Monday - Rome to Viareggio

We checked out of the hotel at 9am.

This time we asked the hotel to arrange for a taxi to the railway station. A good move because it only costed 10 euros this time.

Taxi fares seem to be random numbers in Rome. On the way from the railway station, someone quoted 70 euros but we ended up paying 30 euros. The hotel told us that it should have been only 20 euros. This time, we paid only 10 euros despite the fact that the meter said 12.50 euros. I can't figure it out.

It wasn't easy to find the Avis booth at the railway station. It was next to platform 24 but there were no signs to find it.

We asked them if we could change from a manual to an automatic. Instead of the little Opel we had booked, they gave us a Mercedes A class automatic. Another great move because it turned out to be a great car to drive.

Avis keeps the hire cars on the top level of a multi-storey car park about 200 meters from the station. We drove out of the carpark at 10:30.

Avis gave us a map and showed us how to get out of Rome and how to get onto the A1 freeway that heads north to Florence.

I had been dreading driving through the traffic in Rome but it turned out to be quite OK (compared to some of the driving we have already done on this trip). Avis's instructions were good and Suzy's navigation was even better.

The trip was pretty easy because it was on freeways most of the way. We arrived at Pisa just before 4pm.

People had told us that the leaning tower was no big deal and we just needed to drive past to say we had seen it. We actually found it quite impressive. The tower leans more than I had expected and it is in a large plaza with several other interesting buildings. Well worth the visit and well worth the long detour.

We had trouble finding the hotel at Viareggio even though we stopped to ask directions a few times. Eventually, we stumbled on it just when we were about to give up and try a different hotel.

A funny thing happened on the way into Viareggio from Pisa. We saw several "women" in fishnet stockings. They were walking along the road in bushland areas. The first one was more than 6ft tall and had no skirt. (The following day we were speaking to some Australians who often come to Italy. They said the people we saw would have been transvestites and prostitutes).

Anyway, Viareggio itself is a great place. Quite a find. So much so, I have created a separate blog entry for it.

In the evening, we had a fabuluous meal in one of the cafes along the promenade. Great food. Great service. A mixed drink followed by lots of wine. We only had to stumble across the road to get back to our hotel.