landlady came over. We found out our contrada’s società is downstairs which is amazing because it means we’ll be in the midst of the festivities when the time comes woop woop! I also phoned Lara because it had been ages since we’d last spoken and it was great to catch up. I really miss her and can’t wait to see her in the summer. And then I went to Maudit to join the British lot for the evening. It was fun and the odd event happened with some Canadians on tour in Europe coming round to our table. If that’s not the place to meet the strangest people in Siena, I don’t know what is.

Wednesday and Thursday were quite uneventful. I went to class, ran some errands, did some revision. I like to go and run in the Fortezza now that it’s warm but not overwhelmingly hot. I had the cinema exam for which I got the feedback today and was complimented by the teacher on the content and my Italian, so I’m super happy! I also encountered the weirdest thing in Siena thus far: a sort of fraternity of young guys who dress up in capes and blast music from pimped cars with stages on top. Literally, so weird. They have been touring Siena for the past week. And I decided to have two movie nights because it had been ages since I’d last watched some films. I was tempted to watch a new one, but in the end I went for the trusty ‘Sweeney Todd’ and ‘The Lovely Bones’, both of which I’m a big fan of.

This past weekend has also been great fun. On Friday I was quite efficient writing up posts for the different blogs I’m a part of (if you didn’t know, I also write for the University of Bath Placements’ Blog which you can find here: http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/hss-placements/author/zam22/ ) and going to the gym (literally, I nearly died in cross-fit last Friday – it’s Monday as I write and I have the worst sore muscles ever and I think I might’ve pulled my arm so any advice on that hit me up). Anyhow, I was decidedly going out anyway so I got ready and head to Emilia’s for pres with Jess, Ivo, Dan and Francesco. We played cards and chatted for a while until we went out to la Civetta – it was mildly raining but that was not going to stop us. The music was really good and we had a great time. When that finished at one, Megan and I were still really energized and wanted to find somewhere else with music so we went on a quest with Francesco. Unfortunately, Cacio e Pere had just finished and Pantaneto was dead. In Leocorno we found Tsubasa, Emilio and a friend of theirs and joined them in looking for something else. Eventually we ended up at Tsubasa’s dancing to the music of his laptop. It was such a bizarre but fun night.

On Saturday I was knackered and should’ve probably slept in but was planning on “being efficient” which did not go to plan. Instead, I did some laundry and chilled in bed until after lunch, when I joined Megs, Emilia and Jess at Orto Tolomei for some sunbathing. The weather was lovely and it was so nice to chill under the sun – perfect temperature to feel warm but not melt from the heat. I – as always- slathered SPF cream on so I don’t think I got very tan, but it was a lovely afternoon in the park with such a summery feel. Then at 6 I met with Megan again to go to the Battesimo dei Contradaioli of the Contrada dell’Oca, by Fontebranda. It was a lovely event to attend and we saw how the contradaioli get christened and receive their contrada banner. The community feel is insane and I cannot believe how, in such a small place as Siena there are seventeen different contradas! Now that the events are starting I actually want to stay in Siena to experience the Palio properly – I can hear the drums every morning and I randomly bump into contrada parades. It is something unique to Siena and I don’t want to miss out on it!

Anyway, after the christening we went to Piazza del Campo to chill for a bit before heading home to have dinner and get ready to go to Emilia’s to watch the Eurovision Singing Contest 2017. We played the drinking game and had the contrada party right next door, so I wasn’t paying much attention and only stayed for the performances before heading to the party with Megan. I was surprised to hear that Spain got no points, until I realized he’d sung a clear false note – that explained everything… I also had bet that Portugal would win and, alas, there we go. At Civetta it was rock’n’roll night so Megs and I jammed out to the songs and when it finished we headed to Al Cambio. It was horribly hot in there as per, but we found Emilio and his friend and danced with them all night. I had so much fun! Literally, we danced for hours. And then after the club closed we went home because it was pretty late and we were pretty tired.

And, as expected, on Sunday I made myself get up at a decent time but ended up not being productive at all. I phone Lara and Erin which was nice and also checked out the market with Megan – there was a lot of clothes and shoes and kitchen gadgets on sale, but nothing too eye-catching. I attempted (what I deem a failure) at doing some work but ended up giving up and having an early dinner. While I was making dinner I hear the Oca parade coming down my road and it was amazing! There were drummers, flag waving, and all the contradaioli of all ages. It was insane! Then I hurried to Sant’Agata for the Piazza del Campus meeting. It was kind of hard to follow because they were speaking very fast and about topics I wasn’t familiar with, but it will eventually get better I think. I was also very tired. After the meeting I went with some of them to Cacio e Pere because there was supposed to be a concert but the place was packed and it hadn’t actually started yet so I decided to just go home and greet my bed for a much needed sleep.

And, finally, today I went to the usual lectures, I went for a run and have been writing this post for ya’ll. I doubt I’ll be doing anything interesting today; I’m planning on having a chill night in.

If you’ve read this far, congratulations! You deserve a cookie. I have no idea of what I’ll be up to this week aside from probably enjoying the lovely weather we’re having and attending a few extra events and contrada parties – you’ll have to wait for the next post!

A dopo!

Zoe

YA-18: exploring Pisa, Cinque Terre and Lucca with Dad!

Hey y’all!

This post is long overdue but I’ve been caught up with exams and having to put my life together again after Dad came to visit, so excuse me. I have another post that will (hopefully) be up in a few days, but here’s a travel one for now. Enjoy!

Last time I updated, Dad was here for the Easter break and we’d been doing some travelling around Tuscany: some Tuscan villages and Florence. This time, since it was the weekend, we decided to branch out.

On Friday morning we woke up to a gloomy day in Siena but we got ready to catch the train and get to Pisa. As per, we had to change at Empoli where it was quite chilly and windy but at least it was sunny. Around three hours later, we finally made it to Pisa and got to our airbnb – a room right by the station. It was quite Spartan but clean and convenient, perfect for the two nights we were to spend there. The host was also really nice, so give me a shout if you want more details!

We dropped our bags and decided to have lunch at the kebab place under the flat. The food was actually pretty good for the price – wish Siena actually had different food options! We went for chicken with rice and veggies and were full and ready to go explore after that. Since I’d been in Pisa before (with Megan and Sebastian, read the post here), I had a good idea of what things to show Dad and where to go. We made our way from the station and I showed him Haring’s mural, the main shopping street (where I got some black trousers in Pimkie that I’ve been living in for the past two weeks, ngl), we managed to find the old pastry shop where we bought panpepato the last time so I definitely had to introduce Dad to such a delicacy and then we stopped by the Chiesa di Santa Caterina. I’d never been inside but, despite having quite an impressive outside, the inside is quite empty (something that I’ve found in a lot of cathedrals and churches I’ve been to while in Italy). After that we headed towards Piazza dei Miracoli. It was Dad’s first time in Pisa so he was excited to see the Tower – turned out to be bigger than he was expecting! We took the hilarious touristy pictures pushing the Tower and then we decided to go for it and get the general ticket to access the Cathedral, Camposanto, Battisterio and Museo delle Sinopie. We skipped the Tower because it was crazy expensive and you have to climb a tonne of stairs… The sky was clear and blue even though it was quite chilly, but such a change from rainy Siena!

First up was the Camposanto, which turned out to be my favourite place out of them all. It’s basically the cemetery but it looks amazing! Certainly worth the visit – the courtyard was beautiful and the murals and statues inside were gorgeous. I would have not expected it to look how it did.

Then we moved onto the Cathedral. In my opinion, the outside is a lot more beautiful than the inside. The ceiling of the main altar is the biggest asset of the Cathedral ‘s interior but unfortunately the roof was being restored so a lot of it was covered with scaffolding… There are also a few nice pieces of art in there, but nothing out of the ordinary. Next up was the Battisterio, which is separate from the Cathedral like a lot of renaissance constructions in Italy. The building is massive and beautiful, although the interior is a bit empty (as usual). I climbed to the tribuna or second floor and there was an amazing view of the façade of the Cathedral with the Tower popping at the back (if you haven’t seen it, check my IG! Link below). Then right before leaving one of the wardens asked for silence and she starting belting out some chords that echoed all along the building – it was breath taking! So glad we caught that bit!

Finally, we went to the Museo delle Sinopie. We weren’t really sure what it was about but apparently the sinopie are the drafts of the murals covering the Camposanto, which were discovered after the cemetery was bombed during the Second World War. The sinopie are a layer of plaster painted with red dust onto which they add a second layer of plaster where they add the actual paint and create the famous frescoes. They somehow managed to remove the layer underneath and create an exhibition in the old hospital, which is now the Museo delle Sinopie. It was interesting, but a bit confusing until we asked the warden to explain it to us. We also watched an interesting video about the Piazza and its buildings, and I learned that, obviously, the Leaning Tower is actually the campanile of the Cathedral, only it is detached from the main building. I swear, how do simple things like this escape my mind?

Just as we were walking out we bumped into – guess who? Yes, you guessed it. Sebastian and a friend. I don’t know how we manage, because Pisa (and particularly the Piazza) is always jam packed with tourists… It came in the right time though, because he was lovely enough to recommend some apericena places for us to go to later that day.

On our way back we went to Chiesa della Spina, which is one of my favourite places in Pisa, and then around a couple of back streets until we reached the airbnb again. We were knackered as we hadn’t been able to go into the room when we dropped our bags in the morning because it was still being cleaned. We decided to rest for a bit and regain our strength before heading out to Skyline for apericena. The place was crowded and clearly student-y, recommended by Sebastian along with two other places called Caino and Modus. We settled for Skyline and I introduced Dad to Spritz and Negroni – when in Italy, do what Italian do. On our way back home I got some cheeky gelato and then we went to bed because we were in for a long day the following morning… It was a lovely night with Dad though, great to chat and spend quality time with him <3

As I said, on Saturday we woke up early and went to the station to buy our tickets to La Spezia because, guess where we were heading? Yep, Cinque Terre. The sea, finally. There were no tickets available for the 10am train so we got them for the 11am one and decided to go for breakfast in the café near the airbnb. The train was very busy but we sat near a window and were able to see Viareggio and Carrara (famous for its marble). Well, more than the actual towns, the stations in the towns. We got to La Spezia, in Liguria, at around half twelve and it was jam packed. We wanted to get the day tickets for Cinque Terre but were not too sure how to; this is how if you are interested -

Once you arrive in La Spezia Centrale, head to the Information Office. There will probably be a large queue, but believe me, it’s worth queuing then and there than having to purchase individual tickets between each village along the coast. The Day Ticket costs 16euro (13 for over 65yrs) and gives you unlimited access to the trains between La Spezia and Levanto (which is the line that serves the Cinque Terre villages), the trails between them and the buses that run inside each town for the whole day. They also give you the train timetables and a map. It is so worth it because it avoids the fuss of having to stop in each town to buy a ticket, and it actually works out cheaper if, as we did, you plan on visiting all the towns in one day.

Corniglia

Anyhow, we got our tickets and jumped into the train, Monterosso bound. The train line covers La Spezia-Riomaggiore-Manarola-Corniglia-Vernazza-Monterosso-Levanto in that order so we decided to get off in the farthest Cinque Terre and make our way back. We managed to score some seats by two lovely French ladies and their three kids, we had entertainment for the journey since the baby was so happy playing peekaboo with Dad… Also, turns out one of the ladies had been to Tenerife and the other one came from Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, a small town near Fécamp where I worked last semester! What a small world!

Once we got out of the station in Monterosso I was so, so happy to see the sea and smell the salty air. Honestly, I hadn’t realized how much I was missing the coast… Monterosso was full of tourists but the beach was lovely and the sea was bright blue – no waves though! It was a very much a seaside town and we decided to stop for lunch at a place called Bar Giò, right next to the beach. They had a daily menu option which was a very good deal and the food was very good, so definitely recommend eating there! We ordered two menus and some fried calamari and it was heaven: salad, torcie al pesto, lasagne, anchovies and calamari, with some decent bread, olive oil, water and wine to accompany it. It was simply beautiful – I was so happy!

Manarola and the food in Riomaggiore

Then we went onto exploring the different towns. They are all similar but different in their own way. Monterosso is definitely the beach resort; Vernazza is very touristy like Manarola, but this is because they have the most beautiful marinas to take pictures of; Corniglia is the only town without a beach as it is up on a hill, you have to climb a lot of stairs but the view is amazing and the town reminded me a lot of El Cotillo; and Riomaggiore which was probably my favourite because it looked like the most ‘lived’. Because these tiny towns have become such a tourist destination, some of them look like they don’t have real inhabitants but are just made for the tourists… Also, let me say, they reminded me so much of the Canary Islands! The beaches off the cliffs, the marines, the vegetation, the feel of the towns (the ones not extremely touristy) – despite the architecture being different, the resemblance was uncanny! I’m happy we made the long journey there, it was definitely worth it, but being from the Canaries myself, I’m not used to such crowds! They were beautiful though, and I went overboard with the pictures and was able to enjoy a lovely sunny day by the sea – what more could I want?

Mostly Vernazza

In Riomaggiore, which was our last stop before coming back to Pisa, we grabbed some fried fish cones for dinner and waited for the train. The trip back felt long, but I think that must’ve been because we were knackered after so much walking!

Sunday was our last day before returning to Siena so we decided to visit Lucca which is a nearby medieval town. We woke up, got ready and checked out of the airbnb before going for breakfast. We then caught the train to Lucca, which is around 30-40’ away from Pisa, left our suitcase in the baggage deposit and went out to explore. The day was quite sunny and warm, and the town was full of those fluffs of seeds that seem to have invaded Tuscany over the last few days… Lucca is a beautiful city for a day trip and I would advise getting a bike if you are a confident rider, as it is pretty much flat. The city is encircled by a massive rampart which has been turned into a park and the inside is full of medieval buildings and lovely streets. We bumped into an artisan market in which we got a few presents (including a beautiful necklace by the artist Mauro Marri) and then I spent a long, long time browsing though second hand books on some stands that were nearby. I honestly have a problem with book markets – I could spend hours looking at the different options! I ended up getting a book about Italian proverbs and explanations of their origins for 1 euro which is really interesting. Such a shame I can’t carry weight back with me, otherwise I would’ve got a few more!

We did a lot of walking around and sight-seeing: Piazza Garibaldi (nearly any Italian town has its own version of it), San Michele with its beautiful façade, Puccini’s house (the opera composer was from Lucca), San Frediano (Dad’s favourite place of the day, it has an amazing Bizantine mural over the entrance), the Anfiteatro, Torre Guinigi (famous for the two Holm Oaks that grown on the top!), San Martino and the fortress. We had lunch at a bar near San Frediano which had average food but I went for linguine alla carbonara and salad, the best was the ice-cream and eating outside in the shade. Once we were done with walking around the centre we decided to head to the ramparts and go for a walk in the afternoon sun – it was busy with families going out after the Sunday dinner and with people doing sport. We then went back to the station, picked our bag and sat on the platform. Our train was delayed for nearly an hour and we were worried we wouldn’t make the connection in Florence… Fortunately though, once we were on the train from Lucca the driver must’ve sped up like crazy because we caught up and ended up being ten to five minutes behind schedule, allowing us to just about catch the connecting train from Firenze Rifredi to Siena. This second train took ages but we eventually reached home at around nine. So tired!

As you can probably tell, we had a busy but lovely weekend exploring some new towns in Italy and enjoying the nice weather. I’m so glad I was able to go to Cinque Terre and to spend time with Dad, I really missed him!

If you want to see more photos, be sure to follow my Instagram as I’ve been posting there loads. Also, keep your eyes peeled for another post that will be up soon.

Alla prossima!

Zoe

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