A roadtrip through

France & Italy

June 19 – 25, 2026

👫 Krisz + partner
🚗 Diesel Volvo · ~2200 km
🏰 Castles · Wild nature · Karst
💰 ~€1049 budget
Treillières → Gorges du Verdon → Vagli Sotto → Lunigiana Castles → Ligurian Coast → Cévennes → Home
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The Journey

Click a marker to explore each day — activities, food, accommodation & tips

Eating Like a Local

Rules & must-eat dishes for Liguria, Lunigiana & beyond

📋 The Rules

  • Stand at the bar for coffee/aperitivo — sitting = tourist surcharge (€1.20 vs €3+)
  • Never eat where someone waves a menu from the doorway
  • Walk 5–10 min from landmarks — prices drop 50%, quality rises
  • Short menus = good sign — food is fresh, not frozen
  • “Pranzo” lunch menus — 2–3 courses for €10–15, best deal in Italy
  • Aperitivo hour (6–8pm) — order a Spritz (€4–5), get free buffet snacks

🍝 Must-Eat Dishes

  • Testaroli al pesto — ancient stone-cooked pasta (Pontremoli!)
  • Trofie al pesto Genovese — twisted pasta with Ligurian basil pesto
  • Pansoti con salsa di noci — herb pasta with walnut cream
  • Focaccia di Recco — thin, cheese-filled flatbread
  • Farinata — chickpea pancake, wood-fired
  • Fritto misto — fried seafood cone from a friggitoria
  • Gelato — look for “produzione propria”, avoid neon colors

💶 Budget Prices

  • Espresso (standing) — €1–1.20
  • Focaccia slice — €2–3
  • Pizza — €5–8
  • Panino — €4–6
  • Trattoria lunch (2–3 courses) — €10–15
  • Trattoria dinner for 2 + wine — €25–40

Budget Breakdown

Full trip cost estimate — ~€1049 with €101 remaining buffer

🏨 Accommodation €412
Brenon — Auberge du Bourguet (2 nights × €62)€124
Vagli Sotto — Il Vecchio Convento (3 nights × ~€74)~€220
Florac — Grand Hôtel du Parc (1 night)€68
🍕 Food ~€280
Average ~€40/day for 2 people7 days
Cook breakfasts at accommodationsave €10–15/day
Lunch: picnics, street food, trattorias€10–20
Dinner: trattoria or cook on hike days€15–30
⛽ Transport ~€330
Fuel (~2200km, 6.5L/100km, €1.75/L)~€250
French tolls (reduced — N-roads + selective)~€55
Italian tolls~€25
🎭 Activities ~€27
Gorges du VerdonFREE
Apuan Alps hikeFREE
Castello Malaspina di Fosdinovo~€7
Pontremoli castle/museum~€6
Castello di Lerici~€6
Portovenere · Cascade de RunesFREE

Grand Total

Accommodation€412
Food€280
Transport€330
Activities€27
Total~€1,049
Budget + 15% buffer€1,150
Remaining buffer~€101
To trim closer to €1,000: Cook more dinners at the convent · Skip Lerici castle entry (exterior is free) · Avoid all French tolls on N-roads · Pack more picnic lunches