We are used to driving on European holidays but the two night stops required each direction to Florence would eat into a large chunk of my husband’s annual leave days. So a flight and a hire car would enable us to make the best use of the precious time.
We made a series of trips to Florence between 1998 and 2004. My now husband and I used to share our first flat with an Italian couple with whom we are still dear friends. But we are long over due to visit and introduce our nine year old Ted to their children.
Updated · Post originally commissioned by AVIS
AVIS has frequently been our first choice to hire cars for fly-drive holidays in France or Italy. Most main arrival points such as airports and major railway stations will have a convenient office from which to pick up your vehicle. Above is our neat little Citroen DS we once hired from Marseille airport for one of our Provence trips (when Ted was much smaller). It’s always been easy to book with AVIS online and the cars have always been nearly new and in excellent condition. The freedom of car hire makes visiting tiny villages off the beaten track far easier.
Here are some places I’d like to take Ted to visit if I were on a Tuscan road trip:
1. Pisa
Pisa is a must. Ted can’t comprehend that there’s tower that really leans. On our previous trip, the tower was at still risk of collapsing and closed to visitors but modern engineering now means you can climb to the top once more.
© By Sailko via Wikimedia Commons
2. Viareggio
Viareggio is a charming seaside resort with art nouveau buildings on the Mediterranean coast. It’s around one hour’s drive from Florence and the perfect place for families to cool off for a swim and bucket and spade action.
By © Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
3. Certaldo
My son’s train obsession would be satisfied by the funicular railway at Certaldo.
San Gimignano, Tuscany. #photo credit @discovertuscany A photo posted by Discover Tuscany (@discovertuscany) on
4. San Gimignano
You get plenty of tower climbing opportunity in San Gimignano – this medieval hill town has fourteen surviving towers was the inspiration for EM Forster’s melodramatic Where Angels Fear To Tread.
FOLLOW @ITALIAN_FOOD_AND_BEVERAGE Montalcino Selezionata da @frensisgram A photo posted by TOSCANA TUSCANY FLORENCE (@firenzecityitaly) on
5. Good Food and Tuscan Countryside
Most of all I’d just like to escape to somewhere with an amazing view and a nice restaurant to take it all in.
Follow @milanocityitalia and @danielkordan selezionata da @frensisgram TOSCANA A photo posted by TOSCANA TUSCANY FLORENCE (@firenzecityitaly) on
And with roads this beautiful, you’d want to drive everywhere and explore as much as you can.
Where would you like to drive to in Tuscany?
This post was commissioned by car hire company AVIS.
Looks like a wonderful trip and a wonderful way to remember it! I’ve never heard of these biscuits but they look delish, the sort of thing that would be perfect with a cup of tea!
Have Italian wanderlust now.
Your biscuits look absolutely mouth watering – I would love a plateful with a Vin Santo!