florence

The seed for this trip was planted way back on my first night in Europe. I began talking to a girl in my dorm, a seasoned traveler from Australia on her second European tour: sort of a “Meeting with the Mentor” in my own Hero’s Journey. She mentioned how much she loved her time in Italy—and at this one hostel in particular.

Ostello del Bigallo is a 13th-century Italian monastery converted into a hostel that sits atop a Tuscany hill. It’s a 20-minute hike from the nearest bus stop, which is 40 minutes away from the city. Every night, for €8, you can get a large plate of home-cooked pasta and a glass of local wine, seated at a long wooden table on their string-lit terrace, overlooking the twinkle of Florence in the distance.

(for the haters who will say we didn’t actually backpack)

Fortunately, we made it to the Bigallo in time for dinner on our first night, but the trek was a little more tedious than we anticipated. After waiting almost two hours for a bus that never came, we got on a different one; at first, inching through Florentine traffic, then suddenly zooming through the countryside, all to miss our stop. We got off at one 40 minutes away from the hostel, and with the sky darkening and the buses having been proven unreliable, we set out on foot. We were some sight for the cars that zoomed past us on the winding road: the three of us walking in a row with our matching, massive backpacks.

We reached the final leg of our journey: the uphill hike. The sun was a blazing red as it set over the Tuscany hills and our phone flashlights came on, but not before we took a moment to soak in one of our most memorable sunsets.

When we reached the giant wooden doors of the monastery, all our perils instantly felt worth it. There was soft jazz playing from the radio in the lobby, evening chatter, and warm, yellow light reflecting off the Italian architecture.

a reflection on the european hostel experience

So far, I’ve stayed in six hostels, each with their own quirks, but most of them leaning on the corporate side. Big hostel chains tend to have pretty high ratings—but more importantly, tend to have last-minute availability for three people who don’t always plan ahead. But because they’re so big, they aren’t great at nurturing community.

Ostello del Bigallo was a vastly different experience despite its lack of amenities and accessibility—or perhaps due to it. The pasta dinners usually attracted all guests, about 30 in total. Seated together at one table, you’d get to know everyone around you. Wi-Fi was really only accessible in the lobby, so people wouldn’t bother to be on their phones during dinner. The remote location of the hostel made its residents a self-selected group of adventurous personalities who had fascinating stories to tell. Dinner began at 8:30 pm, but we’d be usually seated there until 11:00 pm or 12:00 am still talking.

We had been too tired to do much chatting on our hike up, which is how we noticed a girl sitting off to the side of the route, strumming her guitar. I was thrilled to recognize her at the hostel and found a seat next to her at dinner. Eva turned out to be the first other American high school gapper I’d met in Europe. Most other backpackers our age were from Europe or Australia, where taking gap years is far more common. We were able to bond over our NOLS courses, mine backpacking in Alaska and hers horsepacking (!?!) in Wyoming.

We met so many fantastic people. I love telling people about Ezra, who’s been funding his now months-long travel primarily by making memes for the US Democratic Party. After a cycle of dinner and breakfast, we had assembled a lovely group of people to head into the city with.

how to spend a perfect day in florence

• Get in line to grab one (or two) of the world’s best focaccia sandwiches at All’Antico Vinaio.

• While you’re munching, start to make your way to the Duomo, maybe run into a €2 photobooth, and panic while your photos take forever to print.

• Sit down on the benches in front of the Duomo and marvel at one of the most stunning pieces of architecture that took almost 200 years to complete.

• Walk into any store that catches your eye—Florence has no shortage of vintage stores, cafés, and bookstores.

• Wrap up the day by watching the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo and realize that hundreds of people had the same idea…

• And as the sun sets, dozens of wine and champagne glass go up at same time, and the live music awakens, you cherish the company of the people you met before you never see them again.

even more photos!

Officially hit one month of European travel today!

Currently in: England. More Italy and France posts brewing…

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