In Istanbul it is difficult to learn a language, which is not a world language. Italian is not a very widespread language like English which is spoken everywhere in the world. Turkey is not a rich source in terns of neither songs, films nor magazines, books etc. For that reason I decided to Viareggio thinking that I would have a chance both for refreshing my knowledge of Italian and also having a vacation. In deed I had decided to go to Viareggio long before for a period of 2 weeks but various misfortunes had led me first to go to Siena and then to Viareggio for only one week.
Viareggio is a small coastal town affiliated to Lucca in Toscana region. It is as if a little bit on the left knee when you have a look at the boot. It is 10 min. by train to the famous oblique tower Pisa.
There are no direct flights to any city in Italy other than Milano, Rome, Torino, Venice, Genova, Bologna and Napoli. For that reason the most convenient way to go to Viareggio is to fly to Genova and then pass from there to Viareggio by train. You may have all information related to train travels like the time of departure and arrival by entering your point of departure and destination point in the web site http://www.trenitalia.com/ You may take a taxi from the airport and go to Piazza Principe, which is the nearest train station. Just like buses, trains too depart and arrive just on time. Ticket prices vary depending on the season and hour of the trip and how long ago you had bought the tickets but one might say they are in the range of 10-20 Euros. Trip lasts about 2 hours. Trains are more expensive in comparison to the buses but train is the easiest and most comfortable means of rransport from Genova to Viareggio. You will see many places along the itinerary as you see the sea on your right handisde and the natural landscape on the left handside.
Viareggios is a small town. You may go to your hotel, which is probably in the inner town, on foot if youer luggage is not heavy.
I stayed in Mirage Hotel. http://www.hotelmirageviareggio.it/ I recommend you to stay in the same hotel. It is quite advantegous in terms of transport since it is small and located on a central site. Quality of service and personnel is quite good. The restaurant just under the hotel is also quite delicious and the prices are quite reasonable.
Viareggio has a long coast. There are rows of beaches on the coastal line. There are no differences between them since they offer the same service and have a view to the same sea.
I can’t tell how dirty the sea was but I don’t know if it was so just during the season I visited there or is always so. I don’t want to disappoint anybody at the beginning of my article but never go to Viareggio for a sea vacation. We are the people who have seen the sea of Çeşme, Kaş, Kalkan and Bodrum. For that reason a moderate sea would not satisfy us. Viareggio’s sea which is only a little bit better than Ganj river had disappointed me very much, I thanked God at every chance for not having made a 2 weekly vacation plan.
There are no public beaches around the central beaches. You have to pay to enter all the private beaches. Prices may change, albeit the reason for that is not undestandable. One thing is certain, all hotels have an agreement with a beach. If you haven’t gone to the course that day, take care to go to the beach with which your hotel has a contract. Otherwise you may have to pay a double entrance fee. I went to the beach of the hotel once for half a day and paid 15 Euros; on the other hand, entrance ticket to the beach, with which the school has a contract, is 3 Euros for the whole day. Normal entrance fee is around 25-30 Euros.
Any way, if you shall go to the beach for having a sunbath, it is okey but if you think going there for swimming I would recommend you to think once more.
Viareggio is a small but unbelievably tidy city. Houses are maximum 2 story and each of them is more beautiful than other. There are very few cars. For that reason the roads are very easy going.
There are pedestrian roads more or less equal in width to the 3 lane carriage way on the coastal road. Besides there is a lane for the bicycles. You may make an excursion around the whole city with a bicycle that you may hire in the Pine Park which is called “Pineta di Ponenta”. You may also spend a good time in this cool park instead of going swimming in the hot weather. I, who didn’t touch my hand in a bicycle until 20 years of age because of an accident that I had overcome in my childhood, hired a bicycle and has an excursion with it for 4 days. I can’t tell how happy I was. By the way, please be informed that I had rided bicycle for once in Büyükada (one of the Prince Islands in Istanbul)
There are many restaurants with Michelin star in this city which has a population of 65.000. Let me say for those who don’t know that Michelin is like the Oscar of restaurant business, it is like an order of merit granted according to the menu and presentation. It is not given to the chain of restaurants as far as I know. It is a bitter fact for the Turkish restaurant sector that there is no single restaurant with a Michelin star in our country. Celal Çapa has said that Michelin star has no importance but our ancestors have produced a proverb that I don’t need to add anything to it: “The cat calls the Mouse, which it can’t catch, filthy”
The other restaurant was “Da Remo” but it has no own web site. You may visit the following veb site for Da Remo and other restaurants with a Michelin star;
I unwittingly ordered a mixed plate of seafood all of which turned out to be raw food! At first I tried to eat some of it but the waiters saw that I couldn’t eat it and said that they would like to serve the plate cooked, for which I am thankful to them. I ate them all with big appetite after having let them grilled. I actually like Sushi very much but the cooks who prepare sushi marinate it very good whereas these ones are raw. I don’t know if there are anybody who likes to eat raw fish but I recommend you to ask whether it is raw or cooked because these plates are very famous here.
I also discovered some good places to have lunch. There is no reason to repeat it but if you want to have a good meal in a restaurant you must keep away from the flavorless and expensive ones in the main Street. There is always a better one in a side Street. One of them is 8etti, http://www.8etti.it/ The restaurant is run by the family which you see in this web site. Its menu is good, prices are reasonable, it is neither very cheap nor very expensive. It offers a wide variety of wine alternatives. It is a beautiful place for noon but even for the evening.
Another place that I would suggest is Ristorante da Stefano. http://www.ristorantedastefano.com/
I ordered a plate of macaroni. They put a whole pan on my table and they served pasta as my plate became empty. They charged me for only one portion. Well, where shall they find such a very appetence guest? Don’t you think so too?
There is another small but beautiful town near to Viareggio which is called Pietrasanta. This town is so small that it has two main streets. What is surprising is that this tiny town is one of the most important art centers of Italy. One might say that there are almost only restaurants and art galleries in the town. Each of the tens of art galleries attracts many art lovers and brokers of art Works to this town. There was an outdoor exhibition of the famous artist Bottero in the only church square of its kind in the town. This means that places which glorifies art without depreciating it get the benefit worth of this attitude by hosting such important art activities.
There is almost no nightlife in Vireggio. Almost all nightclubs are positioned in Forte Dei Marmi which is half an hour away from Viareggio. I advise you to go to Forte Dei Marmi by bus. There are buses going there until the morning. You may learn departure&return hours at the bus stations and in the hotel. Everybody who had got on the bus seemed to have entertained quite good because he/she had went to the night clubs. Even the driver was announcing the names of the nightclubs instead of the bus stations.
In my view, Capanina is the most beautiful night club here. http://www.lacapanninadifranceschi.com/
Among other ones I may recommend Twiga
Nightclubs open their doors a just at 12:00 at night. You will have to wait if you go there before. There is a normal entrance like in Turkey and a VIP entrance. No female companion etc. is required in the entrance. They take in everybody who look tidy. Everybody is tidy anyway. If you are also one of those who don’the like to wait at the door, it is probable that they would invite you in without waiting you to ask for it, if you show up at VIP door for two minutes with a stylish dress on. But they charge you 30 Euros even if you pass through VIP door. One drink is included in this price. You probably didn’t think if the drink was local or foreign because here is Italy.
You may go to a nightclub alone with peace of mind, which is something you would probably not dare easily in Turkey. Italian men immediately but politely approach you and compliment you but keep away from you if they see that you are not interested in them. In other words they don’t hang you on like in Turkey. But if any one of them hangs you on it is up to you to decide how to deal with them.
Let’s now come to the Italian language course which was my main purpose for going to Italy. Firenze which is a very experienced agency of language schools in Italy and Spain was very helpful to me http://www.firenze.com.tr/ They didn’t charge me any fee for their services since they are the official agency of the school. I just paid tuititon fee to them.
http://www.centropuccini.it/ You may have detailed information about the school through this web site. It is a small and pretty school, suitable for the coastal region even if it is not as big as Dante Alighieri.
You may attend courses for periods varying between one week and much longer periods. This time I attended a more intensive course. I selected a course program which is 5 hours a day whereas the first two hours are grammer courses, subsequent two hours involves applied learning with plays and entertainment and the last hour is a one-to-one private lesson. The course began at 09:00 in the morning and finished at about 13:30. There is a food outlet where the students may eat at discounted prices just near the course site. However I must say that the dishes are not so delicious but there is nothing much to complain about for those who go there with a student’s budget. Here, as in other course programs, they give you a certificate for each course period.
I believe that this article shall be a good guide for those who are planning to go to Viareggio despite it has gained a little bit of Emine Beder kind of atmosphere by my telling quite a lot about my eating experiences as a result of hating the sea in that town to which I had traveled in order to make a sea vacation.
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