Tuscany Road Trip!

Tuscany of Italy's most popular Regions. It is the home to the birthplace of the Renaissance and to some of the most fantastic art ever created.  Full of spectacular hill towns and vineyards, Romantic Tuscany has been hosting visitors for centuries.  We found the best way to see Tuscany, is by car.

Our Fiat Punto

Our adventures in Tuscany were about to begin!  We booked a rental car on the internet through Europecar.  TIP:  ITS ALWAYS CHEAPEST TO BOOK A RENTAL CAR IN ADVANCE FOR EUROPE.  I suggest you find a comparison site like Kayak.com to help you look for the cheapest rates, but they are all quite similar-about $230 per week.  All you need to rent a car in Italy is your driver's license from home and an International Driver's Licence you purchase through CAA.  Although the Italian rental agencies don't ask for your IDL, if you get pulled over by the traffic police you can be fined heavily.  You will find most cars in Italy are standard, so if you need to rent an automatic you will have to request it at booking, and it will cost more to rent.   Something to keep in mind when renting cars in Italy is that cars are much smaller as fuel is costly and the narrow streets of the old towns can only accommodate small vehicles.  So you may be in trouble if you tend to pack a lot of luggage!  

Typical Tuscan Village Street

If you are renting a car in Rome, you are most likely to pick it up at Termini train station.  We have rented vehicles from other pick-up locations in Rome, but Termini Station is very centrally located with excellent public transport access.  TIP: Always check the address of the car rental place. Sometimes a "downtown" location is actually a suburb, and you would have to take an expensive taxi ride to get there. Rather than pay for a taxi, we spent the morning walking across Rome with our suitcases in tow, from the Colosseum to Termini Central rail station to pick up our rental car.  It was a nice walk, and it was way less confusing than navigating the busses or metro for us on our first trip to Rome.  When we arrived at Termini, however, we could not find the car rental location anywhere!  TIP: All the car rental offices are DOWNSTAIRS inside Termini station.  The train station has two levels; upstairs or street level is for all the train departures, and downstairs is where all the car rental agencies are located.  We waited in a queue for 2 hours to pick up our car (and we were 4th in line), which is completely normal when you are in Italy.  Get used to line-ups, keep reading material with you at all times to stay entertained, and learn to just roll with it.    

When In Rome...

Finally, we got our little black Fiat Punto, and we were ready to head North to Tuscany.  One of my concerns when planning this trip was driving in Italy; especially in Rome.  Yes, it's true Italians are quite aggressive drivers compared to North America.  Driving in big Italian cities is chaotic, highways are nerve-wracking (someone is always crawling up your tailpipe), but the Italian countryside is indeed a joy.  My then-husband navigated the streets of Rome like a real pro, which shocked me because he is such a cautious driver at home.  He described driving in Rome like this: "It's just like a big free for all, and you know every driver is going to do what is best for themselves; so in that way, you know what's predictable."  The Vespas are out of control though; you just have to trust they know what they are doing!

Our Farmhouse In Cortona

We set up our Garmin GPS for Cortona and headed North to Tuscany.  TIP: bring your GPS from home rather than rent one from the rental car agency. This saves you some money and lots of frustration from trying to learn a new system.  Use a GPS that is familiar to you; if that is your cell phone then make sure you have the appropriate maps downloaded and/or you have a good data plan.  
Once we hit the ring highway around Rome, navigating was comfortable, and the signage was excellent.   We decided to take the fastest and most direct route: the A1 Autostrada that runs North-South across Italy.  The Autostradas are a toll highway system in Italy.  Figuring out how to use the Autostradas was a little more chaotic, but after getting stuck at the first one (like stupid tourists because we couldn't find our ticket), we got the hang of it.   For a great quick tutorial video on how to use the Toll Highways or Autostradas in Italy check out this detailed VIDEO on Vimeo.

The Church Up The Hill

Arriving in Cortona in the late afternoon, and trying to find the farmhouse we rented through VBRO was like a crazy scavenger hunt! I can't believe some of the steep laneways we had to drive down; it felt like being at the top of the wooden roller coaster at an amusement park! An entirely different set of driving skills is needed for small hilltowns. The stone farmhouse that was to be our home for the next week was perched on the mountainside halfway between the Tuscan hilltop town of Cortona and Camucia on the valley floor.   The 700-year old farmhouse had been divided into three self-contained apartments for rental accommodations.  We had a two-bedroom flat on the ground floor that had no views but stayed nice and cool in the late summer heat.  The farmhouse grounds were relaxing and surrounded by beautiful olive groves and pomegranate trees; there was even a small pool for Liam to swim in.  The best thing about the property was the sweeping vistas of the valley below and hearing the tolling of bells from the nearby church echo across the valley.  

It was such a relief to be out of the bustle of Rome!

Tuscan Sunset

Watching The Beer Bubble

Then it was time to relax. OK not really- we were curious and absolutely starving, which is ALWAYS the recipe for a great Italian adventure! After unpacking the Punto, and meeting the Australian couple who were in another flat of the farmhouse, we decided to walk into Cortona for some groceries.   TIP: Traffic is limited to "local traffic only or ZTL" in most Tuscan hill towns. You risk huge fines of €100 plus by entering these restricted zones!   You will not even know you've gotten a fine until you receive the bill on your credit card from the car rental agency.  Streets are narrow, one-way lanes and parking is almost non-existent; so if you can, leave your car at home.  
We (almost literally) crawled up the steep hill to Cortona just in time see the shops close at 8:00. Wait! What???  TIP: The countryside village shops close early. We were used to Rome with its late-night shops!  Most stores also tend to close after lunch for a few hours, so plan your shopping accordingly.   We strolled the streets doing the evening "passeggiata" with the locals keeping our eyeballs peeled for a place to eat. Spotting a table at a trattoria in Cortona's main piazza, we had our first Tuscan meal that was all home-made local specialties and SO delicious.   

Details On Our Antique Bed

By 10:00 we tumbled back down Cortona's hill, following the full moon through the maze of streets back to our farmhouse.  It was so warm out for mid-September, so we sat in the garden for a while sipping some wine and planning out our next day's activities before climbing into our antique bed and let the crickets sing us to sleep.

Buonanotte!

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Rome In One Day...WITH KIDS

When only one day in Rome is all you have, you want to take in as many sights as possible, but what can you see without overwhelming an 11-year-old?   The Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum are situated next to each other and are perfect for children to explore the culture of Ancient Rome.

Colosseum Interior

With only one full day in Rome, we wanted to maximize our sightseeing without burning out since we were still feeling the sting of jetlag.  We decided to focus on Ancient Rome and visit the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. After breakfast, we made the short walk to the Colosseum entrance. We had not purchased our tickets for any of these attractions ahead of time because we didn't know how tired we would feel after we arrived from Canada.  TIP: ALWAYS PURCHASE YOUR SIGHTSEEING TICKETS IN ADVANCE IF POSSIBLE.

TIP: THE ENTRANCE TICKET TO THE COLOSSEUM  INCLUDES ENTRANCE TO PALATINE HILL AND THE FORUM.  IF THE TICKET LINE TO THE COLOSSEUM IS LONG, TRY  GOING TO THE FORUM (ENTRANCE FACING THE COLOSSEUM), AND PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS THERE.  Many times there is NO line up at this booth.   The combo ticket is €12 for adults, €7.50 student/senior. To purchase tickets online go to the official site: www.coopculture.it/en/  there is a €2 online booking fee for your order.  TIP: even if you are buying your tickets online, you may get stuck waiting to enter the Colosseum during the busy summer months because only 3,000 visitors are allowed to go in at one time.

Fortunately, the line up to get into the Colosseum was not long early in the morning.    We took the tour offered in English with a guide for €5 each, and it was the best 45 minutes we spent! Our guide was informative yet entertaining for adults and kids alike, capturing our attention with tales of  Emperors and gladiator fights.  The new addition of the wooden floor laid halfway across the arena helps to visualize what the Colosseum looked like 2000 years ago.

After the Colosseo, a quick sugar-fueled, late morning snack was in order.  The expensive snack wagon outside the Colosseum (which included COLD beer) is a Godsend because you are paying for convenience and speed. Next, we hit the Palatino or Palatine Hill. It was becoming super hot outside.  TIP: BRING A REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE EVERYWHERE YOU GO IN ITALY.  We kept re-filling our water bottles from the fountains we came across on Palentine Hill and drank in the views of Rome from the heights. Amazing! The coolest thing for this first-timer to Rome was all the olive trees laden with little black olives dangling in the branches.   Yes, I even picked one and kept it in my pocket the whole trip as a touchstone to make sure I wasn't dreaming!

Making Friends

The lime and orange trees growing in the gardens were a surprise to me as well, and I could imagine how beautiful the palace gardens once looked.  Liam had a lot of fun meeting new friends; like the doves that make homes in the ancient ruins.  He even found a nest with three little babies in it.  Whatever keeps him busy 😉

Temples Of The Forum

Then off to the Roman Forum.  The Forum really got my imagination going about what Ancient Rome really looked like. It is a BIG area and the temples are so unbelievably well-preserved, yet strumming with the modern vibrancy of this city. I could see My son Liam was concerned and he asked me in a rather horrified voice  "why are so many statues of naked people!?!"  I gave some parental explanation of art and the classic naked human figure representing purity, blah, blah.  He looked at me thinking for a moment, and then made a BIGGER deal about the exposed genital bits.  "OK FINE; if it's such a big deal to you, then count the genitals-ALL of them!" I said with an exasperated sigh.  This turned out to be the best parenting trick for my over-anxious/OCD/ADHD kid -EVER!  I will keep you posted on the "privates" count...

Arch Of Titus

The Arch of Titus is on the Via Sacra, the main street through the Forum. The basalt paving stones we walked on were the original stones of this ancient street.  Imagine; the sandals of Roman Emperors glided along this street 2000 years ago!  The Arch of Titus has been reconstructed from ruin and was initially built in the year 70 CE to commemorate the Roman conquering of Isreal and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.  The Romans brought 50,000 Jewish slaves who built the Arch of Titus and the Colosseum.  Walking through this arch was like walking through a portal in time...

Temple of the Vestal Virgins

Although there are many gorgeous ruins in the Forum, my personal favourite is  The Temple of the Vestal Virgins.  The details of the statues of the most revered of the Vestal Virgins were so vivid and haunting,  I could almost see myself in white chitin walking along the Via Sacra 2000 years ago tending to the eternal flame.  This was the blueprint for our modern convents.  Although, after learning the history of the fate of some of these poor girls, maybe it wouldn't be the best idea to be a Vestal Virgin after all.  Getting buried alive for failing to honour your 30-year vow of chastity seems a bit extreme!

Rest In The Shade

Kids expire quickly, so after about an hour in the Forum we walked back to our B&B for a rest and some antipasti including wine and Peroni Beer from the grocery store.  I love grocery shopping on vacation! It's always so refreshing to see what products are available in foreign cities.  To me, it feels like a treasure hunt, and as a Mom, it's a good idea to have snacks in the purse because my boy suffers from low blood sugar-also known as "the hangries."

Complete Bliss!

As the sun started to set we thought we would head out for an evening stroll or what Italians call "passeggiata." Everyone was out; locals and tourists alike.  Liam was on the prowl for a pizza place, so we headed in the general direction of the Piazza Navona, hoping to see the famous Bernini fountains tonight. Winding through the Medieval alleyways of Rome we became a little turned around, so we just followed the sound of music and came upon a big open piazza.  We were starving by this point "let's just have dinner here" we thought absentmindedly.  We sat down at a table at a restaurant on the corner of the piazza.  When I turned around to look at what was behind me; I gasped to see the Pantheon lit up in all her glory!  TIP: In Europe, you pay more for a meal when you have a fabulous view.  This was one view I was happy to pay for, and Liam swore the pizza was the best in Rome. Watching the almost full moon sail over the Pantheon, and all the beautiful people strolling through the square; I started to cry because I was just so happy.  TIP: In Italy, you are never rushed through your meal to turn the table, we could enjoy our meal for as long as we wanted.  After dinner, we strolled over to Trevi Fountain to throw a coin into the fountain and grabbed a gelato to eat on the way back to our Bed and Breakfast.  


This was indeed a memorable night, and I hope that coin I tossed into the Trevi fountain works it's magic because I need to come back to this glorious city!

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Original post; September 13, 2013

Rome Through The Eyes Of A First Time Visitor

La Dolce Vita.  By now, most of us have heard this Italian phrase about the sweet life.  Now it is our family's turn to see what all the fuss is about as we embark on a 3 1/2 week journey from Rome through Tuscany, to the Cinque Terre and leaving from the old port city of Genoa.  This is my dream trip through Italy and with my husband and 11-year son in tow, we hope to discover La Dolce Vita.

Our Room With A View

We arrived in Rome from Vancouver via Amsterdam on a busy Thursday afternoon in mid-September, and the airport was packed!  It was what the Italians call "Bel Chaos" (literally meaning "beautiful chaos") and nothing quite prepares you for it. For first-timers to the continent, it unnerves you a bit to be in a huge foreign city where no one is speaking your language.  But we needed to be unnerved. Our senses were on heightened alert with being jetlagged and overwhelmed, so we were glad we had done a bit of research online and in guidebooks to prepare for our arrival.  For example, we had heard that the taxi drivers at the airport often overcharge unassuming tourists.  TIP: THERE IS A SET PRICE FOR TAXIS DRIVING FROM THE AIRPORT TO ROME CENTRAL.  The price is set by the city of Rome,  and it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get into to Rome proper by taxi. The rate was €38 in 2013- IN 2017 IT WAS €48.  There is a cheaper bus or train connection option if you are travelling solo or as a couple, but as a family of three, this was our best/cheapest option.

I love the feeling of arriving in a new country and driving in from the airport; the first impressions are what remain vivid in my memory.  The enormous umbrella pines that dominate Rome's skyline and the ancient villas and Roman monuments we drove past all made my pulse race.

We were staying at a B&B that our friends at Perfect Wedding Magazine recommended to us.  The B&B was in an ideal location; a block from the Colosseum and close to all the ancient city sites, yet down a quiet side street with grocery stores and restaurants. Our son Liam was an 11-year-old basket case from not sleeping overnight on the plane from Vancouver to Amsterdam; so after we checked into our B&B, we tried out the beds for a power nap.  The beds were so cool and comfortable!

Ceasar Was Here

We headed out around sunset to explore; which was perfect because it was almost dinner hour.  First, we went to a phone store by the Colosseum and got a local sim card for our phone so that we could make some local calls and texts.  TIP:  WI-FI IS NOT AS PLENTIFUL OR RELIABLE IN ITALY AS IN NORTH AMERICA.  You may want to do a bit of research on what is your best option for a phone in Europe.  Here is an article by Rick Steves on European SIM cards for your phone.

Roman Ruins At Sunset

We walked around the Colosseum, our feet shuffling along the ancient stones and I could feel my body relax into the scene. Maybe I was so spaced out from lack of sleep or maybe I thought I was still dreaming; but I kept saying to the boys "Just think, Julius Caesar probably walked on these very stones we are walking on right now!"
Heading further along the Via dei Fori Imperiali marvelling at ruins that blend into the modern city,  our stomachs were beginning to grumble. TIP: DINNER IN ITALY IS USUALLY 7:30-10ish.  Get your stomach on a new schedule right away along with your sleep schedule.  We passed the Victor Emmanuel monument and headed further into the modern city, turning into an alley where a restaurant's tables spilled onto the street. 

"Real" Spaghetti!

It was only 7:00 which is early to eat dinner in Rome, but the smells coming out of that restaurant made us NEED a meal right NOW! Pronto!!!   TIP: We were concerned about eating in a tourist trap, but simple pasta dishes printed in Italian only on the menu is what to look for folks-you will not be disappointed.  Just look at the look of "spaghetti bliss" on this kid's face!  Luke and I had a Roman classic: Spaghetti Carbonara which is spaghetti with pancetta (Italian bacon) and a creamy sauce made of egg and fresh parmesan cheese.  Hands down the best dinner I had in very long time.  This place was a super authentic, hole-in-the-wall joint with delicious food at very reasonable prices (Rome is very expensive) so don't let looks deceive you!


We thought we would wander a bit through the small streets back towards our Bed and Breakfast by the Colosseum since we were determined to get over our jet lag.  TIP: JETLAG HATES FRESH AIR AND EXERCISE; TRY TO WALK AROUND AND GO TO BED AT A NORMAL TIME AT YOUR NEW DESTINATION.  
The street lights began to come on as the last rays of the sun sank behind the Palentine Hill.  I have never seen such a beautiful city at night! The churches and monuments almost looked surreal in the orange glow of the Roman lights. The way Rome was lit at night got me thinking "this is how Rome must have looked like 2000 years ago softly glowing by torchlight."  I felt like I was falling under a spell!

Power of Trevi Fountain

It was so surprising then when we heard the distinct sound of water gushing and when we rounded a corner were surprised by the bel chaos of Trevi Fountain!
It was absolutely jam-packed. Luke had to line up to get up front for a photo of Trevi. Hey, no problem; we're from Vancouver and are used to the long Starbucks Coffee queues.  Liam wanted to climb all over the statues which were guarded by security staff of some sort; so I redirected him to look on the ground for coins to throw in the fountain. I told him the legend that if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the Trevi fountain, you will return to Rome again one day. Well, I guess a lot of tourists have lousy aim because he came back with a hand full of change!  That's my boy 😏

Our First Gelato In Rome

We each tossed a coin into Trevi and put the rest towards a round of gelato at Gelato In Trevi. I know it was a touristy place to buy our first Italian gelato, but it was terrific!    Liam and I made a pact that we would have gelato every day we were in Italy.  We did honour that promise most days; except for on the days we had two gelatos a day...because GELATO!

By this time we were tired, full, and drunk on the beauty this Eternal City had to offer.  We hit the hay hard that night, dreaming of all the ancient wonder that lay ahead of us the next day, and of course the gelato.

Original post September 12, 2013

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