NoNames European Vacation (Paris, Italy, Zurich)

[NoName]

Cinque Terre to Lucca


Time to move on and that we did. We (and by we I mean I) managed to drag our two suitcases down the near vertical set of stairs and on to the train station for our ride back to La Spezia. We were picking up our hire car here and after a quick 1-stop ride we were looking for a taxi. Had some a-hole driver over us what seemed like an exorbitant flat rate to the Hertz office and told us we could walk if we didn’t like it – as in literally told us we could walk. We just jumped in anyway as we couldn’t be bothered arguing. The joke was on him in the end as he for some reason decided to switch on the meter anyway which by the time we got through the heavy traffic was well over the €15 he had demanded.

We were in and out of the rental office pretty quickly and into our SUV (apologies, make and model escape me). Total cost was around the $500 mark for the 4 days (well 3 days & a few hours) rental with child seat. I’m not a car person but it drove well and with that being basically our only criteria we were happy.

Off out of La Spezia we drove and apart from an early mishap where we had a few issues getting through a cashless toll point, we made our way to Pisa where like hundreds (or possibly thousands) of other tourists every day, the one site on our list of places to visit was the leaning tower. We managed to find a free park next to a service station about 1km from the tower. Jumped out with NoName Jnr strapped into his pram and made the short walk. No need for a map as everyone was going to the same place. Soon enough there it was…….

I liked what I saw. When viewed from the right angle you could really see the alarming angle that the tower was at. Amazing that it can stand like that. We resisted the temptation to take the same lame photo pretending to hold up the tower with our hands. There must have been hundreds of people all taking the same photo and when you see such activity en masse it kind of highlights how silly it is. Well it did to me anyway. The rest of the grounds around the tower were beautiful as well. It was a lovely area.


After having a decent look around the grounds we headed back to the car. A quick stop for lunch at good old McD’s and soon after we were on the road again towards our next stop in Lucca. We had done a little research into which town in Tuscany to stay in and reviews had suggested that Lucca was a good place for families. Whether it is better than other places in reality I have no idea, but for us we certainly liked it. Again, Mrs NoName had researched the accommodation and she came up with Tenuta San Giovanni Lucca. This place was great. Our room was on the ground floor and was big – 2 bedrooms, big bathroom, huge living area. Outside was a pool which NoName Jnr had a dip in. The family running the place were fantastic, really nice people who spent time interacting with the guests. NoName Jnr really took to the baby girl in the family and loved playing with her outside each evening. I would absolutely recommend staying here for anyone visiting the area.

Dinner rolled around and we took a short drive down the road to a recommended pizza restaurant. It was pretty good without being spectacular. We ordered a couple of the very large pizzas, chomped through perhaps half and ended up taking the rest home for future meals.

Bed was beckoning so after a short play outside with the owners family it was time to hit the sack. Plenty more coming up for us over the next few days so we would need the rest.

 

[VPS]

Loved Cinque Terre, Lucca and Pisa is interesting if you get behind the leaning tower there are some other lovely places. Enjoying the trip down memory lane

 

[NoName]

Lucca - Day 2

Day 2 in Lucca and we were off for an activity that NoName Jnr had been eagerly looking forward to – truffle hunting! I don’t think he had any idea what truffles are but nevertheless he had been excited about it for some time. Into the car and off we went through the Tuscan countryside.



About an hour or so later we were at our destination – Fattoria Collebrunacchu. This was basically a farm where the owners engaged in a number of activities – olives, farm animals, veges etc, wine and of course, truffles.

We wandered into the main house and met Francesca who would be taking us on our tour. Joining us on the tour was Chocco – a special type of poodle trained to find the truffles. I had always thought truffles were found by pigs but apparently this is not allowed in Italy so they use dogs. We all put on a pair of gumboots and off we went down the path to see what we could find. Chocco ran around through the woods sniffing around and whenever he paid particular attention to an area Francesca would run over and have dig around. Every so often Chocco produced the goods and we dug up a truffle. We spent about an hour looking for the truffles and ended up finding maybe 10 or so in that time – apparently a very decent haul.










After the hunt it was back to the farm house for a home cooked meal with each course garnished by what else but truffle! We enjoyed some beautiful wines with the lunch which really topped off the experience. NoName Jnr had a bowl of spaghetti which I’m sure was lovely as well but his pallet is not quite developed enough to enjoy it topped with truffle. Perhaps another time.

 

[NoName]

Lucca - Day 2 continued......


With lunch done and dusted it was time to hit the road and head back to Lucca.

We wanted to have a look around the old town which is surrounded by a large wall. Not sure what/who they are trying to keep out. We found a convenient parking lot a couple of hundred metres from the entrance and made our way over. We enjoyed the town, it obviously had an old feel to it which we liked. There were little shops everywhere, throughout the town through little alleys as well as bigger streets. Every now and then we would come across an open square which was a great place to take in the scenery and/or relax.











After wandering around for a couple of hours it was time to avoid a parking fine and return to the car before our ticket expired. Walked back over, into the car and made the short drive back to our accommodation. We played around outside the room again, kicking a soccer ball with NoName Jnr and the owner’s kids before retiring to our room for a very basic dinner which doesn’t really warrant mentioning (leftover pizza).

 

[kermatu]

What a fantastic TR. Late to the party but really enjoying it.

 

[NoName]

Lucca – Day 3


It was our final full day staying in Lucca and that meant wine! Although given that I was driving a rental car it actually mean “not enough” wine. Mrs NoName had kindly researched a few potential wineries for us to visit and with that list at the ready we plugged a few addresses into google maps and took off. I may have mentioned this previously but the Tuscan countryside is beautiful! Just stunning! This made the drive a breeze!







We ended up having a little trouble finding a couple of the places at the top of Mrs NoName’s list so we ended up just going to a couple that we stumbled across. It didn’t matter they were still great. First stop was Brogioni Maurizio which was a very small winery which only made around 20,000 bottles per year. As we were beginning to discover is the norm, this place also made olive oil and some meats etc. We waited around for a bit while the owner was giving a tasting to a small pre-booked tour group and after about half an hour it was our turn. We had a small food and wine tasting which consisted of some of the meats and 5 or 6 of his wines for a cost of €15 each. They were all fantastic and we ended up buying a couple of bottles and some meats to take with us. The only negative (and really a very very slight one at that) here was the cost – No €15 was not a lot of money but we were used to the tasting fee being waived if you purchase some of the produce. Not the case here evidently.







Next was actually one of the places on Mrs NoName’s list which by pure chance ended up being almost directly across the road. We drove in, parked the car and wandered in, ready for take 2 at Altiero. This place was bigger but still very small compared to what you see at more well-known producers. Again, they also made olive oil (amazing!) and some meats, breads & jams. We also had to wait a few minutes for another pre-booked tour group to do their thing which was fine as it gave us a chance to look around.



The owner said it was his dream to own a Lamborghini. Dream fulfilled:



We were given a quick tour of the vats to see how their process was done. All looked in working order to me which is to say I had no idea what was going on. Now it was on to the good stuff. Again we got to try some meats and several of their wines but this time we were also given some cheese and crackers to try with their variety of jams. Wow! This stuff was good – all of it. At the previous stop I had instructed the owner to only pour me small portions of the wine since I had to drive. Knowing that we were likely going to be up for the tasting fee regardless of any purchases, this time I was happy to take the full servings. Mrs NoName could have the surplus. The cost was the same - €15 each – and we again bought a couple of bottles as well as some of the very tasty jam.

 

[NoName]

Lucca - Day 3 Continued....

With our stomachs full and Mrs NoName feeling the effects of having half of my wine as well as her own, we decided to head back to Lucca. Of course, the 90+ min drive gave us the opportunity to take in more of the beautiful scenery.







We arrived back at our accommodation in the late afternoon and NoName Jnr decided he’d like a swim in the pool.

We then decided to repeat the routine of the previous day – playing soccer outside with the host family – before again heading inside to relax. As we were wrapping up for the evening the owner came out and presented us with a bottle of the wine that he produces on the property. A very nice gesture and just highlighted again how homely and accommodating they had been. This was really a fantastic place to stay and we would have no hesitation in doing so again. For anyone travelling with family in the region I would give my full recommendation.

Dinner was another makeshift meal with NoName Jnr requesting his cereal while the two adults polished off the meat we bought as well as one of the bottles of wine. A nice relaxing way to end our stay in Tuscany.

 

[EestiTiger]

Just catching up on your TR. Fantastic! I think a few of your stops have been added to my ever growing list!

 

[NoName]

Just catching up on your TR. Fantastic! I think a few of your stops have been added to my ever growing list!

Stay tuned. I’m off somewhere else on Tuesday so need to get this finished before then. Hopefully will finish with a flurry!

 

[NoName]

Lucca - Florence


This was the day Mrs NoName had been waiting for (and I had been dreading) – a visit to the Space outlet stores near Florence. Despite having purchased multiple handbags at different outlets around the world on previous holidays, she had insisted very early on in the planning process that going here was a must do. I was sceptical but in the end didn’t bother arguing much. 1. I wouldn’t win and 2. This trip was in part for her 40th birthday so I might as well just suck it up.

We bid our hosts farewell and were on our way. An uneventful drive through the countryside and before we knew it we were pulling up in the parking lot ready to bash the credit card. We wandered around for about an hour inside while Mrs NoName made her purchases and also forced me to buy a wallet. I know from previous experience that resistance is futile so just accepted the expense. In an unexpectedly short time we were done and ready to push on towards Florence.




Florence – Day 1



Shortly after we dropped the rental car at the airport and were in a taxi to our next accommodation – Pettirosso Home and Garden.This was a nice little apartment in a street a couple of blocks away from the main station. The husband of the couple of who owned it met us shortly after we arrived and let us in and gave us a thorough tour of the apartment as well as a detailed summary of things to do/places to see in Florence. This was a nice touch. He really took his time to make us feel comfortable. Cost for the 2 nights was €200.


We wandered out of the apartment to take a look at a few of the recommended sites and wow! This is a beautiful city! We loved architecture, the cobbled streets, the churches etc. It was love at first site.








After walking around in a kind of loop for a couple of hours it was time for dinner. We looked around for a suitable place for a while with limited success until we came to place in the Piazza della Reppublica where Mrs NoName’s taste was instantly captured – Steak Florentine would be on the menu tonight.








The steak was great. Seasoned perfectly. It was no surprise that Mrs NoName & I managed to get through the entire 1kg serving. NoName Jnr had his usual pizza and he managed to get through a decent amount of it too.




After dinner we continued to wander around the city, slowly making our way back to the apartment. Eventually we arrived and headed in, ready for sleep. Another full day in Florence tomorrow before we move on again.

 

[NoName]

Florence – Day 2


Our only full day in Florence consisted of more wandering and taking a look at a few of the other points of interest that the apartment owner had mentioned to us. After a quick breakfast in the room we were out and off.







We made our way a few streets away to the river and walked down until we could see the Ponte Veccio. We crossed a bridge or two before it and took the usual shots of this popular attraction.



From here we continued walking along the other side of the river before taking a look at the Ponte Veccio close up. Perhaps it is more than this but my impression was it was really just a bridge with a bunch of shops and other merchants on it.

 

[NoName]

Florence - Day 2 continued....

Next it was off to have a look at the Bololi gardens. Through the streets went and after a short walk we were at the Pitti Palace which adjoins the gardens. It was then what we discovered that we were going to be out of luck – these attractions are not open on Monday. Bummer!






Well we weren’t going to be deterred so on we went through the streets, enduring a 20 minute NoName Jnr meltdown along the way until we reached the back of the gardens and found a relaxing park and playground. This was a good place to stop and just chill for a while and also to allow NoName Jnr to do something fun for a bit.

Once we had finished here it was back through the streets, along the river some more and up a hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo to check out the view as well as a replica of the statue of David. Three quarters the way up the hill we were hit by torrential rain. Totally out of nowhere it started to pour. We took refuge with a few dozen other people under a ledge and had no choice but to wait it out. We waited and waited until about 45 minutes later it eased off enough to move. This had soured our mood a bit and well, we never did make it to the Piazzale. Next time.







Back down the hill for more of a walk along the river and then back through some of the streets for a look around. The streets are beautiful here (as I already mentioned) and we really enjoyed the experience.












By now it was late afternoon and as we walked back to the apartment, thoughts turned to food (surprise surprise). We managed to find a pretty standard restaurant just down the street and managed to get a table moments before it was it was inundated by a group of 30 or 40 school children on some kind of trip. We made quick time of the steak and pizza and got out of there. Back to the room and into bed, ready for the next part of the adventure – Venice!

 

[NoName]

Venice – Day 1


Sadly our short stay in Florence had to end and after checking out from our apartment we made the short walk to the main train station to board the train for Venice. This was going to be another highlight of the trip as it was a place we were all very keen to see. The train took a couple of hours but before we knew it we were off walking out of the station and met with a fantastic site.









We jumped on the ferry a couple of stops to the Rialto Bridge are where our new apartment was a few blocks away. Our host met us and then up we went, yours truly with the unenviable task of dragging all the luggage up 4 flights of stairs. Someone’s got to do it I suppose. We were staying at Ca' Roberta with a cost of approx. $800 which included around $70 in exit cleaning charges which was not 100% clear in the rate summary. I mention the cleaning charge for what happened next. After showing around the very spacious apartment the host ran through a few things, one of which was requesting/instructing that we take all rubbish down to the bin at the bottom level at the end of our stay. Well given that we were paying a fairly steep $70 for someone to clean the apartment at the end there was literally no way I was going to be removing any rubbish from the apartment. I told Mrs NoName to leave it all. We were not going to deliberately create mess, of course we would put our rubbish in the small bins inside the apartment and generally keep the place tidy but we would not be going out of our way to assist in the already paid for clean at the end.








With that out of the way it was time to head out. First port of call was St Mark’s Square. It was about a 10 min walk away so we set off wandering through the alleyways of Venice. This is the type of city you could just wander all day looking at the different shops and never get bored. It was great. Soon enough we were at the square.










We had planned to visit some of the close by attractions the next day so we just walked around checking out the scenery. After a couple of hours of wandering it was nearly time for dinner. We ended up just stopping at a place that took our fancy and grabbed the usual array of dishes to enjoy – pasta, pizza, bruschetta et al.

Back through the streets towards the apartment and after a quick stop at a convenience store/supermarket to get some snacks etc it was up the 4 levels (getting a workout already) and inside for a much needed early relaxing night.

 

[NoName]

Venice – Day 2


Day 2 in Venice and we were out and off to St Mark’s Square again to check out a few of the attractions. After making the shortish walk through the alleyways, first up was St Mark’s Basilica. The line to get in was VERY long but we saw that it was moving quickly as well so jumped in and about 15 minutes later we were inside. No photos allowed inside unfortunately but here are a couple from the exterior.








After that it was up the other end of the square and into another (shorter) line to have a look through Doge’s Palace. This place was very interesting. Huge as well! We spent quite a bit of time wandering through the hallways and then into the dungeon through the Bridge of Sighs. Eventually we got to the end and made our way out.

 

[NoName]

Venice - Day 2 continued.....

After grabbing a bite to eat for lunch (the usual) it was on through the maze of alleyways again looking around different parts of the city. You could truly get lost here exploring, there are so many different streets. After another couple of hours we eventually decided to call it a day and go find somewhere to have an early dinner. We popped into a place close by our apartment and dug in. Food was great as it had been virtually the whole trip.



Standard beverages:









Fish pedicure - an interesting experience.





After another quick trip to the supermarket to get some night time snacks we found ourselves trudging back up the stairs to our apartment and preparing for rest. A whole day of walking had been quite exhausting.

 

[NoName]

Venice – Day 3


Day 3 in Venice began with more wandering, this time in almost the opposite direction as previously. We stumbled across an area that was filled with high end brand name shops which I guess wasn’t a huge shock given the size of the place. I quickly hustled the family on and we continued to walk.


We had some interest in going for a gondola ride but with the €80 price tag I been trying to avoid it. Well I could only avoid it for so long and today was the day where we bit the bullet and partook in what I would consider one of the ultimate rip-offs. The ride was enjoyable enough and I guess its probably a must-do when in Venice. Mrs NoName & I had done one of the gondola rides in Vegas back in 2010 and I had thought the US$16 per person charge for that was outrageous. Well we have a new winner.












After a quick lunch break it was time to meet up with one of Mrs NoName’s friends who had married an Italian man and moved to Venice. We met near our apartment and she took to the J W Marriott resort where her husband worked. It was free boat ride across to the resort island about 30 minutes away. We set up shop at the bar on the roof and enjoyed some food and drinks as well as a good chat for a few hours. This resort was beautiful in a stunning location. As a first time visitor to Venice I preferred our location but if I was returning I would give serious consideration to staying here – using Marriott pts of course.








Eventually the time came for us to head back and again Mrs NoName’s friends was nice enough to escort us back to the apartment. Great hospitality! We had another walk around the Rialto Bridge area, took a few photos etc before making one final visit to the supermarket and retiring to the apartment in preparation for our final Italian destination the next morning – Rome!

 

[NoName]

Rome – Day 1


The time came to say farewell to Venice and head off to the last stop in Italy – Rome! After seeing a fleeting glimpse of it a couple of weeks earlier, we were very excited to return. We were up pretty early, onto the ferry back to the train station and then comfortably seated for the 4hr ride to the capitol. It whizzed by very quickly and before we knew it we were approaching Roma Termini.


We hopped off and went straight to one of the tourist desks in the station to pick up the Roma Pass. This gave unlimited public transport for 72hrs from activation as well as free entry to 2 attraction (there was a long list) followed by a decent discount for additional attractions. Additionally most attractions have a separate, shorter line for pass holders so there is the added benefit of less waiting time. Cost was €38.50 per pass (none needed for NoName Jnr since transport and attractions were free for him). Definitely recommend this pass.

Like our last visit we then made the walk through the streets to our apartment – That’s Amore. This place is located a few hundred metres from the Colosseum so a very convenient location. Our host met us soon after and pretty quickly we were up the stairs and settled in and ready to go.


It was just after lunch and we decided to step out for a walk around for a few hours. We walked down the street and caught a glimpse of the Colloseum. It looked incredible and we were really excited to see it up close in a couple of days time. We kept walking in a kind of loop past various sites and wow! We were blown away immediately. So much history. It really was amazing to see such a big city fused with countless historic sites.









Mouth of Truth:





We kept walking and had intended to see the Pyramid of Caius Cestius, however as we were making our way there we got distracted by a crowd of people lined up taking turns at what appeared to be looking through a keyhole in a big gate. Well yes, that’s exactly what they were doing. This was the Aventine Keyhole and when you look through it it lines up perfectly with the Vatican.






By now it was beginning to get later in the afternoon and we abandoned our plan to see the Pyramid as it was still quite a way off. Instead we walked back down the hill, stopping in a couple of gardens to take in the view.






Next was dinner time so as we walked back up the main road towards our apartment we kept an eye out for anything that looked good. We found one place that really took our fancy. Just a non-descript place serving cheap, home cooked Italian food. We were sold. In we went and had what was probably our favourite meal in Rome.

We were done. Full and ready to relax after spending the last half day on our feet. Back to the apartment we went for a shower and lie down. We got NoName Jnr into bed pretty quickly and not too much after we were there ourselves. Another big day tomorrow and we couldn’t wait!

 

[NoName]

Rome – Day 2


Day 2 in Rome and we were ready for one of the highlights with a visit to the Vatican. We jumped in the metro and after a few stops and a train change at Termini we emerged a few blocks from our destination. Pretty much immediately we saw that the rumours of massive hoards of people and huge lines to get in were true. It was like a sea of people walking towards the entrance, crazy. Thankfully, having read about the huge lines I had pre-booked tickets since this allowed you to skip the queue. This probably saved a conservative 1hr at the minimum so a very good result.


Straight in to the museum and away we went. The place was massive and very impressive. We followed the hoards as they made their way through the corridors. Lots of statues, paintings, murals, carpets etc. Everyone continued on to what appeared to be the main point of interest – the Sistine Chapel. No photos allowed in there so nothing to post but it was quite amazing to see. You read about how Michelangelo painted the ceiling etc but seeing it in person was very cool.














Once we got through the entire museum we came out right near the entrance of St Peter’s Basilica. We weren’t allowed to take NoName Jnr’s pram in so we took turns at going in for a look around. We are not religious at all but this place was very impressive. Huge. It would be a fantastic place to worship if you are Catholic.

 

[NoName]

Rome - Day 2 continued.....


By now it was lunch time so we popped into a nearby Maccas for a quick, unmemorable meal. Once done we continued on our way towards the next stop – Castel Sant’Angelo which is a 2nd century castle an museum. We didn’t go in as we had had our share of museum for the day but it was quite picturesque on the outside.




On we went across the river towards the final stop of the day the Villa Borghese. We just stopped in the park here to relax for a while and give NoNameJnr a chance to play on a couple of little fair games that were set up. A nice place to just chill.










By now it was getting late in the afternoon so we jumped back on the metro to the apartment. After a bit of a rest we popped down to look for somewhere to eat. We found a Chinese restaurant just around the corner and since we felt like something other than Italian we decided to try it. It was only ok and probably wouldn’t bother again. Pasta would be fine.









Cobblestones in the street near our apartment – these were the names of local Jews arrested in WWII. A bit sobering to think of what occurred right in this area.




Back up the street and back up to the top floor apartment and we were done. Another tiring but rewarding day. This city really is amazing!

 

[rock86]

Just catching up on your trip report, loving it and bringing back fond memories. I have family in Italy and we endeavour to get back there every few years, hasn't happened the past few years due to family and work, but can't wait to do it again this time round with our 2 little ones when we get back there.