Florence & Tuscany - Italy - page 1036

TRAIN
The station is south of the city walls: take the path across the moat and through the tunnel
under Baluardo San Colombano.

Florence €7, 1¼ to 1¾ hours, hourly
Pisa €3.30, 30 minutes, every half hour

Viareggio €3.30, 25 minutes, hourly

Getting Around

Rent a bicycle (€3/15 per hour/day; ID required) from the Piazzale Verdi tourist office or
from the following places:

Cicli Bizzarri ( 05 8349 6682; www.ciclibizzarri.net ; Piazza Santa Maria 32; per day €15;

9am-7pm summer)

Biciclette Poli ( 05 8349 3787; www.biciclettepoli.com ; Piazza Santa Maria 42; per day €15;

9am-7pm summer)

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Viareggio

Italy's beach-loving hoi polloi pack out the coastal strip known as the Versilian Riviera ,
which legs it north from this major town to the regional border with Liguria.
Frolicking on the long sandy beach and lapping up the seafront's gorgeous line-up of
1920s art nouveau facades aside, the main reason to visit Viareggio is for its flamboyant,
four-week Mardi Gras Carnevale ( www.viareggio.ilcarnevale.com ) in February, which is second
only to Venice for party spirit.

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Pietrasanta
POP 24,900
Often overlooked by Tuscan travellers, this refined art town - an easy day trip by train
from Pisa (€3.30, 25 minutes) - is an unexpected and charming surprise. Its bijou historic
heart, originally walled, is car-free and loaded with tiny art galleries, workshops and fash-
ion boutiques - perfect for a day's amble broken only by lunch.