Italy has been a whirlwind of sight seeing, food, wine and trains. We travelled quickly through Roma, Napoli and Firenze so decided to visit the small town of Lucca for some R&R before heading to Cinque Terre.
Rome and Florence were beautiful cities, however I wasn’t prepared for the crowds that awaited. Short visits to each city meant queuing for hours to see the Colosseum, Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s David wasn’t an option. Although we did get up early to brave a much smaller line at the Ufizzi Gallery to see works by Giotto, Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci. Instead, we spent our days wandering the tiny cobbled-stoned streets and cycling the city walls of renaissance towns.
The food has been delicious with lots of pizza and pasta. My new favourite pastry is a cornetto, a croissant filled with a custard-like cream (I’ve happily come to terms with the fact I may not fit my pants by the time I leave Europe). In Florence we stumbled across an amazing sandwich bar called All’ Antico Vinaio, where you could get a focaccia stuffed full of prosciutto, gorgonzola, semi-dried tomatoes and rocket for €2.50. Delis in Italy are wonderful places with lots of pecorino, tallegio, gorgonzola and buffalo mozzarella. And the cheese is cheap! As in €12 a kg for gorgonzola type of cheap. So even as a backpacker I can afford to pack the most decadent of picnics with €2 bottles of chianti.
Chasing the Cheese 