London to Florence (13 July - 20 July)

13th July 2008

Summary: London, Paris, Overnight train to Milan

Woke up at 6am not wanting to get out of bed as it would be the last time we did so in London (also I had just fallen asleep again after being awake between around 2-5am). Our walk to Barbican tube station felt simultaneously normal and strange. Paused to admire the newly renovated International Terminal at Kings Cross St Pancras (the Champagne bar was closed) and then hopped on the Eurostar for a smooth journey to Paris. After much faffing about (see transport section below) finally made it to Nicolas' place where he cooked us a lovely lunch (see food section below), and I got to practice my Cantonese with his girlfriend, Shu Yi. Took a ride in Nicolas' infamous mini to Parc du Bagatelle for the Chopin concert which was amazing. Met Di there however unfortunately we didn't have much time to catch up with her apart from the stroll back to the car but we'll see her back in Sydney for Christmas. Nicolas drove us to Gare de Bercy passing through all the sites on the way – we drove through the crazy roundabout at Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysee and along the north bank of the Seine, catching a glimpse of the spires of Notre Dame. There was enough time for a quick drink in the lounge before boarding the train for Milan. Had a very comfortable 2 bed sleeper cabin and we went to sleep early after quite a few late nights and early mornings during our last few days in London.

Practicalities: 8:26am-11:47am Eurostar from Kings Cross St Pancras to Gare de Nord. Metro'ed to Bercy to try and leave our bags in a locker but there were no lockers there, so walked to Gare de Lyon nearby which was a much larger station. It had lockers but they were out of order, so decided to take our bags to Nicolas'. Went back to Bercy to get the green line across to Nicolas', but when we got there the line was closed! RER'ed up to Chatelet and then caught another RER down to Nicolas'. In total took about 1.5 hrs, if we'd gone straight to Nicolas' from Gare de Nord it would have taken 30min! 19:42 overnight train to Milan.

Food: Nicolas cooked a tasty Japanese meal of sea snails, clams in a sake consomme, beef and noodles. Still quite full from lunch so had a light dinner of salad and fruit salad on the train.

14th July 2008

Summary: Milan, Varenna

Despite the rather bumpy ride we slept quite well, though waking up often enough to enjoy the (dark) scenery outside. Our conductor knocked on the door at 5:10 am (4:10am London time!) to wake us for our 5:38am arrival in Milan. Early morning in Milan was probably the perfect time to explore – cool and not very crowded. We did the 30 min stroll into town, had a quick and tasty brekkie then went into the Duomo, the main cathedral in Milan. Unfortunately it was too early to climb the roof. Also went to a cute little church nearby, memorable for it's sanctuary which had an optical illusion to look a lot deeper than it actually was. Stuck our head inside St Sebastian Church. Caught the train to Varenna on Lake Como, north of Milan. It was cold, windy and drizzly when we got there, not at all what I was expecting! Found our hotel, it was too early to check in so had a coffee and waited for the rain to pass, then went for a wander and lunch. By this time we had blue skies although still gale-force winds, and only warm-ish. Checked in and found ourselves in a gorgeous room with 180 degree views of the lake. After our afternoon nap we walked to Villa Monastero and strolled through the beautiful lakeside gardens. Had a gelato and watched the ducks getting seasick in the choppy waters.

Practicalities: 5:38am arrival in Milan, 9:15am-10:17am train to Varenna. Hotel Du Lac, Varenna, room 24.

Food: coffee and pastries standing up (3.50EUR in total!) served by a guy called Guiseppe in a cafe behind the Duomo. Lunch at Il Cavatappi – air-dried beef, salami, spaghetti with tomatoes and fresh fish from the lake. There was just one guy in the tiny restaurant (5 tables) taking orders, cooking, and serving, and it was delicious! Gelato along the lakeside footpath. Shared melone e proscuitto, pizza and salad for dinner at the pizzeria attached to Albergo del Sole.

15th July 2008

Summary: Bellagio, Fiumilatte

Ferried to Bellagio which sits at the centre of Lake Como and did a guided tour of the gardens of Villa Serbelloni. The gardens were very green and lush and there were great views of all the branches of Lake Como. At the top there were remains of a 4th century castle. The villa and grounds now belong to the Rockerfeller Foundation and scholars are invited to do their research in the studios which are dotted through the gardens. After the tour we popped into the little church nearby, lunched, then strolled through the streets of Bellagio. Like Varenna it was a maze of narrow pebbled steep streets leading down to the water. We did a 20 minute walk across to Pescalo, a little fishing village on the Lecco branch of the lake. Ferried back to Varenna and after a quick power nap climbed the hill behind Varenna up to the castle where we were greeted by an owl, a falcon, a turret and more great views. Walked down the mountain towards Fiumilatte, a small town near Varenna which is home to Europe's shortest river. The river was a huge torrent of water rushing into Lake Como. It must have been icy cold as standing on the bridge over it felt like stepping into an air conditioned room. Eventually found the small bakery/deli we were looking for where we picked up some supplies for a fantastic dinner on our balcony watching the sun set and the moon emerge.

Practicalities: 10:25 ferry to Bellagio, returned on 14:45, takes about 15min.

Food: sub-standard (microwaved) pasta and salad from a take-away shop in Bellagio. Salami, cheese, salad, bread and wine (all for 10EUR!) on our balcony for dinner.

16th July 2008

Summary: hike from Menaggio to Il Rogolone, Villa Carlotta

Ferried to Menaggio where we did a 4 hour hike – passing through Codogna, a sleepy little village with narrow pebbled lanes and made it to Il Rogolone (sp?), a large oak tree. Sat on the river bank for lunch on the way back near Ponte Nogara. Snoozed on the long ferry ride to Villa Carlotta, where we explored the lush gardens and wandered through the house which contained some impressive sculptures and furnishings. Had a great meal back in Varenna with the usual fantastic view over the lake.

Practicalities: 9:40am ferry to Mennagio, 15:10 ferry to VC (via Varenna, Bellagio and some other town). 17:25 ferry back to Varenna.

Food: Dinner at Albergo Milano (where I also tried to stay but they were booked out) – had tomato and basil cream soup flavoured with vodka, melone e proscuitto, crepe with ricotta and salmon, and duck with pumpkin and pink pepper puree, tallegio and gelato.

17th July 2008

Summary: Bologna

Said our farewells to Lake Como and moved on to Bologna, with an unintentional lunch break in Milan on the way. After checking in we strolled down to the old town through the park and under covered walkways lined with lots of high street shops. Initial impressions were mixed – we were pleased there were not many tourists around however the main squares (Piazza Del Nettuno and Piazza Maggiore) were not particularly inspiring, and to top it off a very rude guy manning the gates to the church of San Petronio refused to let us in with our backpack, which was no larger than many shoulder bags he was letting through. We took turns going through but I was too annoyed to enjoy the interior (and I don't think it was all that impressive anyway). As soon as we got off the main square however we were wow'ed by the crazy medieval street plan and chaotic mix of old red brick buildings and tiled roofs. First stop was a street full of fresh food – fruit, veg, cheese and meat. Wandered past the Due Torri – apparently the only two remaining of hundreds of towers that were scattered across the city in the Middle Ages. Given the serious lean of the shorter one we imagine the rest must have toppled over. Stumbled into Basilica of Santo Stefano where we paused to listen to evening prayer sung by real live monks. Wandered around vaguely looking for a dinner venue but just enjoying the crazy architecture and streets all around us. Ended up having a surprisingly good meal back near the hotel.

Practicalities: 10:19am train to Milan, 13:00-14:42 train to Bologna – used our InterRail passes but had to make a reservation for the Bologna train and the queues were ridiculous so missed our intended connection – need to book in advance next time! Stayed at Hotel Il Guercino, room 113 – a very cheap but perfectly adequate hotel just north of the train station, and about 20 min walk into town.

Food: Dinner at Restaurant San Luigi right next to the hotel – had pork fat and rosemary on toast (sounds awful but was divine), parmesan tart with asparagus, tagliatelle with ragu and with mushrooms, crème caramel and chocolate pudding.

18th July 2008

Summary: Bologna, Florence

Headed back into town to finish off the sites. Found a pieta which tops Michelangelo's (in my opinion) in the church of Santa Maria della Vita by Nicola dell' Arca. Climbed the taller of the towers of Due Torri (97.2m – surprisingly effortless!) for amazing views over the city. I don't normally suffer from vertigo but the footprint to height ratio of this tower was really disturbing me. I convinced myself it had been standing for hundreds of years and millions of tourists had climbed it so I'd have to be pretty unlucky for it to topple over when I was in it. Had a closer look at the churches around Santo Stefano. After another simple lunch back at the hotel we caught the train to Florence. Checked into a gorgeous and large period room at Hotel Cestelli – although almost too gorgeous as we were scared of damaging things. The hotel owner gave us lots of good advice. We headed out to buy Uffizi tickets for Saturday, then paused in the loggia on Piazza Signora (?) to admire the sculptures and watch the ambience vigilantes at work. Florence felt extremely touristy compared to Bologna and even Lake Como. We were pretty staggered with our first glimpse of the Duomo, however again not particularly impressed by the internals. Made it to the Accademia and entered without queuing to see Michelangelo's David. Funnily enough all the seating behind the statue was taken up by girls. Wandered back across town and south of the river and finally found some grocery shops so that we could make a simple dinner back at the hotel.

Practicalities: 13:40-14:42 train from Bologna to Florence. Stayed at Hotel Cestelli, room 5.

Food: discovered a new ingredient for homemade meals – canned chickpeas!

19th July 2008

Summary: Florence – Bargello and Uffizi

Hung out in the Bargello sculpture gallery – mostly enjoyed taking silly photos in the gothic courtyard and made a few phone calls home. Memorable sculptures were most of Dante's work and Giambologna's Mercury. Climbed the 463 steps of the dome of the Duomo for great views across Florence. Had a power nap to recharge for Uffizi. Our favourite works here were Botticelli's Venus and Annunciation. G went for mass at the Duomo (mostly bewildered toursts) while I was excited to find some free wifi in a courtyard inside Palazzo Strozzi. Walked across the river for views over Florence from Piazza Michelangelo and had dinner nearby. Wandered back via Santa Croce.

Food: gnocchi with prawns and zuchinni flowers, taglatelle with scampi.

20th July 2008

Summary: Florence – baptistry, Museo dell' Opera del Duomo, Santa Croce

Visited the baptistry in front of the Duomo and hurt our necks trying to look at the gold mosaics on the ceiling. Next went to Museo dell' Opera del Duomo where we joined a free tour by a very enthusiastic guide who talked us through the difference between gothic and renaissance sculptures. Saw an impressive wooden sculpture of the penetant Mary Magadalene by Donatello which, as the tour guide said, would not have been out of place in New York's MoMA, even though it was created in 1454. Also saw Michelangelo's (unfinished) Pieta intended for his tomb. After lunch went to the church of Santa Croce where a number of famous Italians are buried, including Michelangelo (sans Pieta), Galileo and Machievelli. Had our first visit to the laundromat. After dinner had an evening stroll and gelato in Piazza Signora.

Food: had a great bruschetta with tomatoes and mozarella, and a less memorable microwaved pasta behind the Uffizi, whilst sitting next to some people from Campbelltown. Trying canned lentils for dinner.