Exploring Italy, Part II

Yes, you read that right!!!

I never finished blogging about my Europe adventure in 2011. This is my first attempt to complete that task. It's going to be short.

I left off during the early period of the trip, while Brit and I were still in Italy. We were staying in Lucca, a quaint walled town, which was a great central location to some nifty day-trip destinations.

One of those destinations was Pisa, of leaning-tower fame. The other was a ocean-side holidaying town called Veraggio.

We caught a morning train, hoping to bask in some sunny Italian rays on pristine white beaches. We got lost (of course) but eventually began heading down a sloped road, crisp blue ocean glistening in the distance.

As we got nearer, we realized there was no way we were going to get near the the sandy shores, because it was completely cut off by HUGE expensive-looking hotels. It seemed the hotels had a monopoly on the ocean-side real estate, and the worst part was that those beautiful beaches (with those blessed shade-providing umbrellas) were almost completely empty! What a waste!

The few hotel patrons had large stretches of beach to themselves.
Thankfully the public can still go in the water...as long as they can get to it! 

We refused to admit defeat, and stubbornly tramped along the endless row of hotels and fancy shops until we came to the very end (it probably took an hour, or at least it felt like it). Tucked away between the last hotel and a long pier, in what felt like the back alley of Italian beach space, was the "public beach". And it. was. packed.

There was literally not a square inch left between the super-tanned locals and the water. At least that is how I remember it. Neither was there a place to change into my bathingsuit. Some of the local ladies decided not to bother with the tops, but I wasn't feeling quite up to that kind of exposure.

Speedos were the fashion of the day. 

Feeling a little overheated and disappointed at the lack of beach space, we decided to meander the pier.

Sometimes you just don't want to know.

 Apart for a little culture-shock in what is considered decent swimming attire, it was quite scenic.

After walking up a down, we climbed down to the water and walked back in the direction we had come, this time amongst the waves. Even fancy Italian hotels don't own the ocean.