Italy

Is Naples Safe? What Naples Is Really Like

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Is Naples Safe?

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 beyond belief and yet I walked through the Saturday night streets without trouble. If you believe the travel forums, it was statistically inevitable that I would come to harm in some way but look as I did, there were no thieves, no Mafia bosses and … Read more

Is it Worth Getting the Firenze Card?

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duomo of florence with red roof

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 so you can see the difference in the card in two years – there’s been some great progress. Overall, my experience of using the card was much better this time. There was less bureaucracy and best of all, you can now use the card to queue jump the line for the climb to the top of … Read more

20 Best Things To Do in Florence – Italy

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3 days in Florence Duomo

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 have a bit more time or interest to scrape below the surface, I’ve also included a good number of related sights. There are many guides out there that will provide much more detailed descriptions of the individual spots than the list below. The information here … Read more

How To Spend One Day in Lucca – Italy

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One Day in Lucca

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 for enjoying Tuscan life. The historic part of the city is contained within impressively intact city walls which stretch for kilometres providing a thick skirt around Lucca’s centre. Down below, a small but perfectly formed criss-cross of streets sprawl out to the four corners of … Read more

Best Things To Do in Pisa in One Day

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One Day in Pisa

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 more expensive option of Florence. Having opted for a stay in Pisa, the next question is how much time do you need to explore the city? For the average tourist, the answer is not much – one day in Pisa is often enough. And, in … Read more

How To Take The Ferry From Barcelona to Rome

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Ferry from Barcelona to Rome

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, for the price is not bad going). I’m currently sat in the lounge on deck 10 listening to relaxing Spanish (or Italian – can anyone really tell the difference) ballads as the expanse of the Mediterranean twinkles as far as the eye can see. Poetic, … Read more