Europe 2026

I woke up early and went for a walk around San Marino before breakfast and my trip down the mountain to the bus stop. A painless bus ride later, I was at the train station in Rimini. I was just about to get myself over to the platform when I discovered that my train had been cancelled. No big deal, it turns out - I just got on a train an hour later.

I arrived in Ravenna midafternoon and got to my lodging, which turned out to be an air b@b kind of tiny room in what was once part of a larger apartment. Very comfortable, although the very petite host had all of the mirrors at a level with my torso!

I had chosen Ravenna thinking I’d be able to go to the beach, but it seems that many, many Italians also have this idea. I took a city bus to the beach with some difficulty (every city has a different pay system, and I’m not sure I actually paid. Oops). Once there I walked to the water but the place was crawling with people (not v. picturesque), and finding a free beach would’ve taken some time.

I was hot, and even though it was *only* 6:00 at this point, I was starving. I knew from experience that finding a restaurant open for dinner so early would be difficult. Eventually I found a pizzeria where I had some communication issues with the non-English speaking proprietors, but eventually devoured most of a veggie pizza.

Since the bus was tricky and I was tired, I decided to splurge on a taxi back to my room. I used the Italian taxi app and thought I was golden. The driver calls me to establish where I am (which was in the app…). He spoke very little English and I speak virtually no Italian, so this took a while. I was envisioning myself stranded forever but we got it figured out and I arrived back safely. I have been spoiled in the more touristy locations with the English speakers!

All this is to say not every day can be perfect, even on vacation in Italy, but I emerged intact and accomplished my goals of seeing new stuff off the beaten path!Leia mais