Parma and Lucca

After leaving Casa Lanzarotti, I headed straight to Parma and ticked off one of my many 'missions'; that was to load up on the town's culinary offerings -primarily proscuitto di Parma and Parmigiano cheese. Katie was off to Grosseto hunting for her cascate (hot springs) at Saturnia while Ben decided to stay in Parma with me to enjoy the modern luxuries of 3-star Savoy Hotel (90 euros) before slogging his arse on his next farm at Bologna.

We had a good time exploring the town (lovely octagon Battistero), enjoyed beer with free tapas before locating a backlane trattoria where we stuffed our faces with the local specialties. The generous plate of thin shavings of moist, sublimely salty proscuitto (a steal at 7 euros) was divine, truly one of the best I had. My tortellini stuffed with Parmigiano and herb was simple but rich while Ben had some kind of stuffed pork chops; all happily washed down with more Lambrusco. Ahh. Mission accomplished.

The next morning, Ben and I bid farewell to each other after breakfast and I left Emilia-Romagna for Lucca in northern Tuscany on the 10am train (15 euros) stopping at Prato to switch trains. The birthplace of homeboy renowned composer Puccini, Lucca was an amazing sight - an ancient Tuscan town enclosed within the towering red-bricked walls; a lastng legacy of its past Roman colonisation.

I had a tough time looking for accomodation as most of the 2 and 3-star hotels were full or too expensive (at least 80 euros), so I walked into the youth hostel (17,50 euros) for a change, inspired by Katie's budget travelling ways! Not to sound spoilt, I immediately craved for my TV, big bed and personal space when I saw the dorm's 4 bunker beds and common bathroom! Argh.

The weather was very warm as I strolled around to get a good feel of the old town, trying to avoid the many bicycles whizzing by leisurely. I was not that keen on sights so after taking some pictures of the duomo, I grabbed a pistachio and banana gelato and camped out at an internet joint. At nightfall, I found a casual outdoor trattoria and chowed down a plate of penne with porcini mushrooms and added a lot of piquante (chilli!) with my beer (all for 8 euros). It was a good simple meal but give me Iris' cooking anytime.

I was so tired that I got lost around the Roman arena and it was only 20mins that I located the youth hostel. After a quick clean-up, I crawled atop my bunker bed and switched off almost immediately, even to the loud annoying Italian chatter of my neighbour in the brightly lit dorm.