So Rome wasn't built in a day…doesn't mean you can't SEE it all in a day…at a pinch! We arrived in Rome from Siena on Sunday afternoon & checked into our hostel (Mosaic Hostel) without too many dramas. The hostel itself is pretty nice but we've had a few issues with the staff i.e., they wanted us to pay all in cash even though that's not specified on the booking because they'd gone over their personal quota for card payments already that day…they also...

Due to the unreliability (i.e., leaving once every 3 hours or so…maybe) of Italian trains we weren't able to get out of Siena to Castellina in Chianti for the Saturday markets! Instead we went for a long walk over to the train station to pick up our train tickets to Rome for tomorrow. Walking anywhere around here involves a fair bit of meandering & frequent oohing & aahing as we discover shops we can't possibly go past without looking inside…so even...

This morning Esther & I were greeted by a lovely surprise when we entered the kitchen…breakfast! And not just any breakfast; a beautifully set table with orange juice, coffee, tea, & GIANT coffee mugs, plus cold meats, omlette, fresh crusty bread & jam, cheese, yogurt, & pastries! How delightful! Casa di Antonella, we heart you :D We sat around the homely dining table with 8 or so fellow travelers & chatted about our adventures so far, wha...

Yesterday was our last full day in Riomaggiore :( I have absolutely loved this place & think we picked the perfect amount of time to spend here. Some people cautioned us against spending to long in Cinque Terre because of a lack of things to do, but 3 full days actually worked out really well because we had a day at the start to explore, get our bearings & explore a couple of the towns thoroughly, a day in the middle to do the whole walk, & a day fo...

Ouuuuuuuuuuuuch!! My leeeeeeeeeeeeeeegs!! Walked the whole of the Cinque Terre hiking trail today. From Riomaggiore to Monarolo to Corniglia to Vernazza to Monterosso! Phew! And the direct ocean path from Monarolo to Corniglia is currently closed to we had to take a LONG detour up & around the mountains, which added at least an extra hour, a km or so, & God knows how many stairs onto our journey. It's not a particularly long walk…it's just very, very ...