the plan was to do half a day of hiking in the alpi apuane so we decided to head for carrara. made an unscheduled stop in viareggio for lunch as A was running low on energy. ‘tuscany’s biggest seaside resort’ in off-peak season was a pleasant change from cathedrals, torture museums and crowds. dined at the gran caffe margherita. the huge space with its mirrored ceilings and faded poshness was sparsely-filled. overdosed on seafood after a lack of it. had the mussels and seafood risotto (the saltiness of the sauce went well with the rice). the seafood soup had shellfish apart from mussels; the lobster linguine was yummy if oily, while the baked sea bream was only ok. shared a bottle of white. 30 each.

after lunch, did our urban hike along the passeggiata margherita, with its art nouveau facades and cafes and private beaches and shopping. love the feeling of a seaside resort in off-season with its thinly-filled promenade, touching-up for the summer crowd, locals pushing prams and old men in hours-long conversations, the rows of brightly-coloured deck chairs empty.

hunted down the ucb outlet but the selection was tiny. checked out the street fair but the stalls were closing. had a glimpse of the p b shelley memorial before heading back. almost ran out of gas on the way. stupid signs pointing left and right for the area servizio didn’t help. of course we picked the wrong one. good thing the other service area was just off the A1 exit.