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Is Tuscany Really All That?

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Touchstone Pictures

I saw this movie about six weeks ago before I went to Italy and after being in Rome for a couple days I went and spent time in the Tuscany area. If you’ve never been to Italy and visited the Tuscany area, this film is what you think the Tuscany area is about. Am I going to dissuade you from that notion? Am I going to tell you that Tuscany like that is gone, washed away by a modern era that no longer allows any corner of the world to go undiscovered and untouched by everything new and techy? Hmm… maybe I won’t answer that in the first paragraph. What a Debbie Downer I would be if I did that. You’ll have to read a little more my friends…

It is possible to adequately see Rome in a couple days, if you’re willing to get your steps in, and then go see the Tuscany area. I did both in 8 days, including flying to and from the States.

Visiting Rome is akin to visiting New York City. There’s always a billion people there and unless you get up very early, which I have a habit of doing, you’ll never see the streets empty or quiet. In spite of that, I’d go back and visit Rome a third time. That’s my ringing endosement that everyone should see Rome at least once. Now, let’s go to Tuscany!

If you want this kind of view, the kind that sucks all the stress out of your body and mind before you even get out of the car, then Tuscany is for you.

One thing to be aware of is that in getting to the Tuscany area, which is about 2 hours north of Rome, is that the Tuscany area is mountainous and because of the mountains, the drive is constant S curves for about an hour straight. Literally, once you’re off the highway, the roads are just one sharp curve after another where you can’t see what might be coming until it’s mere meters in front of you. In Italy, you don’t have to worry about the speed limit. It’s a mere suggestion. It’s the curves that will get you.

Yeah, Italy seems big on that metric system. There were times I was driving 110 kilometers per hour and had no idea what that was in American time and distance. That put’s us Americans at a disadvantage to the 90% of the world that was smart enough to all use the same measurment system. It’s a shock to me that our current “president” hasn’t gone to war against countries that use the metric system.

I love that the stone built barn says DANCE FIRST, THINK LATER. That’s the vibe you get when you’re in the Tuscany area. Life really does slow down.

This is me at a little cafe at 9:30 in the morning. Yes, Italians know how to make great coffee literally anywhere. In bustling Rome the coffee is great. In a tiny mountain top town, like the one I was visiting in this picture, the coffee is great too. And on a Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., nothing else in this little mountaintop town was open.

While I was sitting here drinking my delicious coffee, across the way was an older Italian woman leaning out a second floor window making conversation with whoever walked by down on the sidewalk. And yes, all the streets were cobblestone and I didn’t see a single skateboarder all week.

This little mountaintop town is called Peccioli. I’ll never forget it and I might even move there someday. The town has a kink for creative art and it’s everywhere. Sometimes it’s visual and othertimes it’s audible.

I walked down some stairs into a bunker from World War II, and as I was reading a little plaque explaning the history of it, suddenly air horns were sounding off and the lights were blinking as if the place was being bombed. Scared the heck out of me for a few seconds. There was no warning, but once I figured it out, it was kind of cool. The random art in the pic above this paragraph is not in the bunker, but is elsewhere in the town. I could post so many pictures from this town.

This particular town is not unique. There are several more “left behind the world” type towns in the mountainous areas of Tuscany. You know what else the Tuscany area does well is wine. Do yourself a favor and take a winery tour while you’re there. Not only do you get a nice amount of samples, you also learn a lot about how making wine is not just waiting for grapes to ripen.

A random building in Peccioli covered win mirrors.

One more thing you need to do when you visit the Tuscany area is to visit the Pisa area. That will allow you to do a corny picture where you act like you’re holding the Leaning Tower of Pisa up and it will allow you to go to an absolutely beautiful beach about 25 minutes west. It has the gorgeous clear blue water that you see on Instagram posts and in every film about the area. Go to the Pisa beach, swim, dry off and hit up one of the several great restaurants along the boardwalk. And yes, the coffee there is great too!

That’s my mini-review of some of Italy. If you have any questions, feel free to put them in the comments. What’s next…how about Key West? I’m going to try to determine where you can get the absolutely best piece of Key Lime pie.

Thanks for reading and safe travels!

Phil

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Destinations

How to Do Rome in Two Days!

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If you remember my”Ten best times to use finger guns” post from last year, you’ll see that I’m true to form here.

Yes, it is possible to “do” Rome in two days! When I say Rome, I’m referring to the one in Italy, and not the Rome in upstate New York. The key for me was the starting line for this race. Race? Yes, the word race was burned into my brain because the Rome Marathon was going on during my weekend there, so I wasn’t the only one rushing around Rome.

Step 1: Book an AirBNB: The hotels will be way too expensive. Book your AirBNB about two months ahead and in the middle of the city. Rome is a very walkable city, but not so much if you’re dragging your suitcase with you. If you can get into the AirBNB early you can drop your luggage. If not, there are several “Store Your Luggage” places. It’s usually a small unmanned shop with the front door unlocked during the day and you can rent a locker big enough for your luggage.

 

Step 2: Booking Flights: If you’re in the States or any country even further west, You’ll want to take an overnight flight and plan to land in the morning. If you’re coming from the States, you’ll probably be leaving from New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., or Atlanta. The overnight flight gets you there in time to have a decent morning. The Rome airport is about 45 minutes from the actual city of Rome, so you might want to plan a car rental, or just schedule an airport bus pick-up that will drop you near your AirBNB. I would go with the bus from the airport because it’s going to be very difficult to find parking in Rome.

Step 3: GPSMyCity: This app will organize your list of attractions and help you create the most logical schedule. Despite Rome being a big, busy city, it’s surprisingly walkable. I realize that “walkable” is different for different people. In a day, I was getting about 25,000 steps. If it’s hot, or rainy, or you just don’t like walking that much, there are plenty of cabs and Ubers around. Nothing is too far away.

Pic from Shutterstock

 Step 4: Tour Guides: I know that we all hate paying for tour guides because we all know how to get to places on our own. There are, however, some times that I would recommend getting in a group tour. Why? 1. Because at many of the busiest attractions in Rome, such as the Vatican and Basilica, people line up early in the morning to get in and may wait a few hours. If you go there with a tour guide you get let in with very little wait and way earlier than the hordes of people that just show up on their own.

2. Tour guides know all kinds of details and stories about the place you are touring, and one of the most important things they know is where the restrooms are.

Step 5: Wander Rome on your own with no plans. Rome is a beautiful city with hundreds of surprising monuments and art works around every corner. Boy do they love sculptures! Also, stop for brunch, or lunch or dinner, wherever. There’s plenty of fantastic restaurants that have tables out on the sidewalk and into the street just about everywhere. The food is unbeliveably good.

The coffee is great, and the pizza is different and phenomanal at every restaurant.

Step 6: The Trevi Fountain: It’s believed that if you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, using your right hand to throw it over your left shoulder, you will return to the city. Apparently that’s accurate because this was my second trip to Rome. But the practice of going to the Trevi Fountain changed just a couple months ago when Rome announced that it will cost you two Euros between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00pm. On your second day in Rome and get up early and walk to the Trevi fountain before 9:00 a.m. then go to the Trevi Fountain McDonalds for coffee. I kid you not, there really is a McDonalds next to the fountain.

That’s how to do Rome and see everything you want in just two days. Next up, Tuscany wine country…

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Destinations

I’m Going to Be Under The Tuscan Sun!

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Just to be clear, I am neither of the gentleman in this picture.

Also, to be fair the weather in Italy over the next week is going to be very typical Spring weather. I probably won’t be swimming in the Mediterranian Sea. But I’ll look at it and that will be enough for me. I’ve been to Italy before, but this will be a different trip.

I will see some of the most famous sights, and I will visit some not so famous places. Places where Italy has that program where you can buy an old, abandoned run down house for 1 Euro. Who knows, maybe I’ll love it enough to stay. Just so this post isn’t just me blathering, I’m going to provide some education for my readers.

Often when you visit other countries, you might rent a car to get around. 1. It helps to know how tto drive stick shift because the rentals cars are cheaper if you get a stick shift vs. automatic. Also, some car rental places in Europe may require you to have an International Driving Permit. It’s only $20-$30 dollars in the States and you can get it at any AAA office. You’ll need a passport picture for that as well. They can take that picture at AAA. It’s entirely possible that AAA created this just to make themselves some money. There’s no road test and they don’t look up your driving record, so it might just be something that AAA made up to make a little extra money. It’s not expensive though, so it’s better to be prepared.

If you want to get one online from AAA it might take up to 5 weeks. If you just go to a AAA office, you can get it done in 20 minutes.

Stay tuned, I’ll be posting here during my Italian adventures over the next two weeks. Thanks for reading!  ~ Phil

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