Rome, Italy

We arrived in Rome on the 3rd of November and stayed at the Ivanhoe Hostel near the Colosseum for 3 nights.

The Ivanhoe Hostel is a party hostel, offering either free cocktails or pasta every night which allows people to get to know each other and socialise.

Our first night there we went to a 1 Euro shot bar then a nightclub with most of the people from the hostel.

The following morning we planned out our day. First we walked to the Colosseum and did an audio tour. The building is absolutely spectacular as well as the gardens and ruins surrounding the area.

Afterwards we walked to the Tiber river where we found thousands of starling birds flying around and creating a bit of a poo storm. Thankfully we had an umbrella to take cover under.

We crossed to the other side of the river and found side street with many restaurants and a night market. Here we grabbed an early and very cheap dinner (15 euro for a pizza, chicken breast, side of vegetables and bruchetta).

After dinner we walked to the Pantheon and lastly to the Trevi Fountain where lots of people were sitting admiring the fountain and getting hassled by men trying to sell roses, toys and photos.

We were quite tired after our big day so we got an early night because the following day was going to be even more exhausting!

The following day we headed to the Vatican City. First we wondered through the museum in search for the Sistine Chapel which we eventually found. It was quite eery and dark, not at all what I was expecting but still very beautiful and impressive!

Afterwards it was time to check out St Peter's Basilica. The line to enter was around 800 metres long but thankfully it moved very fast and within half an hour we were inside this amazing church. I am not a very religious person but the building was extremely impressive. I've never seen a building quite like it. The amount of detail and the size alone would impress anyone.

That night we went for dinner at a restaurant down the road from our hostel which had apertivo on offer from 7pm - 9pm. This meant we could help ourselves to the buffet served at the bar for free if we bought a drink. I wish they had places like this at home! There is nothing better than having a drink and some nibbles for dinner.

The following day we went wondering with some people from our hostel in search for the Spanish Steps. On our way we visited the Rome Dal Cielo Terrazza dell Quadrighe. An Amazing large marble building that you can spot from almost anywhere in Rome. Inside is a museum focusing on the history of Italy and World War 2. You can go to the top of this building and on a clear day get some amazing panoramic photos of Rome.

Afterwards we heading back to the Pantheon because last time it was closed. So this time we went inside. It is an incredible building, a must see for anyone who goes to Rome!

Then we headed for the Spanish Steps where we hung out and soaked in some sunshine before heading back towards the hostel to get lunch.

That evening we flew to Edinburgh, Scotland to begin another adventure!

I really loved Rome. It is such an amazing city, overflowing with amazing buildings, history, brilliant food and romantic lighting.

Tuscany, Italy

On the 27^th of October we caught the train from La Spezia to Florence. From the train station we caught a bus to the airport where our hire car awaited us. From the airport it was a 40 minute drive to our airbnb apartment we had booked in St.Michele, Tuscany. We arrived at 4pm and were informed the closest town / shops near by were 3kms away and would most likely be closed because it was a Sunday so we quickly got back in our car and went for a drive to try and find something for dinner. We ended up finding a take-away pizza shop in the closest town. That night we ate traditional wood fired pizza in our cute little apartment and had an early night sleep.

The following morning we went to Incisia, the closest town with a decent size supermarket. Here we stocked up on groceries for the week and used the internet to book a cooking class in Florence for the following day.

That night we ate vegetable and chicken ragu with tortellini, one of our first home cooked meals in a long time!

The following day we got up early, had breaky and drove to the train station in Incisia so we could get the train to Florence. We arrived just in time for our cooking class tour which started off in the main Florence market. Here we tasted various cheeses, breads, oils, jams and balsamic vinegar. Our guide taught us the differences between various balsamic vinegar, about the differences in various olive oils and what Tuscans traditionally eat.

Afterwards we headed to the kitchen across the road. Here our teacher introduced himself and started preparing the ingredients for our first dish, Tiramisu.  We took turns in beating the egg whites and the yoke with sugar and mascarpone. Once both were ready we got individual cups and layered our own tiramisu beginning with cocoa powder, cream, biscuits that had been dipped in coffee followed by another layer of cocoa powder and cream.

Once all cups had been put in the refrigerator we gathered around the stove to watch the Bolognese sauce being prepared. Our teacher began chopping onions and carrots and then placed them in the saucepan. Once softened he added the mixture of pork and beef mince, followed by a large swig of red wine. Once the one had evaporated he added some tomato paste and then let the sauce simmer.

After this we headed back to the kitchen where we began to make our own pasta. First we created a well in our cup of flour and then added one egg, a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Once all mixed together we worked the dough until it was smooth all over. Then we wrapped the dough in glad wrap and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Once it was ready we rolled the dough out until it was paper thin and then folded the dough over so we could easily cut it into shapes. First was ravioli squares and second was noodle strips.

Once all the pasta had boiled for 4 minutes it was ready for us to feast on! First we started with some bruschetta and red wine and then we had the ravioli with a butter sage sauce and the noodles with the Bolognese sauce. Then we had our tiramisu’s and the class was finished.

By the time we arrived back at our apartment we were quite tired and still full from our big lunch so we snacked on some bruschetta and had an early night.

The next day we drove to Greve in Chianti where we had some wine and cold meat tastings. That night we had home made meatballs with leftover tortellini.

The following day we went wine tasting. First up was our 10am tour at Verazzano …..  which we had booked online the night before. We didn’t have any expectations of what the tour would be like as it only cost 10 euro per person but we were blown away with our guide’s knowledge and how much of winery they allow you to see (the winery is privately owned). Built around a castle, the cellars are underground and have existed since the 1190’s with some of the original wine barrels still in use today. Afterwards we had a tasting of 3 different wines and some olive oil with bread, which had been freshly pressed the previous day. Our guide was extremely nice and gave us an extra tasting of one of the vintage wines and some of their balsamic vinegar as well! After the tasting we bought a couple of bottles including a limited edition wine which our guide explained will be ready to drink in 7 years – a great memory from Tuscany that we will be able to enjoy one day.

Our next stop was back in Greve so we could buy some lunch and figure out the directions to our next destination, which was Montefirolle. Unfortunately once we arrived in the fortress town we couldn’t find the wine shop so after walking around and taking some photos we headed to the next winery Villa veranzo.

We had sent an e-mail the night before to book the 3:30pm tour but on arrival we were told their internet had been down and they did not receive our request and could not do the tour because the didn’t have the staff. They did however let us walk around the grounds and try two of their most famous wines. After buying a bottle we headed back to the apartment before it got dark.

That night we shared a bottle from Villa Veranzo and ate ravioli with a pesto / broccoli sauce..

Our last day at our Tuscan apartment we slept in and took it easy. That afternoon we headed to The Mall which was a 20 minute drive away. Here they have designer outlet stores including brands like Gucci, Prada, Fendi, an Dior just to name a few. Unfortunately neither of us found anything of interest or in our price range so we left empty handed and headed back to our apartment for one last night.

That night we had porcini mushroom risotto for dinner with a side of apple, rocket salad and a bottle of wine from Verazzano.

The following day we packed up and returned our car to Florence Aiport. Then we caught the bus back to the train station and got on the long (4 hours) but cheaper train to Rome where we will stay 3 nights at the Ivanhone hostel. 

Cinque Terre, Italy

On the 24^th of October we caught the train from Genoa to Riomoggorie which took one hour. 

Riomaggiore is a very small town with one main street and a handful of shops and restaurants. So we easily found our accommodation office. Unfortunately there was a note on the door saying “back at 4pm”. It was 2pm so we had a couple of hours to waste. With a laundry matt across the road we decided to do some washing and have some lunch.

View from our room

Eventually our accommodation guy showed up and took us to our room which was just up the street and up a couple dozen un-even stairs. Inside was 2 rooms containing 3 bunk beds altogether, a small kitchen and a bathroom. When we arrived no-one else was there but the guy told us 2 more people would arrive later in the night.

After settling in we went for a walk, down the main street, past the boat ramp, via the gelato store and up, around the cliff to the pebble beach. Here Michael went for a swim and I soaked up some of the afternoon sun. After watching the sunset we walked back up the street where Michael had some calamari and chips and I got some take-away gnocchi. Then we went back to our room and relaxed for the night, reading and watching movies.

The following day we put our hiking clothes on and went to the office to buy passes to enter the tracks. The lady told us a couple of days ago a bad storm had past through the region and made the tracks unsafe so they were all closed until future notice. We were very disappointed but had a plan B – We got a railpass so we could visit each town and look around.

The first town we stopped at was Manarola, similar to Riomaggiore there was one main street with a handful of restaurants and stores and then at the end a boat ramp with a path leading along the cliff face. We walked up and around through the vineyards and back around to the train station. Then we caught the train to the last town, Monterosso. Monterosso is one of the largest towns in the region with two large beaches, an old town and a new town. Monterosso is also well known for it’s wine so we decided to walk through the main town and up to a recommended winery. Unfortunately it was closed so we went to a restaurant nearby where we tried some of the local wine and olives. From here we noticed a ferry boat that runs between all 5 Terre towns so we decided to catch the last one back to Riomaggiore. The boat stopped at each town along the way giving us a good insight on what to see the next day when we visit the rest of the towns.

Once our boat arrived we realized the sun was about to set so we quickly grab a bottle of wine and some pizza and went back to the pebble beach to watch. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve seen in awhile.

The Pebble Beach

One of our roommates we’d met earlier in the day popped down with a similar idea so we sat together drinking wine and sharing stories. Eventually there was around 7 of us by the time the sun had well and truly gone down so we decided to head back into town and go a bar.

One of the specials at the bar that night was a 5 litre mojito bucket. The bucket consisted of 2 litres white rum, 2 litres dark rum and 1 litre of lemonade. Between 8 people the bucket quickly disappeared and another was ordered. By the time it was ready I wasn’t feeling to great and decided to head home.

The following morning I woke up feeling pretty horrible with very little memory from the night before. Thankfully I wasn’t the only one and we all agreed the mojitos weren’t the smartest choice!

That afternoon we went to the train station to visit the rest of the towns but as the train arrived I started to feel extremely light headed and collapsed. I’m not sure if it was due to dehydration or just because of the rum but I ended up going back to bed and didn’t get up for the rest of the day.

The following day it was time to say Goodbye to Cinque Terre and Hello to Florence! 

Genoa, Italy

On the  22^nd of October we caught a train from Venice to Genoa via Milano. The trip took roughly 5 hours. In Genoa we stayed at a shared apartment we found on hostel world.

Our host told us Genoa is famous for it’s pesto pasta and focaccia’s so once we had settled in we headed to the small shop down the road and bought some of the local delicacies. Once we had eaten and were well rested we caught the subway into the town centre and walked around. The town seemed pretty dead and looked like everyone had packed up and left at the end of the summer season.

 We found one restaurant serving food (many just served drinks). Here we tried pesto pasta and a tuna salad that consisted of tuna, tomato, lettuce, egg and mozzarella. Both very nice!

The following day Michael travelled to Monaco in France. I woke up feeling very lethargic and sick so I spent most of the day sorting photos, updating my blog and downloading movies.

The next day we caught the train from Genoa to Riomoggorie, one of the 5 Terre (Cinque Terre) towns, where we stayed 3 nights.