Another year, another island

Last year my boyfriend and I went on a one-day boat trip to Elba and we fell in love with its beaches and crystal clear water so when we had to decide where this year’s summer holidays would take us we could not think of a more suitable travel destination than this fish-shaped island:

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HOW TO GET THERE: by boat from Piombino or Livorno (but it is also possible to go by plane, landing in La Pila )

We personally booked our tickets with the ferry company Toremar 

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MOVE AROUND THE ISLAND by car

We came by car because renting a car or scooter for a week does cost. If you don’t have the possibility to come with your own car make sure to set aside some budget for this. Even if there are buslines bare in mind that they are not frequent so a car/scooter could be quite useful.

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WHERE TO STAY: Capoliveri

I strongly recommed Capoliveri because it is very well positioned and though crowded by tourists during the summer the prices in most of the restaurants and bars are lower than in the cities by the sea.

Accommodation: Airbnb

Going to Elba in August is all but cheap so if you have the chance to go in June or September you will save money and also have more space on the many beautiful beaches this island has to offer.

To save some money and have the opportunity to get insights from locals (as in from our host) we booked a room using Airbnb.

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WHERE TO EAT:

Ristorante Oasi

Here we spent our first evening in Capoliveri. Good food, very friendly maitre and rather large portions for a small price. I, personally, much enjoyed the risotto nero di seppia: it might not look very tasteful but once you taste it you will understand what I mean.

Trattoria il Giardino

We had a hard time getting into this place: you have to book days in advance and in order to have space on the roof terrace with a breathtaking view on the bay even up to a week in advance BUT it is an absolute must if you come to Capoliveri and I can reassure you you will not regret it. Prepare yourself to meet the most chatty and comic waiter in history… but no joke he knows his stuff: he explains you every dish on the menu which changes according to what catches of that very day, bought from local fishermen and prepared in a most original colourful and most importantly delicous dishes which talk for themselves:

 

Cacciucco Blues

If you like to eat various small dishes, tapas-style, you are going to like this place. Make sure you come in time because the number of tables are limited, which we didn’t know but they were so nice to create a table ex nuovo. Very romantic atmosphere!

Uscio e Bottega

The perfect spot for a typical Tuscan aperitive, a “tagliere” with local cheeses and cold cuts accompanied by a wine of your choice. Very friendly personnel and great quality for a small price!

 

and where NOT to eat: 

L’Orchidea: 

This pastery shop is very well known in Capoliveri for the great view from its terrace but, as far as I am concerned, not so much for its great service. I was quite disappointed by the pasteries which they told me to be amongst of the best of the isle: they cost double, didn’t have much taste and were served by a rather rude waitress.

My very own “Roman Holiday”: no Vespa nor Audrey Hepburn but a good pair of walking shoes and “questa bell(g)a”

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the film, “Roman Holiday”” is a award-winning motion picture shot in the historical centre of Rome, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Although my stay in Rome was not exactly like the movie I did get to see la città eterna in equally good company, my boyfriend, but in my case it was the girl who carried (read dragged) the guy around (female emancipation hahahaha) wearing our walking shoes.

DAY 1-2: In Rome, do as the Ancient Romans do…

Rome breathes history and I tried to take it all in, in 48 very intense hours of Ancient Rome.

! IMPORTANT !
Before leaving for your Rome trip I would, however, recommend you
to book the tickets for the various sites
and this to avoid long waiting lines.
DO BARE IN MIND that this doesn’t mean that you can enter immediately:
something I learnt the hard way leaving quite late and discovering that buying your ticket in advance only allows you to skip the ticket line not the line to enter but I can reassure you that it goes quite fast.

I started my journey back in time at the Circo Massimo

(I planned to start at the Colosseo but faith had something else in mind or… in reality the bus since itdidn’t follow its regular course). Take your time to walk around where chariots raced against one another to gain fame and glory… or simply for the emperor’s pleasure.

From one arena to the next… and in this case the most famous one, the Colosseo, in which up to this day people still gather for bread and games: each year there are still concerts in this arena. It is here that you will find the longest line.

It is hard to believe that so many centuries ago they were able to build this immense arena and then to to know that apart from the fights between gladiators and games involving exotic animals they also reinacted sea battles (by !flooding! the arena and introducing real boats).

If you leave this place full of amazement yet with a rather empty stomach I would suggest you to go to the Osteria Angelino or the Taverna dei Quaranta. I personally tried the latter and ordered a typical Roman dish, “pasta cacio pepe”, which will give you the energy you need to make it through the rest of the day.

Our next stop was the most central of the seven hills on which Rome was built, the Palatine Hill,  and the part of Ancient Rome in which the imperial palaces were constructed.

Entering the complex (using the ticket you used at the Colloseo) you turn to the left to visit the palaces:

One side of this hill looks over Circo Massimo, the other allows you to pear over the Foro Romano from about 40m high.

Going down you reach the Foro Romano, surrounded by the ruins of the political centre of the Roman Empire:

To complete the tour you still need to visit the Pantheon and the Teatro Marcello, where we went the next day.

The Pantheon is one of the best preserved examples of Roman architecture and considered unique in its kind.  In fact it is said that even in our days it would be impossible to replicate a dome of this size.

Inside, the only light comes from the entrance and above, where you appear to see the sky and no, your eyes aren’t fooling you, it is really the sky. This building might have an open roof yet the Romans needn’t fear to get wet on a rainy day since the water evaporised before reaching the ground.

Last, but not least Teatro Marcello, 

situated in what is currently the Jewish getto.

FOR THE COMPLETE EXPERIENCE we highly recommend a guided tour by night on the Foro di Cesare. The meeting point is at the Colonna Traiana. After walking through an recently discovered underground passage (where a short video will show the different phases of the excavations)you will reach the Forum where your journey back in time will start. By means of beamers you will see Ancient Rome reconstructed before your eyes.

 

 

DAY 3: In Rome, do as the tourists do…

When I travel I usually avoid acting too touristy, instead I wish to tune into the local vibe but let’s say that in Rome it is hard to not give into the selfie at the Fontana di Trevi

5 TO DO TOURISTY SPOTS

• Piazza di Spagna
• Fontana di Trevi
• Bocca della Verità (though I didn’t get the chance to lay my hand in it because the line was way but way too long to perform this quite ridiculous ritual)
• Castel Sant’Angelo
• Vaticano

 

DAY 4: Let’s look at Rome from another point of view

For the past three days I walked through the streets of Rome yet on day 4 I wanted to look at Rome from a different angle. In what follows I present you five perfect spots to enjoy the Roman skyline.

TOP 5 PANORAMIC VIEWS

(1) Parco Villa Borghese

Walk up the stairs next to the Piazza Del Popolo, reach the Pincio, turn, walk towards the terraces and look

(2) Giardino degli Aranci 

After a relax walk along the Tevere you cross the street and take a steep road up to find a small garden. It is the perfect place for a picnic. In fact we ate the sandwiches we bought in the centre here, far away from the hectic city centre, and what a view…

(3) Terrazza del Gianicolo

It takes some time to get there on foot but absolutely worth while. A picture tells more than a thousand words:

(4) Terrazza delle Quadrighe

If you are near the Altare della Patria it is worth while to enter both for this impressive building and view that lies behind, from the terraces (and above if you wish to pay to use the elevators which take you up).

(5) Palatine hill

To have a beautiful panorama of what Ancient Rome is about, you can’t take a better shot than from the Palatine hill:

Reaching higher grounds

In what follows I wish to share with you two beautiful hikes, one planned the other by accident (I’ll explain later :’) ). You do not need professional gear… though wearing good walking shoes (also good running shoes) will only make the walk more pleasant. I do recommend doing these hikes in the morning, at least in summer time, because with the sun walking uphill becomes more challenging and you’ll need to take more breaks.

OPTION 1: Up Mount Epomeo

duration: a 4-5 hour hike (including the lunch break)

starting point: Bar Epomeo (Fontana)

map:

itinerary:

From the bar (across the street from the bus stop) you need to walk Via Francesco Trofa in the direction of the church and take Via Epomeo which you will find at your right hand side (shortly after having passed the corner). Here it all begins, though I have to say the first part of the climb is not that impressive since you walk up a rather steep asphalted road with little to see. Once you pass the restaurant A Cuieta the road will become sandy and you can start to enjoy the surroundings:

When the sandy road starts to get rockier and the real climbing begins you know that you are almost there:

And then, there you are at 789 metres above the sea level (“KING (QUEEN) OF THE WORLD”)

and what a view:

Since the space on the top is quite limited you cannot stay long so off you go again after 10 min. Having reached the top at lunchtime my stomach started to protest at that point. Luckily there is a restaurant near the top, La Grotta da Fiore, which I, unfortunately, had not expected to find at that height… leaving me to eat the lunch I had packed that morning but in a nice spot which I recommend you to see. Enter the restaurant (don’t worry the personnel is used to it), walk through the dining area, open the door at the end and you will find a beautiful sea view (which you can admire without any time pressure).

To head back to the civilised world you go down the sandy road until the sandy road splits in two. If you go to the left you will return as you came. If, instead, you turn right you will descend passing by the Pietra dell’Acqua (as you see on the map).

I have to add that it did get tricky at a certain point: it got really steep and I did slip a few times. Important to add, however, that during the last part you are protected from the sun by high natural walls of sand covered by bushes and trees.

OPTION 2: Sant’Angelo: up close and from high above

duration: 3 hour hike

starting point: Bar/Gelateria Ridente

map:

From Bar Ridente in the port you walk towards the Provinciale Succhivo Sant’Angelo, turn left and after a few meters right. At the end of the street you turn left and keep climbing… for a whooooooole while, no kidding. The road might not seem long but it is very steep, making it a quite intense hike (given also the heat at that period of the year). I say this because I started this hike in search of a church square which offers a marvellous overview of the coastline of Sant’Angelo, not knowing that how far (up) this church was, as in that it was the main church of another town, called Serrara Fontana, at 360m above the sea level. This rather unexpectedly long search for a mysterious panoramic point would have been a bit easier had I worn good walking shoes instead of silly sandals… I also suggest to take some food along: for example, in Sant’Angelo (the first part of the walk) you will pass some grocery shops where you could buy a snack or a tasty sandwich. Silly me had to go all the way to Serrara Fontana to eat something (I was starving at that point) and the only place still open was a rather strange looking bar. Luckily someone gave me instructions on how to reach a supermarket (walk through the gateway, go to the right and walk for about 50 metres and you will find it on your left hand side) where I bought an oh so tasty sandwich for only 2,5 euros which I ate looking at this beautiful scene: