SMALL-TOWN GIRLS, MIDNIGHT TRAINS

— travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams —

travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams

Art at the Uffizi

♥ ♥ I’ll be happily plebeian till the day I die but I learned to appreciate art (and museums) more once I realized it was okay to approach them with less than total reverence. Before, there were paintings or sculptures that I just couldn’t bring myself to admire because, to be honest, they were downright […]

The Architectural Wonder That Started as a Group Project Gone Wrong

As group projects do.  ♥  ♥  As you probably know, the dome of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore — perhaps the most famous landmark in Florence — was built in the early 1400’s by Filippo Brunelleschi. What you may not know is that, apparently, there was an architectural design contest for the dome […]

Where to Stay in Florence: Hostel Gallo d’Oro

Clean, colorful, close enough to the center, buffet breakfast plus free snacks practically 24/7, all for €22 a day. You can do much worse than Hostel Gallo d’Oro. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SmallTownGirls MidnightTrains (@smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains) ♥ I’ll be honest and say outright that the deciding factor for my booking Hostel Gallo d’Oro was […]

The Country Between Rome and Florence

Countryside between Rome and Florence

Scenes from the train ride to my final destination last February: . . . . . Details: Departure station: Roma Termini Arrival station: Firenze S. M. Novella Train: Frecciarossa 9420 Seat: 1A (choose this seat if you don’t want anyone sitting beside you) Cost: 24.90 € (booked 90 days prior at Trenitalia) . . .

When The Moon Hits Your Eye…

♥ Cobblestone streets, cafes, trattorias… Trastevere sounded too Instagrammable to still be true. I almost skipped it, if not for the fact that I had no idea how to get back to my B&B from Campo de Fiori. I did know that if I could just get to the bus stop at Lungotevere Aventino — just down the […]

A Tryst in Trastevere

♥ Something about these two just caught my eye. . . Had I stumbled on a tryst? A temporary arrangement? A dangerous liaison? A lifelong affair? A plot? An intrigue? A desperate rendezvous? Something in their look just didn’t speak “happily married old couple” to me. But what I do know? I’m in Italy. In Trastevere. […]