Europe 2026

Accommodation in Florence is expensive. But I found a really large apartment (two bedrooms, two bathrooms, large kitchen, large living room) in Montecatini Terme for about R1300/night and €60 buys you a five day train pass (which, just putting it out there, was not once checked by anyone anywhere…) so that worked out well.

The high-speed train runs from Naples to Florence, so we got off there, stored our suitcases (not cheap) and headed off into the city.

You can find many pictures of Florence online. The Duomo is magnificent. The queue is too long though, and we were not even there in high season. Crazy.

The east gate is apparently something to behold, but as you can see from the pic above, they were renovating and one can’t get close to it.

On Piazza Della Signoria, this spot between the Neptune fountain and the Loggia marks the Bonfire of Vanities as well as the spot where Girolamo Savonarola was hanged and burned alive a year and a bit later, in 1498. An early case of FAFO.

We specifically went to the small square in front of the Casa di Dante museum to find this profile of Dante’s face carved into the pavement. Apparently nobody knows who did it or when. Also, supposedly, it’s always wet.

Anyway, plenty pictures online. We came for the food.

This is Alimentari Uffizi. It’s maybe a hundred meters from the Loggia. It seats about 16 people inside, maybe a few more on the pavement. We got there, they had space.

I proceeded to eat myself into a state.

Meat and cheese platter, bread, olives, a glass of Caspriano Toscana Bianco and a coke, then we had the Vin Santo & Cantucci, as well as something similar to Becherovka (but Italian, of course). It all came to €51 (they do take cards) and it’s worth it. Go.

Now the problem with all of this is that it broke me. I have a condition* where if I eat too much, I then can’t eat again for… days, sometimes. So after Alimentari Uffizi I ran out of appetite. Couldn’t get into the Lampredotto (which one gets from Trippaio del Porcellino on Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, piccante e salsa verde) at all.

So we took the bus to the Piazzale Michaelangelo to appreciate the view.

Florence is a pretty place, will go there again. Next day we took the train the other way, to Pisa. Impressive place.

* Reduced glucose tolerance, and no it’s not diabetes, I’ve had it pretty much since I was born, and it’s actually getting better not worse.

Naples is busy, dirty, noisy, and has graffiti everywhere. And I can’t recommend it enough.

OK, so it was Tanya and me and inexpensive (R10500 return pp) Turkish Airways tickets into Napoli and out of Ljubljana, 23 April to 29 May.

Outbound we had what I consider the best seats in the plane, right at the back, 42J and K (42A/B is maybe better).

However… if there’s a thunderstorm so rough that the pilot has to divert around it… it gets a bit bouncy in the back. Also, you get your food last, which meant we got what was left after they ran out of chicken and beef (the vegetarian option, pasta with eggplant and zucchini, and not bad at all).

“Breakfast” was an omelette with potato and again, quite good for airport food. This was served at just after 01:00 SA time, because we were pulling into Istanbul, where we had to walk a mile, clear securty, walk another mile, and get on the short-hop plane, where they fed us again (it’s a 2 1/2 hour flight to Naples).

Anyway, Naples. I had found cheap (well, affordable, four nights for under R4000, or €60 a night) accommodation right in the middle of Spaccanapoli. What I didn’t know was that this was Liberation Day weekend. It was loud, and busy, and crazy.

Insane.

Pizza. Naples is known for its pizza. This is the queue outside L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, which has been open since 1870. They have two pizzas on the menu — Margherita and Marinara (They also list Cosacca which is not available and Marita which is 50/50 Margherita and Marinara). There is a ticketing system. Pizzas cost €5, takeaway. They take only cash.

Pricewise, they are probably the best pizzeria in town. But if you can only get to one Naples pizzeria, rather go to Gino Sorbilo. The pizzas are more expensive and there’s a Copperto (cover charge), but you get to sit down and relax and have some wine rather than standing in a queue for take-aways.

A Rudolfo (€10.50), a Diavolo (€8.50), two glasses of wine at €3.50 each, and a €2 Copperto per person for a total of €30.

Ragù. Naples is also known for its Ragù. The place to be, they tell me, is Tandem Ragu. I went a little apeshit, had both the lasagna and the polpette. Tanya had spaghetti ragù. That, with half a litre of white (Falanghina) and 3/4 of a liter of red (Aglianico) and two x 5€ Copperto set us back €60.50. Yowch. But when in Napoli…