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Jonaki: Last day in Lucca so we decide to get up late, then catch train to Viareggio to have a look at this supposedly exclusive playground for the rich. As with the Italian beaches that are not in the national parks, in summer there is a beach 'user pays' system, where you have to purchase a ticket to use the beach and facilities. Therefore, most of the beach is fenced off with public access to the sand restricted to a 100 metre stretch. The beach itself is nondescript and dirty, stark contrast to the stunningly beautiful Cinque Terre coastline only an hour further north. There are 2 lovely exceptions to the Viareggio Beach blandness, the snow-capped mountains that you see when you face away from the water and the lovely extended beach promenade with buildings reflecting those old pictures of Manly or Bondi in the 1920s-1930s.
We return to Lucca and pack our bloody suitcases again for tomorrow's trip to our second last destination- a long zig-zag trip up and around Italy to Teramo in the hard to access Abruzzo Provence: yes, remember the Italian in 'Red Dog' who constantly reminisces of this region. I had originally booked here to explore the possibility of buying a cheap Italian ppty only 100 km from Rome, but after looking at the poor rail transport options, we are only going there for interest sake.
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