An Escape to Quercianella

Any excuse to get out of the city at this point, especially to get to the sea is such a breath of fresh air. Escaping the routine is essential for my metal health, and I’m constantly looking for places to reset and create new amazing memories. I’ve traveled to quite a few Italian beaches during my years living here, and living in Florence there really aren’t so many places you can go easily by train. The typical choices might be Castiglioncello, the avoided Vada due to the chemically bleached sand ( I don’t mind tbh )  – obviously Cinque Terre but it’s honestly a bit of a stretch- or if you’re not looking for the prettiest beaches you can also go to Viareggio – maybe even as far as Follonica as I’ve done before since I know they have a dog beach there. The point is – all of these beaches are between 2 and three hours away from Florence, and for a man that fervently does not want to own a car living in the center of Florence, it’s either bumming a ride or catching a train 🙂

Before heading down to the beach we stopped in to grab the required coffee of the morning, and I saw one of the coolest scooters I have ever seen. Before I moved to Italy from Long Beach I wouldn’t have been caught dead on a Vespa, but these older models of scooters I would definitely rock. How cool would it be to have one of these and to cruise around the countryside? I honestly hope someday I can live somewhere where it makes sense to have a scooter like this – just to go for an afternoon cruise, without worrying about the chaos of city traffic – or even needing to wear a helmet for that matter. Just enjoying a picnic or capturing whatever I stumble across with my camera.

But this weekend my buddy Rafael and I took a day trip to Quercianella, and I have to say it was a pleasant surprise. Quercianella is a bit different because it’s definitely less well known. It’s kinda one of those places that you just need to know in order to find it- and it’s not likely that you’d find tourists there. Obviously that’s a plus in my book, because there’s something magical about non-touristic places. You get to feel as if you lived in that town even if it was only for a few days. 

This weekend my buddy Rafael and I took a day trip to Quercianella, and I have to say it was a pleasant surprise. Quercianella is a bit different because it’s definitely less well-known. It’s kinda one of those places that you just need to know in order to find it- and it’s not likely that you’d find tourists there. Obviously that’s a plus in my book, because there’s something magical about non-touristic places.

I loved the walk needed to arrive to the water, and the fact that there wasn’t a sidewalk for a portion of our journey, so we had to basically risk life and limb for a bit – but that was part of the adventure. What I also thought was pretty cool is that where we went was basically an abandoned building being semi-squatted in by people our age. Walls covered in graffiti, but the atmosphere was chill, the water was clean and honestly I just needed the sun. I often find myself really enjoying alternative experiences like this, because it increases my chances of learning something new. 

I loved the walk needed to arrive to the water and sun bath amongst the locals. What I also thought was pretty cool is that where we went was basically an abandoned building being semi-squatted in by people our age. Walls covered in graffiti, but the atmosphere was chill, the water was clean and honestly I just needed the sun. I often find myself really enjoying alternative experiences like this, because it increases my chances of learning something new. 

After we left our sunbathing haven we walked a bit along the seaside in search of something to drink before we made the trip back to Florence. Being in the sea is honestly always such a regenerative experience. I hope I’ll have the opportunity to do it more often soon! ☀️