You could call it a ‘micro-road trip’. Then again, you could just as easily call it an ‘extended city break’. And if you’re after a more descriptive signifier, you could always go for ‘one man driving through Italy eating lots of pasta and getting blisters on his feet.’
I don’t really mind what you call my latest getaway because, if I’m honest, I’m not looking to start a trend here. All I can say is that with five days annual leave burning a hole in my diary, I found myself struck with an irrepressible urge to sample some varied sights, sounds and tastes, and there were three places I knew wouldn’t let me down. So, naturally, I decided to go to all of them.
Milan
Day One: As the European HQ for many of the world’s biggest fashion houses, Italy’s second city is to people-watching what the Arctic tundra is to snowball-fighting. Most of the locals look like they’ve just strutted off the pages of Vogue, (seriously – even the wrinklies choose designer loafers over tartan slippers) meaning the risk of whiplash as you amble through the city’s twisty, cobbled streets is very real indeed. And with pocket-sized art galleries and quirky boutiques around every corner, amble you most certainly will.
When you’ve earned a rest, Via Brera – a quiet street situated just off the much noisier Via Pontaccio in the centre of town – is home to plenty of cafés fit for the task. Which you choose is fairly irrelevant since they all share the same dreamy, unhurried atmosphere, with operatic vocals romantically wafting down from the windows of the nearby Accademia della Belle Arti.
Don’t get too caught up in the moment, mind – this is a European cultural hotspot after all, and there are sights to be seen. First on your tour should be Duomo Di Milano; a gleaming, gothic leviathan of a cathedral, whose marble spires and snarling gargoyles were painstakingly pieced together during a period spanning more than five centuries, before the building was officially completed in 1965. The piazza on which it sits is, of course, beleaguered by all the usual tourist-snaring guff and nick-nack stalls flogging tasteless tat, but with a schedule to stick to, I’d taken my snapshots and was on my way before the pigeons could even start pecking at my Converse trainers.
Naturally, when time is of the essence, a well-located base of operations is everything, and few Milan rest-stops are better placed for a flying visit than UNA Hotel Cusani. As well as being situated strolling distance from the aforementioned Duomo and the Medieval castle Sforzesco, the hotel also boasts modern, tastefully decked-out suites that more than stand up against the catwalk culture beyond its walls. Stumbling in at around midnight following my first encounter with the great Italian aperitivo (more on that later), I left the next morning feeling rested, refreshed and, after a mighty continental breakfast, well fed. Which, with my journey yet to begin in earnest, was just as well.
Florence
Day Two: Train services between Milan and Florence may be regular, fast and affordable, but rent a car from Stazione Centrale (you’ll see offices for familiar, international companies, but local firm Maggiore were cheapest when I travelled) and you’ll enjoy a far more scenic journey, with the meandering A15 road in particular delivering lush, green, vistas of the Tuscan countryside straight out of an olive oil commercial. The drive clocks in at around three-and-a-half hours, meaning a midday departure should get you to Florence in time to settle down and head out for some dinner. And given that the Tuscan capital boasts some of the finest trattorias and ristorantes in the country, there’s no shortage of choice.
Wherever you head, chances are you’ll be offered the chance to try Florentine steak – a phonebook-thick hunk of cow that’s part dinner and part protein-based machismo contest. Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco – a charmingly modest, permanently packed spot just south of the river – serves its meat up by the kilo, while the menu of classic pastas, fish dishes and daily specials means the less carnivorously inclined are well looked after, too.
Day Three: While modern metropolises twinkle by night, renaissance-leading, terracotta-clad Florence looks no better than on a sunny, cloud-flecked autumn afternoon, and you’ll find an incredible view of the city at Hotel Torre Di Bellosguardo. Converted into a hotel in the 1920s, this impeccably preserved Tuscan mansion dates back to the 13th Century, when it was built as a family home for Guido Cavalcanti – an academically adored Florentine poet and best chum of none other than Dante Alighieri.
Impressive heritage indeed, but this isn’t a one-off – you’ll find this sort of story attached to practically every building in town. From the Uffizi Gallery (home to works by Leonardro da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli, but used as a magistrates court for the first few centuries of its life), to the magnificent, dome-roofed Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, everything in Florence is steeped in so much history that it’s difficult not to experience a miniature existential crisis while wandering its quiet, idyllic backstreets. The antidote, I discovered, was to grab a seat at one of the alfresco bars opposite Palazzo Pitti, charge my glass and make plans for the trip ahead.
Rome
Day Four: While the charms of Milan and Florence can be absorbed within 48 hours, spend the same amount of time in Rome and you won’t even scratch the surface. Ten times the size of Florence in terms of population, a spot of pre-visit online ticket-booking is advised, providing you hadn’t intended to spend the majority of your time in one of the world’s most fascinating cities standing in a queue, staring at the back of a German man’s head.
However, having visited Rome twice in my youth, I was determined to get a different perspective of the city – one that didn’t involve ducking out of the way of a camera lens every 15 seconds. And with my hire car now returned, I’d be doing things the old fashioned way. Predictably, I got a little carried away.
What was intended to be a gentle hour-or-two stroll turned into a five-and-a-half-hour cross-city epic, with every turn revealing a monument or patch of ruins that just begged to be explored, photographed and Googled the next morning. And this, more than anything else, is the most truly unique thing about Rome; with reminders of its powerful, violent history absolutely everywhere, the city is a gigantic museum to its own history, with the added bonus that you don’t have to suffer a tacky gift shop on the way out.
Having taken in the high fashion outlets of Via Del Corso, the impressive grounds of Galleria Borghese, the lush green gardens of Villa Doria Pamphili and innumerable other sights with equally pretty names, I limped back to my bed at the Kolbe hotel and set my alarm for sometime next decade.
Day Five: Except that my well-deserved uber-snooze didn’t quite work out, because I was woken up at 9.30am by something I couldn’t ignore – my belly. In all the excitement of yesterday’s tour, I’d completely forgotten to have dinner and, with my swollen feet resembling a pair of flesh-coloured clown shoes, I decided to dedicate the final day of my trip to correcting the calorie defecit.
Situated a 15 minute stroll from the Colosseum, there are plenty of options for good, authentic eats near the hotel, but it must be said that its in-house restaurant whips up a beef, mushroom and truffle gnocchi worthy of a standing ovation.
Alternatively, those with aspirations beyond the usual pizzas, pastas and salads should check out an aperitivo, laid on within most bars from around 6pm. A uniquely Italian concept, aperitivo is a small buffet, priced between Dhs30-50 and designed to line the bellies of the drinking classes. As such, the quality of the food (think bruschetta, cheese and similarly stodgy antipasti-style fare) does tend to vary from place to place. But then – as with so many things in Italy – it’s the social aspect of the experience that counts, and given that I’d just come to the end of one of the biggest journeys of my life, I tucked into the final meal of my trip with plenty of stories to tell.
Need to know
Getting there
Direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Italy are rare and pricey, but, with only a brief stop-over, KLM Royal Dutch’s service via Amsterdam is fairly pain-free. Fly into Milan Linate airport and back from Rome Fiumicino for around Dhs2335.
Where to stay:
Park Hotel Bayersoien UNA Hotel Cusani, Milan: An excellently located downtown hotel, with trams stopping just outside ready to rattle you around the city. Take advantage of the impressive breakfast buffet before you head out to explore, though – you’ll need the energy.
www.unahotels.it (+39 02 85601).
Hotel Torre di Bellosguardo, Florence: Quaint and impossibly picturesque, this historic property is based high in the Tuscan hills, with a view over the terracotta-topped city to match the rural splendour of its sprawling grounds.
www.torrebellosguardo.com (+39 055 2298145).
Kolbe Hotel, Rome: A cosy, modern rest-stop located on a quiet side street just around the corner from the Colosseum. Few four-star hotels in the city are as affordable, fewer still as welcoming.
www.kolbehotelrome.com (+39 06 6798866).
