faraway fara

Yes, there are IKEAs in Italy! The Pisa IKEA is the closest one to us with only a 40 minute drive. I have been to IKEA a few times now and it is very simple. I guess I should say that since we have our own cars it is very simple. However, the first time we went to IKEA we only drove part of the way.

When we moved here we picked up our rental car when we landed in Rome and kept it for a few days. We returned the rental car at the Pisa airport and that is where our IKEA trip started.

Getting to IKEA

We walked from the rental car drop off to IKEA, a 30ish-minute walk. It was a hot walk given the heatwave, but overall the walk to IKEA was not so bad.

Pisa IKEA

We walked around the store and scanned the items we wanted. We only physically picked up a handful of things we really needed and had the rest delivered. The Pisa IKEA is HUGE so we got a good amount of walking in here too. On our way out we had a snack in the food court and went on our way.

Trains

We walked back to the airport (about 30ish-minutes, kind of hot with the heatwave) where we got on a train that took us to the central Pisa train station. From the central station we took another train back to our home town station, Rosignano.

Great. No issues with the trains. A good trip so far with a good deal of walking. But this is where I lead Luca astray…

The Walk Home…

Google maps is telling us the walk home will be 1.5 hours on their suggested route. Don’t worry! I have my own suggested route.

The previous day I had walked from our house to the grocery store. It took me about 45 minutes because I found a shortcut. So when we get off the train I tell Luca not to worry, I’ll take him home fast with my shortcut.

The “Shortcut”

So we walk for about 30 minutes and cross over the freeway. I then realized my shortcut involved going under the freeway. We are supposed to be under and we are over. We are on the wrong road! My shortcut is nowhere near where we are.

Google maps is now telling us our trip is still about an hour. To go back and go through the correct shortcut tunnel with be about as long. But I’m not ready to give up just yet. I look around on google maps (my phone is at about 6% at this point) and I see a path that looks like it will meet up with my shortcut.

The Trespass

I look at the map and somehow convinced Luca to trespass through a field, climb down a pretty steep hill, walk through someone’s vineyard, stomp through some bamboo brush, tromp through yet another field all to be met by a bramble of bushes that are growing over a small creek leading up to another very steep hill. Dead end. So we backtrack through the field, the bamboo, the vineyard, back up the hill, the original field and back to the road. Did I mention the sun is setting by this point?

Listen to Google

The only option left is Google’s suggested road back home. Another hour of walking as the sun sets. Luca carried pretty much all our IKEA haul in the iconic blue bag for this whole walk. I took out pasta pot from Luca at some point, but that was only for maybe the last hour or so.

We eventually make it home and it is dark. Lila is thrilled to be let out and we are excited to get off our feet.

Success

Was it worth it? Absolutely, we had a pasta pot!

My phone died on the walk home but Luca’s phone clocked in about 24k steps that day.