Touring Tuscany

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Mon 19/11

We started yet another kind of adventure – driving the Italian streets. After a relatively lazy start and another croissant breakfast we checked out of the hotel and over to Thrify to pick up our hire car that would get us around Tuscany for three days. We opted for the extended insurance to minimise any financial risk as we knew there would be risks on the road! We were presented with a little 4 door smart car - 5 speed manual and had 75,000 km on the clock....

We headed south enroute for Siena with some stops at smaller towns planned along the way. Forgot to mention Mike was the sole driver of the trip – there was an extra fee for a driver under 25 years of age and more importantly we knew he would be the more confident one on such foreign roads! It was an absolute nightmare getting out of Florence and to quote Mike's frustration “I am driving on the wrong side of the road, sitting on the wrong side of the car with the rest of the crew from Mario kart flying past us!”

After getting out of Florence without injury (or getting lost!) and onto the motorway we started to relax and take in the awesome views and enjoy a fantastic day with clear skies. We ventured off the motorway for a more scenic route on a secondary road – which winded through the countryside that was coloured with autumn leaves. We stopped at a small town in Chianti region for a coffee and some good photos opportunities.

We then went on to Radda in Chianti – quite a popular spot that people often base themselves when touring the wine region and it is only 9kms from Siena. It was a lovely little town but not much happening – we could hardly find a shop that was open let alone any form of restaurant/trattoria to have some lunch at. Even the tourist information centre had a hand written sign up “closed for the afternoon”. I managed to purchase a bottle of water but only just in time as the shop owner was shutting up for the day at 1pm – some have got the life!

We thought we should continue on to Siena (city of 50,000 + people) where there was sure to be plenty to see and eat. Following the signs we found ourselves a little off the beaten track and on a dirt road – very narrow at times (not that we encountered many other cars) and big pot holes for the little smart car to hop through! Can't complain about the scenery we were taking in though. We stopped at a couple of larger wineries that had signs for restaurants along the way but despite there being many cars parked at each one it was just staff and neither were open for business.

We reached Siena and Mike had a little stress on reaching the busy streets again, not being able to orient outselves or find parking... I will add here that as navigator in the passenger seat I did not lose my patience at any stage even through Mike's stress outs and a few close calls! We found a park finally which would not normally be such an issue but we needed to be closer to destination than usual due to Mike's reduced mobility (Mike's leg almost needs its own travel blog it features so much!). Found a tourist office and picked up some maps and found the central shopping area, wondered some pretty cobbled streets and found the main piazza – Piazza del Campo. The main feature around it was the Palazzo Pubblico which was a great example of gothic architecture, and beside it was the 100m high Torre del Mangia (tower). Pretty hungry by that stage we settled for the first bar/ristorante around the piazza, which as we have begun to refer such places, was “turistico to the max”. On top of average menu, Mike ordered Tortellino bolognaise and got the creamy ham sauce variety instead! Top spot though to enjoy a glass of Chianti.

We bought some snacks for the onward journey (only supposed to be two hours to Lucca via Florence but who knew what might be in store for us...) at one of the great deli/supermarkets.

Although almost dark we headed off confident in our ability to navigate ourselves to Lucca. As the sunset we had some very pretty views but it was at nightfall that things starting getting a little tricky. As we reached Florence we found the signs in the direction of Pisa (near Lucca) and experienced the Italian tollways for the first time (motorways called Autotrades) – a little frazzled thinking we needed to have pre purchased like the electronic system in Melbourne, it was simply like entering a carpark and taking a ticket and the boom gate let you through. Mike ended up not pulling the smart car up close enough to the ticket machine though and I had to get out and run around! Still a little highly strung as we sped off from the 10-20 entry lanes we saw two options for autotrades but too late – we ended up headed (or thought so) to Rome! To cut the story short – we got off the freeway, back on, did a few loops around the place trying to find signs back to Florence or to Pisa or anywhere we could orient ourselves. I ended up asking at a petrol station and a very kind lady pointed us in the right direction and also explained that we did need to follow the signs to Bologna and only after that would we see signs to Pisa. Heaps of traffic but back on our way – not 100% sure but think that we possibly made a full circle around Florence on the autotrades!

We reached Lucca much later than our expected 6.30pm arrival so called to advise the hotel owner (small chalet type accommodation) we had arrived. For once we had not checked our directions correctly – and we were advised we had another 40 or so km to go to reach Casoli where we were staying! We may have been confused as the region Casoli is in is Bagni Di Lucca. We followed the signs and continued on the ss12 and stopped at a local pub on the way for a very tasty dinner. We asked the waitress how far to Bagni Di Lucca and were happy to hear only two more kms. The funniest sight here was mum allowing her two kids to have a go on the pokies while she had a drink (there is at least one pokie in all bars/cafes in Italy!).

Things went further downhill at that point – starting the car to leave the pub Mike realised the engine light was on. It was two degrees outside so we drove on but just travelled really slow. Bagni Di Lucca came and past and we had still not seen the landmarks our host Maria had advised to look out for. The car had no power and we had to travel at 40 km/hr. Mike spotted a tiny sign to Casoli and took a hard right where we crossed a very narrow cobbled stone bridge. The very narrow road was a huge ascent and the smart car was really struggling – Mike had the accelerator floored in 1^st gear and we still were hardly moving. At that stage we both were not even sure we had taken the right turn, we couldn't turn the car around as the road was so narrow (and the next day discovered they were quite high cliffs!), and the bloody car would not travel fast enough to get out of first gear – the thought crossed our minds we would be stuck in the middle of nowhere and have to sleep in the car!

I called Maria again to confirm we were in fact on the correct road but we had little choice but keep ascending – massive relief when we saw some lights in the distance and then the Casoli sign – 9.30pm by that stage!!

As promised, Maria's husband Daniel picked us and our luggage up at the carpark – Casoli is an 11^th century medieval village complete with narrow cobbled stoned paths and accessible by foot only and with a population of only 35!

After a much deserved sleep we woke to the sound of Maria preparing our breakfast downstairs (ended up we were staying in a two story chalet with our room upstairs and our own dining room and lounge downstairs). It was a feast! Omellette, two types of cheese, salami, yoghurt, cereal, juices, bread, jams (they grow fruit and make their own preserves to sell at nearby markets), fresh coffee brought in once we were sitting, and a whole cake (of course we did not eat it all!)!

Then onto the major challenge of the day – calling Thrifty to report the vehicle fault and trying to obtain another one.... Daniel called on our behalf so he could translate between English and Italian. In summary they tried to get us to drive the car to Pisa to pick-up another one – we informed them we could not drive the car above 1^st gear. So they said we could take a taxi back to Florence to get another car, and they would reimburse us for the cost of the taxi. We were reluctant to do so because who knew if they would actually reimburse the few hundred euro taxi fare, and also it would mean losing a whole day travelling back to Florence! So the next option was to take a taxi to Pisa (only 100 euro) and Thrifty would send a truck to pick up the other car.

This resolution was only reached after several calls. So after that late start to the day we arrived in Pisa 100 Euro later. The car we picked up was dirty, had no radio (but did contain speakers?!?!) and it took the guy half an hour to walk around the carpark (while having a smoke break) to actually find the car.

The car pickup was at Pisa airport and so we navigated ourselves to the city centre not too badly (with one stop to ask some locals where on the map we were). A note that driving in most Italian cities is extra difficult because traffic is not allowed in the city centre. We found parking near a central spot and found a nice place for lunch near the university area. First impressions, especially the buildings along the river, was another beautiful city.

After lunch we headed for, you guessed it – that leaning towner. It is an absolute tourist mecca with everyone taking their original (not!) photos where they put their hands up as if holding the tower up. We took some obligatory tourists shots but did not climb up (had to pre book anyway and it is quite limited numbers). The street was lined with stalls trying to sell all the touristy shit (and still probably succeeding) and we witnessed some “special” (stupid and ignorant) people running around and getting shots on the massive square of grass that had signs clearly marked “do not walk on grass” in a couple of languages! Oh yes and the tower really is a on a massive lean and quite extraordinary.

After wandering for a while we got back in smart car number 2 and headed back to Casoli (after a few wrong turns) as night fell. After having gone out for dinner so many nights (and there being a lack of restaurants around Casoli) we stopped at the supermarketo which we were getting better at (understanding labels etc) and made a fantastic tuna salad. That night we felt a lot more confident ascending that narrow road, knowing that it did in fact lead somewhere!

Next morning breakfast was repeated again and this time included a very tasty yoghurt cake. We decided to stay relatively local and so planned to have a look around Lucca. On the way we stopped at a large medieval bridge halfway between Casoli and Lucca which had beautiful views of the river and surrounding mountains – and got some great panoramic shots.

The whole city of Lucca has a population above 50,000 but within the historical citadel (the original Lucca with its walls still standing) has a population of approximately 9000. Again trying to limit the amount of walking for Mike we entered into the citadel through one of the few entry gates and attempted finding parking in a rather small area. Unsuccessful we continued on the road and soon found ourselves on tiny narrow streets winding through the city trying to work out how to get out! You could literally put your arm out the window and touch buidings. We finally made it out and unable to read the parking signs and work out if we were authorised to park we actually drove out of the citadel all together and found a big parking lot a small walk away. Another truly Italian experience for us!

It was quite gloomy and overcast so not the prettiest of days but we picked up a map at the tourist centre and made a little itinerary of tourist sites – quite brief in reality and we knocked a couple of churches and piazzas within an hour. Stopped for a coffee at a bar – second best in Italy! (as if you needed reminding – it was the small bar in Rome near our accommodation). They also had the free snacks available and we had something parma ham/parmesan/spinich like.

Then stopped for lunch at a small trattoria that was recommended in a guidebook. Drank the obligatory ¼ litro casa della rossi (house red) with our authentic Italian meals. On the way back out of the citadel we had planned to stop at an amazing chocolate shop we had passed earlier – but it was closed! We had encountered this in a few places – the Italians really do shut up shop for a few hours in the afternoon for lunch/rest!

We headed back to Bagni Di Lucca and exciting stuff I know, stopped at a self service laundromat. To make it more interesting while our washing was mid cycle we went to the bar across the road and enjoyed a glass of red at a table outside with some complimentary snacks. We next went into the actual town of Bagni Di Lucca (as opposed to the entire region we were in) but found little happening in the way of a bar or signs of restaurants so stopped for one drink and then went to the supermarceto to grab some fresh pasta to cook ourselves and bottle of red – may as well make the most of staying in a large chalet in such an isolated spot.

The next day was an early start to return the car to Florence (although after the stuff around to date with Thrifty we were not fussed if we returned the car late) and of course we started the day with Maria's lovely breakfast feast. Daniel packed our stuff and we took a ride in the golf cart for the last time. Getting back to Florence was quite easy following the signs and with our new experience with the autotrade tolls.

It was a rather frustrating and infuriating experience when we returned the car to Thrifty in Florence and that reimbursement of the 100 Euro (we paid to get the taxi to Pisa to pick up the second car due to the engine fault with the first) was refused. That was due to two reasons – money returns were processed at head office in Palermo (took ages for them to communicate this) AND they said their mechanics found nothing wrong with the car and they had hired it out to another customer already!!! This made us mad as the car's electronic computer diagnostics would have shown the problem on the error report. We spent two hours in the office trying to reason and work things out with the two office staff (one English speaking, the other claimed not to have). So after ample time and receiving absolutely no apologies for the inconvenience we had been incurred – we submitted a “written customer care declaration” but basically had to leave knowing we had been ripped 100 Euro (that is about $170 Aus) – I am getting a little angry just writing about the experience again. On top of that the supposed non English speaking man that had promised us the reimbursement kept going out for cigarette breaks in front of the shop! We also emailed our declaration and although that was 2 weeks ago we have received no phone calls, emails back or any reimbursement on to the credit card. Bottom line from a costly and frustrating experience – don't hire through Thrify in Italy.

The day took an up turn after that – being in Florence again and around lunch time we headed to our fave Trattoria Il Contadino! House red, fresh pasta and tasty meat and fish improved the day immensely. Afterwards we walked the short distance to the train station and took the one hour trip on the Eurostar to Bologna....