Getting Around Cinque Terre is relatively easy: By Train: The regional train that serves the five villages runs between La Spezia Centrale and Sestri Levanti or Genoa. Fares are cheap at Euro 1.80 one-way, and the difference between a 5 km trip and a 10 km trip is only Euro 20 cents. The tickets are […]
Cinque Terre Card – Walking Holidays
Walking holidays in Cinque Terre: The Cinque Terre is famous for its scenic coastal walking trails and if like many visitors you intend to do some walking on your holidays, you’ll need to buy the Cinque Terre Card. There are three types of Cinque Terre cards: Cinque Terre Card Cinque Terre Card Treno (includes train) […]
Pedal Power takes off in the Eternal City
Bikesharing – an environmental way to get around Rome: We’re having a late lunch break at Caffè dell’Arte next to our hotel in Campo dei Fiori when we notice this smart row of green bikes lined up in a bike rack. Ah, this must be one of the bikesharing schemes that are sprouting up all […]
Dar Filettaro a Santa Barbara – Eating out in Rome
Dining out on Filetti di Baccalà near Campo dei Fiori: This eatery next to Campo dei Fiori seems to get more popular each time we visit, with long queues of locals and visitors trying to get a table each night. As there are a lot of people wanting to dine here tonight, the guy organizing […]
Tour Route of Sicily
Tucked away at the foot of Italy, Sicily is nevertheless the largest region of Italy and it is also the third most densely populated. Whilst Sicily has made a lot of headlines in the past due to its fierce mafia connections and everyone has heard of the rumblings of Mount Etna, the island has a […]
How to Get your Tax Refund at Rome Fiumicino Airport
The Process for claiming your Tax Refund at Rome Fiumicino Airport: There are lots of advice on the internet on the process to follow to get your VAT refund at Rome Fiumicino Airport. From our experience at Rome Fiumicino Airport Terminal 3, things have changed a little. Note: The Customs offices for VAT tax reimbursements […]
Sagra dell’uva – Marino’s Grape Festival, Rome
Will another miracle happen at the Festa dell Uva: The little hill-top medieval castle town of Marino is just forty-minutes from the centre of Rome and is one of the towns which make up the Castelli Romani region, Frascati being probably the best known of them. This wine-growing region was famous for supplying Roman Emperors […]
A Passion for Porcini
Food in Rome: Hooked on Porcini: Reading a recipe in the papers this morning reminds me that the Porcini season is here. Once you’ve had a taste of fresh porcini mushrooms, it stays with you forever and just the mention of it is enough to send a thousand thrills to your taste buds. Porcini mushrooms are […]
Hop-on and Hop-off the Tiber River
Rome Sightseeing from a different perspective: We don’t really think of river cruising on our Rome holidays, but you actually can do sightseeing cruises on the Tiber River. Cruising down the Tiber River allows you to see Rome from a different perspective. The following are a couple of cruises you can do: Hop-on Hop-Off Tiber […]
There’s more to Verona than the tragic romance of Romeo and Juliet
There’s more to Verona than the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet: Many travellers make whistle-stop visits to Verona to see the famous Juliet Balcony. However, there’s very much more to Verona than just the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet. After Venice, Verona is the second biggest city in the Veneto region, […]