We're in Livorno for a few days. It's still so hot but we finally found relief in the sea. It's a tacky, dirty port town with not many sites to see (The Rough Guide Italy doesn't even mention it!) but it's going to be our base for exploring some of the beaches here.
On our hunt for a decent place for dinner, we stumbled upon a jewel. A local haunt. A gem. Something that will make this forgettable city worth remembering.
La Barrocciaia, a bar/taverna/restaurant at the end of a dodgy-looking alleyway just off Piazza Grande. It was packed full of locals – dreadlocked and sweaty from the unrelenting evening heat. We couldn't get a table and instead had the best panini sandwiches ever: ham, grilled eggplants, homemade pesto sauce, sundried tomatoes and fresh parmezzan cheese. It was dripping in grease and grilled veggie juices. Add to that the atmosphere of the place – warm lighting, blaring funky jazz, chaos between the kitchen and patio, ham hanging from the ceiling, beer, original weird art on the walls and watering cans used as serviette holders. So genuine, so uncool it was cool.
Such a jewel in the rough. Such a surprise in this supposedly crap little town that has managed to show itself to us in just a few short hours. This is why I travel – to be surprised and delighted in the most unexpected ways and in the most unexpected places.
