Our wonderful global content manager, Pete Durant, spent last week on vacation in Tavernelle, a quaint town in the Liguria region of Italy. Only 50 people or so live in the Tuscan village, located just an hour from Pisa, 90 minutes from Genoa airport and 40 minutes from the Italian Riviera, which includes the Gulf of Poets and the ferry to the Cinque Terre. He’s recapped some highlights and reflected on Italian idiosyncrasies for you to consider before booking your own flight to Tuscany.
At the airport
Stansted is a busy and popular low-cost hub just northeast of central London. The frenzy makes treating yourself to a lounge completely worth it. I stayed in a No1 Traveller lounge and it gave me a serenity that made a low-cost flight much easier. Included was a solid and tasty menu (the bacon roll at breakfast was particularly good), television, Wi-Fi, comfortable couches and all the alcohol – except for Champagne – I could ask for. Most importantly, it got my girlfriend and me away from the noise of the gates and waiting areas. The service was also noticeably quick and friendly. Unfortunately, the range of newspapers was unimpressive and the Saturday magazines had been removed. To put it in perspective, a family of four can use the lounge for around $60. Food and drinks for the family in the departure gate waiting areas will be in the region of $13-$16 per person, so there is definite value to be had.
Book a rental car
Renting a car is necessary in the region we stayed. Leaving Genoa Airport (small with limited facilities), you have to go through barriers to enter the highway. To get out, press a big button and take the ticket it gives you. When you get off at most places, there is a toll booth that uses a card to see how much you need to be charged. The Genoa–Aulla toll was about $14 either way. If you, like us, do not take a card initially, then you can be left with a bigger fee – up to $90. Also, of course, always get excess insurance on your car rental. The roads in the region off the highways are narrow and you’ll often go up and down mountains with rock falls and tight turns. Nerve-wracking but definitely picturesque.
Pay less for accommodation
Away from the vineyards and big cities of Pisa, Florence and Siena, there is real value to be had in this part of Italy. We stayed in a one-bedroom apartment with a roof terrace (www.tuscanyfor2.com) for a reasonable sum of $725 for one week including some food on arrival and utilities included for the entire stay. It is a great base for the local Castello towns, markets and the Italian Riviera. The owners (a very friendly and communicative Irish couple) provide a really helpful service including an information pack, directions from the airport and a welcome bottle of red wine, pasta and bread. In the town of Tavernelle, the local bar was selling a large glass of wine and a pint for about $5. The food was also very affordable, even in the touristy Cinque Terre ($10 for pasta in the tower restaurant in Vernazza).
Eat local
A particularly fun experience was at Torre, a very popular restaurant among locals. After a 45-minute mountain hike to get there, you will receive a high quality and fairly priced meal. For $36, we had a bottle of white wine, gnocchi, mushroom pasta, beef, potato wedges, water and bread. Note that most places charge a setting fee of around $2 that includes bread, and some do not have menus. So research and have a dictionary handy. To cook for yourself is an even cheaper option. In Tavernelle, there is a local butcher (I recommend the wild boar) who has some basics. A “bread man” and “vegetable man” come in the mornings and sell goods from out of their car. Almost $90 covered both us for many meals throughout the week and included four bottles of wine and six bottles of water.
Embrace excursions
The Cinque Terre is a must-see in the region and at first, $33 for an all-day ferry pass seems as steep as the Cinque Terre’s cliffs. However, it is entirely worth it and the trips take you to every town includes Portovenere, La Spezia and Lerici on the Gulf of Poets. Lerici to Monterosso takes almost two hours, so you cover quite a distance. I recommend you ferry to one and then use the cliff walks between others to mix it up and get a real sense of how Italians live. The best for me was Vernazza with a fairytale bay, places to swim safely, great houses and food. There is also a tower to climb – great to get a sense of the town. The quickest way to get between the towns is by train, but with it being mostly underground, it seems a waste of the blue water and skies and the unbelievable views of houses on cliffs with no physical way to reach the modern world.
Escape to the city
When in Tuscany, it is hard not to take the time to go to Florence. From nearby Aulla, we took a direct train for the day. The ride lasted approximately two and a half hours. Note, though, that the only direct trains were at 6:23 a.m. and around 4:45 p.m. Other than that, you will have to change at Pisa or Pisa and Viareggio. The Italian rail network is comfortable, but remember – once you have a ticket, you must stamp it in the little yellow boxes on the platforms before travel. Any ticket is valid for three months after purchase, and stamping it activates it.
Follow these tips for the ultimate Tuscan vacation, complete with wonderful food, exciting excursions, and – above all – affordable things to do.
(Images: Pete Durant)
