Our Italian Road Trip - Part 1

 

San Sebastian - Nice

San Sebastian marked the start of our highly anticipated two-week Italian road trip. Our first adventure was to make our way over the Spanish border into France, and drive the southern French coast to Nice.

Getting There

We hired our car from Hertz in San Sebastian, but when we arrived we were reminded that we are in Spain and everyone (including car rental businesses) have siestas in the middle of the day. So, we had to wait until 4pm to get the paper work done and leave San Sebastian by 5pm (which was not when we had anticipated leaving) and began our roller coaster of a roadie passed the Pyrenees Mountains and onto the coast.

Our loyal travel companion, Google Maps, warned us that this was an 8-and-a-half-hour drive. So, instead we drove 5 hours to a small French town called Agde on the Mediterranean coast.

 

 

First stop: Agde, France

Where we stayed

Like usual we booked the night before through Air BnB and literally just picked anything within our budget that was somewhere half way between San Sebastian and Nice. We chose a shack style accommodation out the back of a fisherman's house on the beach front of Agde. The shack was perfect for our one night stop over.

What we did

As we didn't arrive until 10pm that night, it was dark and we didn't notice what this small town had in store. To our surprise the next morning, this was a vibrant and cute French town, full of French tourists on their summer vacation. The beach reminded us of our home in South Australia, a rare sandy beach and one of the last sandy beaches we would experience for a while. The street was filled with restaurants, clubs and bars, and market style shops, and even had a theme park down the road. If only we had known how much of a hidden treasure this place was, we would have stayed longer!

 

 

Second stop: Nice, France

Getting there

After leaving Agde in the morning, it was then a 4-hour drive to Nice. We did consider dropping into some beachside towns along the way, but we were more eager to get to Nice and unpack.

Where we stayed

We booked two nights in an apartment on the Promenade des Anglais, called Adagio Apartmenthotel through Booking.com. The apartment was fully equipped with a kitchen, a fold out sofa bed, bathroom, balcony and free Wi-Fi. We used the public parking down the road, that was unfortunately not free but 28 euro a day.

 

 

What we did

Walked the Promenade

We walked and people watched along the promenade, spotting people on the pebbled beach, enjoying water sports, riding bikes and eating at expensive restaurants. The Promenade is very long, so you can always hire a bike and ride to the other end.

 

 

Climbed Castle Hill

Okay, so we didn't climb it but instead took the lift there. There was a beautiful big park at the top with great views of the city and even a man-made waterfall.

 

 

Took a photo at the #ILoveNice sign

Not only is it an iconic tourist thing to do, but there is also a great view of the beach and city as well.

 

Tried to lie on the rocky beach

So, you can either do that, or hire a sunbed. We decided to save our euros and choose a smooth(ish!) place to lie down and work on that Mediterranean tan (not that we could ever beat the tan of the locals), and cool off in the crystal-clear waters.

What we ate

Dined in

Both nights we put the kitchen to good use and cooked our first home cooked meal in 3 weeks - made pasta, relaxed on our balcony facing away from the beach but instead overlooking some magnificent road works, and drank wine to the sound of jackhammers.

However, if dining in with lolly pop men isn't your thing, then there are many alfresco dining places along the promenade, go for a walk and grab a bite to eat!

French Cheese and Crackers

During the day, we packed our backpack with take away wine (no surprises there!), Doritos and some French cheese and biscuits and had a picnic on the beach. The smell of Rosé, tanning oil and cheesy Doritos was the perfect fragrant mix for a French day on the beach.

 

Nice - Portofino Coast 

Third stop: Rapallo, Italy

Getting there

We decided to cross the border into Italy and drive 1 and half hours from Nice to the Portofino Coast. We experienced great views of the villages in the valleys of the mountains, and alternating between tunnels and bridges to get there.

 

 

Where we stayed

We stayed in the town of Rapallo, in a family-run hostel called "Pension Elvezia". It wasn't a booked-out hostel, so even though we had a shared shower, it felt like our own. They had a downstairs eating area for breakfast and a small nook with couch and TV. It was complete for our one night stop over.

 

 

What we did

The best thing we did was drive south along the coast from Rapallo, (and experience our first taste of Italian drivers) and find a small sandy cove called Paraggi Beach with a few restaurants and beach goers. Our first memory of Italy will always be eating Margherita pizza on the beach by the clear blue water, and basking in the Mediterranean sun! - What my Italian dreams were made of! 

We spent the evening walking around Rapallo - a great town with a few tourists and amazing coastal views.

 

 

What we ate

We had a superb Italian dinner at "Ristorante Sapore di Mare" on the beach front.

Bree ordered the local dish of Trofie Pesto (pesto pasta with potatoes and beans), and Dyl ordered a creamy seafood pasta. But we couldn't look pass their dessert menu of Chocoburgers and Chocokebabs and we didn't regret ordering both.

Pizza, Pasta and Nutella filled deserts for our first night in Italy set our foodie expectations high for the rest of the trip.

 

Portofino Coast - Cinque Terre 

Fourth Stop: Riomaggiore, Italy

Getting there

From Rapallo it was a 1-and-a-half-hour drive to Riomaggiore, the furthermost town of the 5 villages that make up the Cinque Terre. We parked just outside of the town of Riomaggiore in an under-cover car park, as only select vehicles can enter the town. There is free parking on the street outside of the town, but generally already taken, and would be a lot of walking with your luggage up the hill. Another alternative if you didn't have a car is to catch the train through La Spezia.

 

 

Where we stayed

If ever planning to stay in the Cinque Terre, booking well in advance is recommended as accommodation can be scarce over the Summer period. But our whole trip has been spare of the moment planning and booking, so we managed to book the only available room in the whole Cinque Terre that was within our budget for two nights.

This was also the only time I regretted bringing a suit case instead of a backpack, as you are either walking up a hill or stairs to reach most accommodation.

What we did

Hiking

Unfortunately, the coastal walk from Riomaggiore to Corniglia was closed, so we took the short 1km hike to the next town, Manarola (well so the sign said). If this was 1 km, it had to be 500m straight up and 500m straight down. But despite the challenge of it, it was worth the views and burning off that extra pizza and gelato! And the best reward after the treacherous hike was jumping off the rocks into the water in Manarola.

We also decided to catch the train to the last town, Monterosso. However, you can walk between all five towns if you are up for it. We wanted to check out the sweeping (packed) beach and catch a nap and another swim.

Unfortunately, Dyl locked his backpack on the beach when we went swimming, and left the keys in his pocket, which are now at the bottom of the water at Monterosso beach. So, we decided to head back to Riomaggiore, and try break into our own bag so we could get our room key. Luck was in our favour and we found a kind fisherman near our accommodation who had an angle grinder to cut the lock off.

 

 

Sunset Party

Riomaggiore had spectacular views at sunset that night. The terrace up the stairs to the left of the port was the perfect location to watch the day fade into night. The multi-coloured houses, orange and purple sky, and the glistening water was a picture-perfect ending to our adventurous day. The "Disco, Disco" party started on the terrace as the sun was setting, we got pizza, watched the sunset, drank wine and danced to "Despacito" with people from all around the world, their names we will never remember, but memories we will never forget.

 

 

What we ate

Bree is obsessed with pesto, and when we found out Cinque Terre is in the land of pesto, she couldn't have been more excited to indulge in the local cuisine. Pesto Pizza, Pesto Pasta!

However, our main Italian diet began that weekend, of alternations between pizza and gelato all day, every day.

 

 

How we got around

Each village is quite small and, although steep, you can walk from top to bottom quickly.

Between each village, you can either hike or catch the train for 16 euro per day.

  

Final Note

The first half of our 2-week Italian adventure was the best way to get a taste of the Italian culture, see spectacular sights and get off the beaten track. Stay tuned for "Our Italian Road Trip - Part 2" where we experience plenty of ups and downs, give our best Italian Road Trip tips and venture to Rome, The Amalfi Coast and Tuscany.