Beyond stupid in Naples yet strangely safe It was 3 a.m. and I was wandering the streets of Naples, lost, alone, under the influence of alcohol and with little choice but to check my location on my iPhone. I was breaking every rule on my travel safety list and a few besides. I was stupid … Read more
UPDATE JUNE 2015: I recently returned to Florence, armed with another Firenze Card and I’ve updated this post accordingly: I’ve updated the comparison prices and I’ve updated the details on how easy it is to get into each sight. I haven’t, however, deleted the old information (from 2013) so you can see the difference in the … Read more
It’s very easy to stand in the heart of Italy’s most famous Renaissance city and wonder where to start your exploration and the idea of picking the best 10 sights in Florence can be as daunting as the sightseeing itself. Having just visited for the third time, here’s my suggested top 10. For those who … Read more
If you’re planning a trip to Tuscany, then you should spend one day in Lucca. A small city that sits just north of Pisa (and is incredibly easy to reach by train), Lucca lacks the crowds that throng the leaning tower, the coach and cruise loads that plague Florence, and offers an all-round gentler pace … Read more
I’ve spent one day in Pisa…on three occasions, and there’s a good reason for that. The most obvious reason is to see the leaning tower of Pisa, but the second and perhaps more compelling reason is that, for any person wanting to explore Tuscany, it is often cheaper to fly into Pisa rather than the … Read more
Last night I boarded the Grimaldi Barcelona to Rome ferry which leaves from the port at the end of La Rambla in Barcelona heading to Civitavecchia, a place about 45 minutes outside Rome. When I say ferry, really I mean a small crusie (think I’ve picked up the last leg of a holiday cruise which, … Read more