"Ciao Roma" - Day 5: Florence to Rome
We take a break from art to visit a couple of science museums. Then it's on to Roma!
Journal Entry 11.00 am on day 6.
Apartment in Roma
Our last day in Florence was nearly a disaster. We thought that the station had a luggage deposit area, but it turned out that the travel site had lied! We were able to keep our stuff at the hotel, fortunately. We started off by heading to "Star Bene" once again, where Kara stocked up on cake. We didn't even make it to the end of the block this time, before Kara was tucking in. She made some quite distressing animal noises, but she looked very happy to be enjoying some breakfast cake. We then made a bee-line for Accademia, but the queue was the worst that we've seen so far on this trip. Sadly, we knew at that point that we weren't going to see David on this holiday.
Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we headed on to a museum that housed models made from study of Leonardo Da Vinci's notebooks. It was a bit stuffy, but it was cool to see all of the models to scale, including his tank and gliders. He also liked to build robotic suits of armour. After the Leonardo museum, we headed for the Galileo museum, along the bank of the Arno river. While fascinating and educational, there was a lot of repetition in some of the later sections. The astronomy areas were great, though.
Ponte Vecchio was rubbish. It's packed with tourists, but lined with jewelers. We had hoped for kitsch, tacky souvenirs but it was all just necklaces and earrings. We got a gelato on the other side and walked to the front of the Pitti Palace. It was enormous, with lots of tourists out front, but we weren't too fussed about going in.
On the way back through town, we stopped for a late lunch at "Hostaria Il Desco", just a few minutes away from Ponte Vecchio. Kara was delighted with her gluten-free pasta, while I got left with the "backup" in case she didn't want to eat what she'd chosen! They brought out an all gluten-free bread basket for Kara, which included the nicest breadsticks I think I've ever had.
After lunch, we picked up our luggage and chilled at the train station, waiting for our train to Roma. Upon leaving Florence, we only had one real regret and that was that we didn't see the statue of David.
Our first night in Roma was...not great. Met off the bus by our apartment's owner, we were informed that everything was closed and because it was a Sunday the next day, we were likely to struggle to feed Kara at all. Much to my eternal shame, our first meal in Roma was from a knock-off KFC establishment called "Chicken Hut". Their motto is...
"We know how to deal with chicken."
...which sounds a bit menacing to me. I immediately pictured a chicken who hadn't paid his protection money, being thrown into the fryer with a breezeblock tied round his ankles. Coupled with the heat and language barriers we encountered, day 5 ended on a bit of a downer.
A mercifully short journal entry for you guys, there. The plan was to cut our food costs in Rome by cooking everything for ourselves. It meant that we had really not planned well for eating out in Rome as I had somewhat naively expected to be able to eat much as we do at home. This turned out to not be the case, but on the first night in Rome, we really did struggle. We went to one place that was still open and turned out to be a restaurant/Karaoke bar. I understand if some readers think that sounds like fun, but as a former bartender, the word "karaoke" still gives me horrific flashbacks. We both wanted somewhere to chill out and eat, and that wasn't it. We also went to one place that our apartment owner had suggested, but it was definitely a place for locals, as everything was in Italian and there were no prices. We tried to pick up a bit of Italian on the trip, but with Kara's food issues and a lot of uncertainty, it ended up being a no-go. It was quite depressing for me too, as so far I had been able to get by on my barely passable Italiano. We also discovered that Italian chefs do NOT do substitutions. If someone says it comes with a side, it comes with that side, nothing else. "Patati" is the Italian word for potato, I believe. (If it wasn't, I was just spouting gibberish) I said it quite a lot on the trip. Kara often refers to me as her "second love, after potatoes". In almost 5 years with her, I've never seen any evidence to contradict that.
"Chicken Hut" actually didn't taste too bad. Kara just had fries that I'm fairly sure would have had some form of gluten-based coating on them, but it wasn't enough to cripple her. We were a bit overzealous in our order, which left us with a lot of fries. It was well after midnight, so it was time for bed.
Not seeing Michaelangelo's statue of David was a disappointment, certainly. It was also the only thing that we'd planned to see that we ended up missing during our trip. It was unfortunate, but we'd have wasted at least half a day waiting in the queue. The two science-themed museums that we went to were fantastic, though. Being a bit of a total nerd does extend backwards as well as forwards, and finding out more about Italy's contribution to the modern world was an exciting prospect. Florence was at the center of the Renaissance, so there were many fascinating things to see in the Galileo museum. Leonardo Da Vinci epitomizes the word "genius" for me, as he was not only a visionary and a scholar, but he was able to take these concepts and follow through to the point where he had an apparatus that was fit for experimentation. The Da Vinci museum contained many different contraptions of his that looking back now, it's easy to see the flaws, while the foundations of concepts such as the helicopter, the glider, the tank and the automaton are present. The museum was mostly filled with recently made wooden models that allowed visitors to see right into the design, often stripping away panels to show how things worked. I think if you had a smart kid, you could probably explain how something worked to them using the models here. The Galileo museum isn't really focused on Galileo himself, but Italy's contribution to science over the years. It displays some of Galileo's telescopes and measuring equipment, as well as a few of his partially
preserved fingers. (I have no idea why, and I have no idea why Kara didn't get any pictures of them for me to show you here.) The exhibition shows equipment from all facets of scientific experimentation; from astronomy to electricity. It's an inspiring and ridiculously peaceful place to visit amid the hustle and bustle of central Florence.
Ponte Vecchio really was quite disappointing. It's a bridge. That's it. It happens to be lined with jewelers. I have no idea
why it's a tourist spot. Still, it certainly seemed quite busy. Maybe the jewelers are really reasonably priced or something. The Pitti Palace and the "Boboli Gardens" behind it were on our list of places to visit but we were really worried about missing our train and these sites are on the opposite side of the Arno and the city from where we were departing from. It was certainly very warm, so the ice cream was pleasant! It was around this time that we really started to tighten our belts, as it was becoming abundantly clear that if we wanted to keep our spending in check, we were going to have to just go an have the look at the front of things for free, instead of paying €15 to go inside.
Kara really enjoyed her lunch at Il Desco. The surroundings were really nice too, with a cozy feel. The waitress that seated us seemed to be referring to one of the women who worked the till as her mother, so it was most likely a family business. It's always nice to see that you're not just supporting a massive chain restaurant. To be fair, there weren't many places in Italy other than Mcdonalds and Burger King that seemed like big chains. Funnily enough, I don't recall seeing another "Chicken Hut". That motto still makes me wonder if it was some mafia front!
"The Patron Saint of Gluten-Free Dining" - Day 4: Florence
Our first full day in Florence.
Journal Entry 10.00 pm
"Hotel Castagno" - Firenze
Firenze continues to impress us both. Not just the layout and beautiful surroundings, but the atmosphere and "feel" of the city is laid-back, with an undercurrent of intensity. That might seem contradictory so let me put it another way. It feels like everyone is in a rush, to get to the pub or a cafe. Much like Milan and Modena, Firenze is packed (often bumper to bumper) with scooters, motorbikes and tiny little city cars. We've seen quite a few weird looking single seaters, as well as "Mr Bean" style minis and Renault "Twizys". The streets are virtually single lane, but buses, taxis and bikes all tear along at breakneck speed, giving credence to my theory that all Italian drivers want to be racing drivers.
It's been a tough day for both of us, but Kara especially. We have done a lot of walking today and it's taken it's toll. We're both in "Pigiami" and ready for bed, really. On the other hand though, it's been great day. Let's start at the beginning.
Another crappy night's sleep. I am covered in what I assume are mosquito bites. I kept hearing them fly next to my head in the night. A damned shame as the bed is quite comfy. Breakfast was the usual Italian "continental" affair; croissant, yoghurt etc. It's pretty nice to have what is essentially cake for breakfast and not be judged. Speaking of "breakfast cake"; we went to "Star Bene" so Kara could get something. She walked out with two cakes and we'd barely crossed the road before one was gone. As we walked into the central part of Firenze, we stopped at two unlikely spots: a "Mail Boxes etc" (Kara works at one over here in the UK) and an Italian "pound shop". *sighs* To be fair, the halloween section was much better than most back home. I will get some naff gifts for the guys at work in there tomorrow!
After our pit stops, we went on to Firenze's "Duomo". While less impressive from the outside than Milan's Duomo, I enjoyed it considerably more. The distinct lack of pushy salesmen and string may be a factor in this. The inside was quite something, too. A fresco that covers the roof of the cupola is astounding, while the crypts underneath speak of an era of history that has only been hinted at so far on this trip. The crypt is built into the bones of an even older church that was falling apart and was replaced by the present church in the early 1400s. Tombs of knights, saints and popes ( I believe) are present. It's very impressive. I will need to read up more when I return home.
The activity I had been dreading was Giotto's "Campanile" or bell-tower. It was a hell of a climb as a "broad man" in very tight spiral staircases. We climbed the first set of stairs and were surprised at how easy it had been. There were three more flights to go, of course. The view of Firenze from the top was incredible. You could see out for every direction as a terrace ran around the top. Sadly, people with no respect for history or craftsmanship had scrawled in pen or carved into the marble, "A ned was 'ere 2014" (I'm paraphrasing slightly here.) Utter twats. One did make me smile, mind you. It just said...
"Russian Hooligans, 2014."
After the bell-tower, we went hunting for "Deanna's gluten-free cafe" to see if we could find Kara some lunch. We found it but the menu wasn't great for Kara. The guy behind the counter was great, however. After apologizing to two bumbling tourists because his "English was bad", he annotated a map with two or three GF places we could try. He is now Kara's patron saint. We went for lunch at one of these places; a little restaurant called "La Gratella". It was very nice, but Kara was still a little short of finishing her bowl of pasta. Italian food isn't cheap, but it's good quality and you get plenty of it.
After a visit to an amazing indoor foodmarket called "Mercato Centrale", which was like a mall foodcourt if Harvey Nicols ran it, we visited "Santa Maria Novello" as it was nearby and on our list of places to visit. It was nice and old, in a Catholic churchy kinda way. I feel like I have been spoiled by the Duomos. I honestly think I should have worked up to them, as I wasn't so impressed here. Just in case we hadn't seen enough pictures of Jesus, we decided to go to the Uffizi gallery. Now I'm no art critic, but the clasical themes of "The life and deaths of JC" are bloody boring after a while. It's like going to read an Avengers comic and finding out that it's just page after page of Hulk dialogue. It's something that warrants some time spent on it, sure, but change it up. Eventually, Jesus images should show him doing cool shit like...smashing helicopters out of the air. I guess Marvel comics were hard to find during the Renaissance.
Ridiculous comparisons aside, the gallery was quite nice. I observed some "HD images" including Boticelli's "The Birth of Venus" and Caravaggio's "Frickin' awesome severed head of Medusa on a shield" (I think that's the correct name, at least.) Kara was quite distraught for a while as it seemed like the Caravaggio exhibits were closed. It all turned out to be fine though, and we had a wander through the town on the way to "Accademia" where the statue of David is. We found a "Scottish Jock" bar that is ran by a Chinese couple. We spoke to a pissed up American woman who told us how good the whisky was, before telling us she'd been drinking Jameson. Urgh.
By the time we arrived, Accademia had closed for the night. We resolved to come and see David tomorrow and went for dinner at the "OK Bar". The name seems apt, as neither Kara nor myself were too impressed with their pizzas. It was fairly cheap, though.
Kara is in bed now, having pushed herself quite hard today. Tomorrow's plan includes sending postcards, topping up the cash-card (Italy is hella expensive, yo.), eating breakfast cake, Galileo's museum, Leonardo's museum, David and the Accademia, Ponte Vecchio and hopefully safe travels to our last city on the trip: Roma!
Definitely a marked improvement from our time in Milan and Modena. Florence is probably my favourite place that we visited. The people are almost universally beautiful, everyone seems friendly, the architecture and city layout makes all of the street seem like back-alleys but many of them are bustling with activity and almost all of them end with piazzas that are filled with some of the most incredibly beautiful buildings and sculptures I have ever seen. The history nerd in me loves that as you walk along, you never know what's around the corner. I know it's cliché but it's a city full of hidden surprises. I have learned to appreciate this aspect in Edinburgh and wished we had more time in Florence to explore all of the nooks and crannies.
There's certainly an intensity to Italian culture that is reflected in how they do things. We saw so many sharply dressed businessmen and women driving around at high speed on scooters, with 1950s racing style helmets on. It was pretty cool, and there's definitely a foundation for the stereotype of the well dressed Italian, showing up on a scooter. As the social hermits that Kara and I are, it was a little bit jarring to see how sociable and outgoing Italy can be. We like to stay in, and while I would like to think that I cook good food for us, we have functional meals then enjoy our free time in a different way; perhaps with a snack and a little drink of juice. Italian eating habits lend themselves to meeting up at 5 for a little bite or a coffee, then sitting outside talking until midnight. It's a romantic notion, but considering Kara can't drink and I barely drink, as well as being on a deadline and trying to stick to a budget, it was never going to be something we did.
Star Bene, at the northeast end of Viale Spartaco Lavagnini, close to Piazza Della Liberta is now Kara's favourite bakery, hands down. We went here again the next day, and Kara raved about this place all through the holiday. It's not cheap, but everything looks good and the range of food runs to savoury tarts too. (Not that it was enough to sway Kara, of course.)
I feel bad that I wasn't able to get anyone any gifts from Italy. We were both living out of a medium suitcase and we were beginning to appreciate that it was going to cost a lot to see everything we wanted to on this trip. The Italian "pound shop" had some cool little halloween things, but at this point we were still buying bottles of water regularly, just trying to keep hydrated due to the heat and the walking we were doing. My Aunt had told us that there are water fountains dotted throughout most major Italian cities that dispense cold, clean water. Milan had one or two that we found, but it was in Florence that we really started to come across them regularly. We saved a lot of money and time, not having to find bottled water to drink all the time. Many of the fountains are quite plain, with a steady flow, while other look hundreds of years old and are works of art in themselves. A great element of travelling in Italian cities.
The Firenze Duomo (Basilica Santa Maria di Fiore) is gorgeous, as well as old. The sculptures and frescos really are something else. It's a strange feeling to be looking at something and thinking to yourself that not only is this painting beautiful, it's also hundreds of years old. The crypt underneath the church was impressive, housing sarcophagi that put me in mind of Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. I don't think they would have been too happy if I'd started prying off the lid to take a pencil rubbing of the shield of the knight that lay inside. There was even a spooky little alcove that looked like it may have been an ossuary as it contained a skull in a case. Kara was immediately interested of course. The floor of the medieval church that had become the crypt was preserved in parts, with mosaics that were basic but still very nice. Parts of the original architecture were preserved, but it was clear that it was very old. It's nice that the church have chosen to preserve what used to lie in here, as many other sites (especially in Rome) speak of them destroying or misappropriating that which they found "heretical".
Edinburgh is a gorgeous city that I would recommend to anyone to visit, but it comes to life at night in my opinion. It sometimes feels a bit like Gotham city; dark and mysterious. Florence, in contrast, is gorgeous during the day and almost seems lit by fairy-lights at night. There are old street lamps that light up the roads in the older parts of town, with the buildings often being soft pastel shades of ochre. The red rooftops that I ran around on top of as Ezio from the "Assassin's Creed" series of videogames dominated the view from the top of Giotto's Campanile. After climbing 414 steps, Kara and I enjoyed the blustery breeze at the top, as well as the view. It's quite a beautiful old city, with a much prettier skyline than Milan. I was disappointed to see the graffiti at the top, but I guess I should have expected it. We visited the Battistero across the courtyard after coming back down. It had several statues accredited to Donatello. Upon seeing them and knowing that we were going to be visiting the Uffizi later, I resolved to complete my "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" collection by seeing a painting or sculpture by Leonardo, Raphael, Michaelangelo and Donatello. Even if this is a travel blog, it's difficult to keep the nerd factor at bay.
Mercato Centrale is an amazing place. It's like a modern version of an old food market. It's full of lots of little bakeries, restaurants, organic food shops, butchers, fishmongers, bars and greengrocers. There was nothing specifically gluten-free here, just a really nice market. I was somewhat glad that we'd both just eaten, as everything looked amazing.
Hamfisted similes aside, I really did find myself getting bored of seeing pictures of Jesus in his different states. I know, I know, it's from a time where the church paid a lot of very good artists to create artwork for them, while wealthy patrons tried to buy their way into heaven by decorating their homes with christian artwork. It's just quite repetitive, with scenes such as the nativity, crucifiction and the resurrection being depicted time and time again. The Medusa shield is incredible, though. The colours seem so vibrant, despite the age of the piece. It's no doubt abundantly clear that I am not the most reverent when it comes to art, but I did enjoy myself at the Uffizi, especially in the small section of ancient roman artifacts. There was a very cool sarcophagus that depicted the heroic acts of Hercules that was exciting to find.
"Forza Michael" - Day 3: Modena to Florence (via Maranello)
We travel to Florence, via the home of Ferrari.
Journal Entry 00.20 (technically day 4)
Hotel Villa Il Castagno - Firenze
So, I finished the last post with a note on how good the crisps were in Milan. I guess my love of crisps and Kara's boundless enthusiasm for potatoes made it "low hanging fruit". I had intended to continue writing but it all went downhill after the last words in the previous post. The train to Modena was a bit jumpy and the general mood dropped when we saw our room. Kara had warned me that it didn't look great in the photos, but it was cheap. The people were nice, but the room had flaky paint and a generally dingy look. The upshot is that I didn't really get a chance to write last night.
Our walk from Modena Stazione to "Hotel San Geminiano" was somewhat hurried, as it was very dark, with many "youths" around. Last night I found myself wanting to just hail a cab as I am sick of hauling the suitcase behind me. I feel like we are "backpacking" as we are always smelly and unkempt. So we had another "Prima Colazione" where Kara had to sit and watch me eat. No parma ham for me this morning, but I had a nutella filled croissant and all was well. Kara didn't sleep very well, sadly, so we were a bit sluggish on the way out the door. After a power-march through downtown Modena, with Kara in full "tifosi" attire, we arrived at the bus station two minutes too late. Disappointed, we sat down and waited for the next one. During the wait, Kara and I discussed how even the students dress better than us! As well as fashion, we also observed a march, relating to the Gaza bombing/occupation etc.
After an uneventful bus journey, we arrived on the outskirts of "Ferrari-town": Maranello. The heat had begun to climb into the twenties by this point and the weight I was dragging was making me cranky. After a short hunt, we found "De Museo Ferrari". Now, I'm neither a Ferrari fan or a long time F1 fan, but the place is impressive. Everything in the town is Ferrari, from the modern Ferraris parked up, waiting to be test driven to the tarmac itself in the carpark of the museum.
Kara was clearly excited and once again, it was great to see her light up at the sight of the Maranello test track from the bus. The museum was spectacular, showcasing elements of the history of Ferrari in F1, modern F1 telemetry and technology, multi-discipline racing cars and a mix of new and classic Ferrari roadcars. We also took a trip to see the "prancing pony" sculpture but we couldn't approach it without running over motorway. The heat had continued to rise and Kara struggled with it. I sweat a lot, but I can go on. I worry what Roma will do to us both.
I think the highlight of Maranello was seeing Kara in the "hall of victories", next to a range of championship winning F1 cars. 40-50% of them said "Schumacher" on the side. I know the reminders of him upset Kara, but I think pride won out in the end. Ferrari have a pit-board in the museum lobby that says...
"Forza Michael."
After almost missing our bus back to Modena, we returned in time to catch our train to Florence. Still a little "ripe" from a day in the sun, we sat in first class, next to a very nosy woman who just stared at Kara's tattoos. I made the mistake of wearing my jacket on the bus to the hotel. I have never sweated like that outside a sauna, gym or fever. Not fun.
The hotel is not too bad. We have a wet room, which is nice. It's still very warm here, so I hope we will sleep ok. We stepped out for dinner, after preparing the maps for the next couple of days. Florence is all narrow streets and beautiful people, much as I imagined it would be. We found three gluten-free spots for Kara and went out. The "Clubhouse" had no gluten-free pasta or pizza, but Kara had steak and (surprise) potatoes. Despite a slightly better diet today, Kara left 1/4 of the meal to finish. I was happy to oblige.
It's getting late. Time for bed. Buona notte!
So that post covers quite a lot of geographical distance. From Modena to Maranello, then back to Modena again so we could catch our train to Florence. We arrived in Modena late and left early, which made it difficult for me to feed myself, never mind someone with Kara's eating habits. I have absolutely no gluten-free recommendations for Modena I'm afraid. The journal doesn't mention the little cafe where we were able to find Kara her breakfast/lunch, which was right next to the Ferrari museum. I was very relieved when we found out that we could do grilled chicken fillet for Kara, as I knew that she hadn't eaten a proper meal since Cookwindow the day before. I'm fairly certain that at this point, she was running on these Nairns Oaty biscuits that I once jokingly referred to as "Lembas" (one for the Lord of The Rings nerds out there) as she only ever seems to manage one before I'm asked to hold onto the rest of the packet. Funnily enough, despite plenty of hunger on Kara's part, we still came home with a packet of them. Anyway, the cafe is just across the car park from the museum and has lots of cool F1 memorabilia on the walls.
The hotel in Modena wasn't that bad. It was just a very sparse 2 star establishment. The people who worked there were very nice and helpful and the breakfast was something that drove home just how much Italians love to have cake for breakfast. It was on this day that I searched for the meaning of the term "La Dolce Vita" which translates as "The sweetness of live" or "The Good Life." During my trip, it became obvious to me that Italians value their free time in a way that lends itself to eating cake, drinking wine and really perfecting what they like to eat. It also became abundantly clear that they will put Nutella in anything. Kara doesn't like hazelnut, so sadly she was unable to join in, but later on in Florence, we find gluten-free cake that made her make animal noises as she ate it. The night that we actually stayed in Modena was pretty rough for us though, with Kara being very hungry and all but the corner shops being closed. She went to bed early, while I went out into a strange town to look for food. In the little corner shop, I spied bread. It would have to do, but what to put on it? It makes me nauseous to think that I went with "Kraft cheese slices" in the absence of anything resembling sandwich meat or cheese. I couldn't eat it. That's when I reached into my bag to pull out two little sachets of Nutella that Kara had mocked me for taking from our breakfast table that morning. Nutella - breakfast and supper of champions.
Kara gets dressed up in Ferrari gear for most big races, and the cap she's had since she was a very young girl is on for every race, but following her through Modena, she was dressed all in scarlet with her Ferrari tattoo on show. You'd never have guessed she was starving. I am normally being berated for walking too fast, but with the suitcase holding me back, I was trying to stay on Kara's heels as the lure of Maranello must have been calling to her. Missing our bus was a pain, and in the end it gave us some stress as we were very short of time in Maranello, but I am so glad we went. The whole experience was very fun for me, despite the baking sun, heavy case and feeling the after-effects of having tried espresso for the first time that morning. (I'm still not convinced that Coffee is as amazing as people say). I have only started enjoying F1 in the last two years, as I thought it would be nice for us to share one of Kara's hobbies. One of the reasons that she's never left the country is that her family would go to Silverstone for the British GP instead. Having visited her family home in rural Perthshire, I struggle to see why you would want to go anywhere else to relax, mind you. The nerd in me was excited to see the mechanical and technological elements of the Ferrari museum, while I knew that I was also going to visit a place steeped in F1 history. As someone who has been watching F1 for much longer than I have, as well as being a Ferrari fan, I can only guess at how special it was for Kara.
The museum is a showroom of sorts, with a progression from Ferrari's early days, through to the modern era. It contains a theatre that shows many known instances of Ferraris in the movies, and has a somewhat creepy Enzo Ferrari statue, sat in his office. There is a cool little display, showing the evolution of Ferrari's F1 cars in miniature form. There's also many concept and prototype cars that look almost space-age. I don't know which one I liked more, as they were all so beautiful.
The reason we were there was to see the F1 exhibit. The "Hall of Victories". It was spectacular, with a semi-circular dais that displayed several of Ferrari's driver and constructor championship winning cars from the last 15 years or so. Schumacher, Massa, Raikkonen and Barichello all had at least one of their cars there. The back wall was taken up with just some of the silverware the team has won during their time in F1, with a display case below it that had a little section for each of their championship winning drivers. Each driver's picture was there, with their helmet on a little plinth inside the case. There was also a small chamber where visitors could stand inside and select specific F1 car noises from particular periods. It was sort of the opposite of a sensory deprivation tank, being assaulted by the sound of these amazing machines. For those reading who might not be aware of why reminders of Schumacher might be upsetting, he is Kara's sporting hero and almost a year ago he sustained a massive head injury which has meant he hasn't gone in front of the public since. Despite no longer being a Ferrari driver, the "Forza Michael" sign in the lobby is just one way of seeing how deep his connections are to Ferrari. He is beloved by Ferrari fans.
The travelling to Firenze wasn't great, but it wasn't too bad either. The cabins were air conditioned and Italian trains are a fraction of the price of British trains. We travelled from Milan to Rome by train over the course of the trip and spent around £60 for both of us. I don't think £60 will get you a return to Aberdeen these days. Italian trains are pretty good.
Ok, so lastly, the gluten-free section of this post. The Clubhouse (Via Dè Ginori, 6, 50129 Firenze) in Florence might well be my favourite restaurant we visited in the whole trip. It's difficult to judge the gluten-free offering as they were all out of both pizza and pasta when we visited. All I can tell you is that my pizza and Kara's steak were delicious. I would not say I'm a big fan of pizza unless it's done properly, and that means the place must have a log-burning oven. This place not only has a log-burning oven, but it has a specialist pizza chef or "Pizzaiolo" that made me an amazing pizza. It's a bit on the premium side, with all of the little extras costing around €5 or so. We spent around €50 in there on our first night, but I think it would have cost more in the UK to have food of that quality. So yes, I mentioned pizza again. I assure you, it's going to come up before this travel blog is finished.
Next up, our first proper day in Firenze. One of my new favourite places.