Even though we've spent the whole summer in Italy, sweating most of the time (no air conditioning in the apartment), we had not seen the ocean yet. So after another week of sunny 34 degree days, we decided to spend a day at the beach in
Viareggio today. Of course, once we'd made that decision, the weather forecast changed to cooler and rainy, but that (as well as a look out the window this morning) didn't deter us from taking the train to the seaside resort this morning. After a walk to the oceanfront, we were faced with the difficult decision of choosing a bathing facility. In Italy, most
beaches are private property, and so you have to pay to use it. We ended up comparing prices, and in the end, 20 Euros got us two beach chairs, an umbrella and a changing room/locker for the day. This being towards the end of the season and a somewhat rainy day, I think we got a slight discount. After changing, we were shown our chairs -- sixth row, not bad -- and could then start our relaxation. It drizzled a little bit, but then the sun came out and we went into the water, which was pleasantly cool (refreshing, not icy) and choppy. Actually going into the water does not seem to be the point of going to the beach for many Italians, though. I guess working on their tan is more important. After reading some and taking a short nap, a wind came up and the weather became more cloudy, so after a while we left and walked along the oceanfront promenade with many 1920's buildings and then back to the train station, from where we took the train back to Florence.
Today was our hiking day in the Parco Naturale della Maremma. We got to the parking lot of the visitor center where we were to catch a shuttle bus into the park and saw row after row of campmobiles. Luckily, many of the people seemed to be more interested in biking to the beach or packing out their tables and having a relaxed lunch than in actually hiking in the park. After thorough consultation with Kristen, we decided on an itinerary to the remains of two old watchtowers and down to the beach. It was quite warm in the sun, but also quite hazy, so the views weren't the best, but the landscape was nevertheless quite beautiful. Very mediterranean, with some olive groves, shrubbery, and rosemary bushes growing on the trailside. We had lunch on the beach, then hiked back to the bus stop.
After getting back to the visitor center, it was still quite early, so we drove down the coast to Monte Argentario, a former island that's now connected to the mainland by some land bridges. This is apparently a popular vacation spot for rich Romans, and it did appear to be that way, at least judging from the houses and villas on display. We simply did a turn around the island on the Via panoramica before heading back to the campground.
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