After a comfortable overnight crossing, we enjoyed a coffee in the lounge before going out onto the somewhat breezy rear deck to await arrival into Bari, Wednesday 18 March. We’d set an alarm for 0730, thinking the boat docked at 0900 and got a bit confused over what time it is! The boat actually docks at 1000 (using Athens time which is an hour ahead of Rome) but once ashore we’re on Italian time, so there’s nearly an hour to get our train at 1030. We’re surprised to notice that there seems to be a Pilot guiding the ferry into Patras. Having queued near the exit, we had to wait for all drivers to go but were first of the foot passengers to run off down the escalators. Grabbed a taxi to the train station as this is the only option but no haggling this time, fixed price €20.
Arrived with half an hour to spare for the train to Florence, enough time to stock up with some tasty-looking sandwiches and cake for the journey. Business class on the Frecciarossa is very comfortable though with a few complimentary snacks and coffee. Apart from a booking in Florence for a few days there’s nothing in the diary. It’s time to plan where to go next, using our proper old-fashioned paper map of Rail Routes in Europe along with the multitude of apps and national rail websites . . .
Changed trains at Bologna, a big station with very good signage and helpful railway staff to answer our enquiries. Not the place to try a quick transfer. Glad we had 45 minutes which was fine. Had to go down three floors on escalators. Boarded another Frecciarossa very busy commuter train, glad we’d reserved seats, with most of the journey in tunnels. Complimentary drinks this time included Prosecco, in a paper cup!
Got to Firenze Santa Maria Novello a few minutes late at 1750. It’s the busiest station in Italy, built in the 1930s and representing Italian Modernism/Art Deco. The project was sponsored by architect Marcello Piacentini, designed by Gruppo Toscano and approved by Mussolini. The most striking feature on arrival is the dramatic metal and glass roof, perpendicular to the tracks and acting as a pedestrian street. Huge skylights span the concourse without any supporting columns, giving a feeling of vast space with the metal lettering from the original station concourse showing where the ticket office and other facilities would have been – a bit confusing, since it’s all modern shops now but lovely to see them retained!
It’s rush hour and we decide to take a cab to our B&B at Santa Croce. Alternatively, it’s a 25 minute walk with our luggage or try and work out the public transport system. Sadly, no fixed prices, only a meter and as it clicked round in the busy traffic and one-way streets our driver finally found the B&B at the second attempt, along the maze of narrow streets, mostly cobbled, charging us €25. I can’t believe he didn’t know where this famous square was! The B&B is in a residential neighbourhood just next to the lovely church with plenty of places to eat nearby. We chose a pizzeria, Il Pizzaiolo, recommended by our host, who made us most welcome via WhatsApp messages and a bottle of Vin Santo and cantucinni, a Tuscan speciality, in the shared kitchen. This place is much more than a simple ‘B&B’, could almost be called an apartment with breakfast!