Isaac@Italia (2025)
爾德@意大利 (2025)

Isaac@Europe

Eat Hard! Play Hard!

Genova Cinque Terre Pisa Firenze

October 2025

Isaac soon has grown up to be a schoolboy in year 3. We have prepared a trip with more in-depth experiences, with exploration into more remote locations. The less beknown Genova, the five fishing/wine villages of Cinque Terre, and the old influential Pisa are covered in this trip, together with the wider exploration of the revisited Firenze.

Genova

Although being less famous than Venezia, Genova was once another influential and affluent maritime republic in rivalry to Venezia, both in the rise and the decline.

Genova remains one of the busiest cruise ports in the Mediterranean with mega cruise ships stopping here pouring in thousands of tourists during daytime. The nights are quiet and calm, marking a drastic contrast with the daytime (another similarity to Venezia).

Contrary to Venezia, Genova is a hilly city with challenging slopes and stairs in the old city, coupled with wide and interesting promenade in the port area. Isaac enjoyed both.

Isaac also experienced the roughness of a living stingray with his own hand for the first time in the Aquarium.

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Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre comprises of five villages along the coast of Liguria at the narrow edge between the mountainous Ligurian Apennines (as part of Apennines mountains) and the Mediterranean Sea. From north to south they are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. They are sitting on the Genova-Pisa railway line and connected to rest of the country via dozens of tunnels into the mountain ridges.

Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore are founded at river estuaries of deep river valley with their harbours sheltered by steep hillsides. Monterosso is built on considerably wider levelled ground with long beaches and gentler hillside terraced for cultivation. Corniglia is built on top of a high, rocky promontory about 100 meters above the sea, surrounded by agricultural terraces and vineyards, with no harbour or access to the sea.

The houses in these villages are built colourfully, with many of them sitting on steep hillsides. The stairs can be narrow, steep and challenging to the unprepared. Isaac did have better stamina to manage these stairs and steep hillsides.

The villages are bustling during daytime with tourists flocking in for daytrip train after train but become incredibly quiet after sunset. Isaac stayed for two nights in Vernazza to experience the tranquillity of the village and visited other villages by trains.

Vernazza

Vernazza is considerably smaller than Monterosso and Riomaagiore. It was chosen for accommodation for convenient access to the train station and the pier for cruise/ferry, though unfortunately all cruises and ferries were cancelled due to strong wind and rough sea throughout the week.

Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore is accessible by trains via the long pedestrian tunnel between the train station and the village.

Piazza Vignaioli in the centre offers an impressive view of the village, while high point at the harbour offers stunning view of the village from another perspective.

Manarola

Similar to Riomaggiore, a long pedestrian tunnel brought Isaac from the train station to Manarola. Manarola is a tiny village by population, yet Isaac enjoyed the food and gelato there - leading to last minute plan change to have our dinner here instead of in Vernazza.

Corniglia

Not only being a village 100m above sea level, Corniglia is also sitting well above the train station. There was a long queue for the shuttle bus navigating through the twisting and steep road between the train station and Corniglia.

Monterosso

Isaac enjoyed watching the dogs having fun at the beach here. Walking along the beach and flat main road of Monterosso, we relaxed our fatigued feet from the hilly paths and stairs in other villages.

Pisa

In addition to the famous leaning tower of Pisa, Pisa also have nice pork/ham/salame sandwiches and gelato to offer.

Pisa was historically a powerful and affluent city (that's why they could afford huge cathedrals and the tower despite the tower started leaning at early stage of construction). It was a powerful maritime rival to Genova before being defeated at sea by the Genoese, followed by the eventual defeat at land by the Florentine and the city was conquered 120 years later.

Firenze

There was not enough of Firenze back in 2024, so there is a much longer return here in 2025. Staying in the same historic hotel for its central location and the decent breakfast in the decorated room, Isaac also came back for the Florentine steak and other foods he enjoyed in the previous visit.

There are two statues of David - the original work by Michelangelo is now inside Galleria dell'Accademia and the replica replaces the original work at the front of Palazzo Vecchio.

Isaac also visited the re-opened Corridoio Vasariano, the 1km "secret" passage above and away from the public. It was used by the Medici ruler as a private corridor to move between Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti. The corridor not only runs along the bridge (Ponte Vecchio) above the shops, but also connects to the balcony of Chiesa di Santa Felicita (Church St Felicity).