Distance travelled: 467km
Total distance: 7573km
Ice cream count: 23, when in Italy!

 

So Tuscany – what can we say about Tuscany. It was simply beautiful – from the stunning views to the delicious food, amazingly cheap wine, gorgeous gelato on every corner and friendly and welcoming people – we loved it here. We did a bit of a crazy tour of towns and villages, but it was well worth the driving and even the stay in the Hi-De-Hi style campsite (evening entertainment was noisy to say the least, and went on way past my bedtime!).

 

The highlights are many, but we loved Lucca for its cute streets and boutique shops, had a fab time exploring the three small villages of Casale Marittimo, Certaldo and Monteriggioni (seeing a wedding taking place in each!) and we were in awe at the architecture and beautiful piazzas and sculptures all over Siena and Florence. The Ferraris lining the Piazza del Campo and revving their engines added to the feeling of craziness and opulence of Siena, and Griff thoroughly enjoyed charming and chatting to all the ladies on the bus home!

Florence was beautiful too – we enjoyed exploring the Mercato Centrale, despite Wilf having to wear a muzzle and Matt carrying him up the escalator! The views from the Ponte Vecchio were lovely and the coffee on Piazza Della Signorina was well worth the high price! We also had one of the best gelatos yet here – not just for the massive volume, but also for the tasty and unusual flavours – Matt had trifle and I had amaretto – delicious! Final highlight was dinner in a restaurant recommended by Matt’s friend Rory – Trattoria Za Za – which was great. Tuscany, we will be back!