Funicolare

By Nancy Day

Certain steep hillsides in Italy are equipped with funicolari. The one I traveled on was the Funicolare di Montenero, in a village just south of Livorno. When my daughter and I visited in July to escape the Florence heat, we met no other Americans, nor were there any other visitors to our hotel who didn’t get there by car. We took our backpacks on the train from the Santa Maria Novello main station in Florence to Livorno, then took City Bus 2 to its last stop in a Montenero square, right across the street from the entrance to the funiculare. For one euro each (you buy a ticket, just like at the train stations), you are allowed through the turnstile to await the next run of the driver-less cable car, about 20-minute intervals on a weekday. The ride back down is included, and the views from the top are worth it, even if you aren’t staying overnight or hauling groceries, kids or luggage.

I also recommend this quiet hotel, La Vedetta. On weekends, dinner is served al fresco to hotel guests, freshly caught seafood a specialty. It felt as if we were at an Italian villa with our own staff, surrounded by flowers, fresh breezes, and dining by candle light, with a sunset view of the sea.
www.hotellavedetta.it