Routes from italy tuscany car portal. One day in Tuscany - the most beautiful and delicious route

We rented a house in Sabaudia for several years. Wonderful town. The beach is luxurious. about 10 km of sand and a variety of shells. There is only one hotel on the beach. The rest is a wild and semi-wild beach with both pleasant and not so pleasant moments arising from this. Of the pleasant - the opportunity to indulge in relaxation for free and in the open. If it's before mid-July. Then the time comes when the Italians fill the entire beach for another half a month on weekends. In August guard! There are a lot of people, there are almost no amenities, or you have to run to them and stand in line. No cafes on the beach. There is one end on the territory of the hotel, something in the middle and under Mount Chercello. In July and August, the sea is often very dirty. and this is not algae (they are useful), but real garbage, which the tenants of the beach spots in the evenings take in bags to the sea and throw it away. Because you have to go down to the beach for a long and tiring time from the high bank, then the services of garbage collection equipment are expensive. This is where they save. We even went to the municipality. Helped for a whole week. I don’t know where you plan to rent a house, but if not in the town itself, but in a nature reserve by the sea, be careful and close the doors and windows at night. The Albanians have become insolent there and climb into the windows even when the tenants have not yet gone to bed. The police respond only to the statements of the locals. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. We went through this school of courage one night with two children and we are two grandmother and great-grandmother. For a long time afterwards and during the day it was unpleasant to sit in the yard, and only at night they walled up in spite of the heat. Mosquitoes are also unpleasant (given the presence of the sea and a large lake and swamp prehistory, you can imagine what kind of monsters fly). Every year I brought mosquito nets and dampness from Moscow. Everything that was hung out to dry at lunchtime, if not taken into the house at night, it will be even wetter in the morning. From the pleasant: wonderful sea and beach until mid-July, on Thursdays a wonderful market for food, things and other things. Tasty and not expensive food, the purest spring (it was shown to us by the manager of the house that we rented) and for three years we have never bought drinking water. Brought from the spring. By the way, there is a very nice restaurant nearby. If you are traveling with children, then in Sabaudia there are many children's towns and trampolines, inflatable slides, swings, carousels, etc. San Felice is nearby. And there is the most delicious pizza. It's on the right at the entrance to the city. Everyone knows her and you need to come early or order. Locals living in neighboring towns are not too lazy to go there several times a week. And yet, when the sea in Sabaudia is stormy, we left for San Felice and I don’t remember any extreme waves there.

These seven days on sunny Italian soil were the best of the year. Tuscany is a unique place in Italy and impressions from it took a separate shelf in my memory, not mixing with other places and countries. This is one of my two favorite places where there is neither sea nor mountains, and yet it sinks into the soul for a long time. The first place is Cappadocia, the second is Tuscany, two completely different places that have approximately the same energy and which I never tire of recommending to everyone, from my friends to those who first came to the pages of this site. Of course, I had heard about Tuscany before, and as a photographer I was attracted to this area in the central part of Italy, located almost in the middle of the boot. Tuscany was an integral part of the trip along the route: Kyiv-Lviv-Krakow-Austrian lakes-Tuscany. We had two weeks for the whole route, of which we allocated a whole week to Tuscany. It wasn't the kind of vacation that people talk about, no lazy pastimes mixed with food and drink. I don't even know how much time to consider by road from the whole trip. We hardly had days without a road and trips, the greed for impressions definitely won over the desire to lie lazily by the pool, drinking wine.

Time travel– May 3-10, 2013, destination – Tuscany. Route from Austria It turned out quite simple: The place of our previous parking lot was the Austrian town of Bad Goisern - then along the mountain roads through the Dolomites we keep the direction to Udine along the A10 autobahn, then we move towards Venezia (Venice) without stopping and going to Padova along the A13 autobahn, then to Bologna and further along the A1 to Firenz (Florence). We covered the distance from Austria to Florence about 700 kilometers in 7 hours with small stops in the Dolomites and for refueling, the time is the same as from Kyiv to Lviv, only the pleasure is much more. The route map looks like this.

link to Google itinerary - A short stop for half a day in Florence and by the end of the day we arrive at the place of lodging in the countryside Tuscany– camping Valiccella near the town Scarlino. In three days we move to a Tuscan farm near the town St. Quirico d Orcia where we live for 3 more days. For all the time in Tuscany we visit cities: Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, Siena and of course we ride around the neighborhood, farms, vineyards, taste wine and eat.

Practical information:

To pay for Austrian roads, we bought a vignette back in the Czech Republic. The Italians do not have a vignette, payment is taken for the kilometers traveled at the payment points on the autobahns themselves, special shields warn about this about a kilometer away. You can pay in cash at the window to a person or by card automatically (only chipped cards are accepted). About the same thing happens in Croatia or Spain. The price is about 10 cents per 1 kilometer of the toll road. In Tuscany itself, the autobahn is the only one that runs along the sea to Rome, which we did not use. In the rest of the area, the roads are free, narrow, but of excellent quality. There are few cars, so there were no problems with movement.

Now about everything in order.

Relatively early departure from the beloved Austrian lakes, everyone is still sleeping and the weather has completely deteriorated. Actually, if the weather had been good, we would have extended the Austrian part of the voyage for one more day and would have taken a ride on the Grossglockner to admire the Alpine peaks. But no luck this time, while in Kyiv it is abnormal +20, in the Alps the temperature indicator barely crawls up to +12 degrees Celsius. We did not expect this, but we had a very good time, at least we did not find crowds of people on the lakes. Off-season rules! Already by lunchtime on May 3, we are in Florence, having missed Venice again and a couple more places that we could stop by. I realized a long time ago that trying to see all of Italy in a week is like trying to eat up a year ahead. Italy should be tried systematically every year, each time increasing the portion of the pleasures received.

Florence

Italy gave a surprise on the first day. In Florence, I met my younger brother, who had a birthday that day.

Phoned the day before:

hello where are you now

In Italy, in Florence

Oops, me too

That's how we met, it turned out that before Florence it's easier to get to me than to Moscow or him to Kyiv.

Our routes were different - they, with their family and friends, came to rest on the sea in some fashionable hotel, and we set out to travel around Tuscany. A short meeting of just a couple of hours in our dynamic time is also a luxury, I will report to you.

Florence did not sink into the soul, although I perfectly understand the significance of this city in history Italy and for tourism. Surely I will one day come here purposefully for a couple of days, but for now there are only memories of crowds of people, not very neat streets and the quality of toilets at the station. May the fans of this city forgive me, I will definitely improve and come here a little longer, feel the atmosphere of the city at dawn, climb the local Duomo and try the famous Florentine steak. In the meantime, after an easy walk, we head to the parking lot and move on.

Practical information:

There are many parking lots in Florence, you can not be afraid to go straight to the central part, the streets are narrow but passable, if you're lucky you can find a parking space along the street, no - underground parking, there are signs everywhere, I just stopped and asked (in English) - I got an exhaustive answer and a hand gesture from an oncoming Italian woman, after 5 minutes the car was already in the parking lot. The price is 5 euros per hour, however. Although in Monaco it is three times more expensive.

HOW TO FIND BUDGET ACCOMMODATION IN FLORENCE

Cheap accommodation or hotels in Florence Hotels Combined,

Arrival in Scarlino. Camping and first night in a tent.

From Florence to Scarlino a couple of hours of comfortable driving. At the foot of a small fortified city, we found a campsite and decided to spend the first couple of nights in this way. What are the goals of spending the night in a tent? There are several of them, firstly, it is several times cheaper than hotels, and secondly, romance. Evening gatherings at the barbecue, wine and the singing of nightingales closer to midnight. A few words about camping. Camping Valichella is a 15-minute walk from Scarlino and 20 minutes from the sea. It was decided to start exploring Tuscany from the coast, and then go deeper.

The campsite is large, 4 * according to the camping classification, all the amenities: toilets, showers, a swimming pool (I swam once), a restaurant, a well-groomed clean area, Wi-Fi and a 220-volt socket for recharging. You can live in your own tent, Europeans come by campers - motorhomes and live here for weeks, there are also wooden houses on the territory like those that we used to have at recreation centers for working people. We always have a tent in the car, the price of accommodation with our own tent is 12 euros per day - everything that is on the territory is included in the price, except for food in the restaurant, of course. For variety and savings, I recommend it, although this type of housing is more suitable for companies and, as for me, for 2-4 days no more. Still, sitting in one place is not my format.

Directly above us was the fortress of the city of Scarlino, and on the very first morning we went there for reconnaissance and at the same time for breakfast. It’s a 5-minute drive to the town center by car, we leave the tent, all things too, except for the camera and laptop. Scarlino is generally a little-known town among tourists. You won’t surprise anyone with fortresses in Italy, but local coffee and a cake with an unknown name surprised me. It was fantastically delicious. Hot scalding coffee on a cool morning with a beautiful view of the Tuscan hills. I don't think I'll find a place like this anywhere.

Scarlino took its atmosphere, we took this city and he took us. By the way, it was not even on the paper map. Then we came here twice more for morning coffee and the lady hostess, she was the bartender, remembered us. Words were no longer needed, a slight glance in the direction of coffee and a smile meant: one ristretto, one cappuccino. Another barely noticeable nod to the cakes and our favorite buns take place on a metal tray next to the steaming coffee. All the pleasure did not pull even for 3 euros, here prices are not at all Florentine.

And then, like in a theater, you drink coffee and watch the local life. So two elderly regulars came to while away the morning with a newspaper with news, and that brutal Italian builder somehow subtly reminded us of Celentano. I don’t know if it’s always like this here, but in May the atmosphere fully corresponded to my mood. You can’t buy such an atmosphere in any package tour.

Practical weather information:

The weather in May in Tuscany is a lottery, just like in Kyiv. It happens above +20, in our case it was +18 on average, on the 3rd day it rained a little and it got cold, for a short time. The last three days the sun shone and warmed up to +20. I even managed to swim in the pool and sunbathe. In the mornings there are frequent fogs, but to catch them you need to leave the house at dawn. Usually an hour after sunrise, the fog dissipates (this is for photographers). The holiday season for Italians comes in August, so there are no crowds of people until about mid-July, according to locals.

After yesterday's sunny day, in May such fog as in this photo is possible.
The tent part of the trip lasted three nights and ended just before the rain, otherwise it would have been very sad. We did not book or pay in advance upon check-in, so we were free to manage our time. Before moving deep into the Tuscan nature, I nevertheless drove to the Mediterranean Sea for an hour - I wanted to evaluate the prospects for combining the sea and rural life .... Nothing special, the sea is like the sea, preparing for the season, expanding beaches, tractors and workers .. .

Before I move on to the second part of our life in the middle of the Tuscan hills, I will dwell on what agritourism is.

No, no one will force you to work on the farm, milk cows, feed pigs or process grapes. Unless, of course, you don't want to. In general, we met working people in Tuscany infrequently, maybe it’s just the off-season for work, I don’t know. But women standing in the Z position from morning to evening in vegetable gardens and vineyards, the very ones I have not seen so many in the vastness of my native Ukraine. Nevertheless, everything is very well-groomed, hilled and processed. The cows are well-fed, and the pigs are reminiscent of carefree children, joyfully running around in my yard in Kyiv. There are no such number of vineyards anywhere in the world, not even in France. Absolutely all vineyards are processed and well-groomed, and their even rows on the hills only add charm to the Tuscan landscapes.

Agrotourism involves living on a farm with the owners with the opportunity to observe their life and work. The main direction of Tuscan agro-farms is vineyards, raising pigs and cows. Pigs then turn into delicious ham, and cows into the famous Florentine steaks. I did not see any wheat or corn, let alone potatoes, as well as beets, cabbage and other joys of domestic agriculture.

A modern agricultural farm, as a rule, is a villa of varying degrees of beauty, which can have a swimming pool, a restaurant, a couple of pavilions and, if you're lucky, a gorgeous view of the surroundings. In order to be lucky, read my reports carefully. I always pay special attention to the neighborhood and housing. The farm itself where cows or pigs are raised can not be seen, and the main emphasis in Tuscany is on wine. It is unlikely that you will be able to avoid contact with winemaking, and if you are a bright and implacable opponent of Bacchus and everything connected with this divine drink, you most likely have nothing to do in Tuscany.

In Tuscany, you can also live in hotels, there are many small medieval towns or large ones such as Florence or Siena. But why? It is silly to settle in city hotels and wake up to the noise of a garbage truck or to the screams of the British returning from a party, when there is nature and luxurious apartments with all the benefits of civilization at a lower cost. And in order to see the masterpieces of Botticelli in Florence or sit on the square in Siena, it is enough to get into the car and spend half an hour on the road, on the most beautiful road, admiring the Tuscan landscapes. No car: there are buses from Florence and Siena to all destinations. And in the evening you can drink Brunello de Montalcino by the pool in the company of your loved one and not a soul within a kilometer radius. Approximately at this distance are the villas of agritourism from each other.

HOW TO CHOOSE AN AGRITURISMO FOR A HOLIDAY IN TUSCANY?

There are several ways. The first is to trust the recommendations of a person who has already been there. The second way is to choose a villa that suits you on the spot, methodically driving around the places you like. The third way is to choose a villa on hotel booking sites or specialized Italian agritourism sites. In the latter case, there is a high probability of overpaying and, much worse, you can get on agrotourismo, which in the end will not suit you with something.

We only liked the fourth one we saw agrotourismo, everything here was almost perfect: the views around, the location near interesting places, the pool, the gazebo where you could dine and the house itself in which we lived. Our part of the house consisted of a kitchen, a fireplace room, a bedroom and a bathroom. It was called Palazzo Conti B- highly recommend this agriturismo. Nearby is Palazzo Conti A, we also liked it, but we did not agree on a price. The hosts were Italians of venerable age, but in good shape. Only the lady spoke English with grief in half, they communicated using sign language and a dozen English words. That was enough. The price of our apartments is 70 euros per day, in Palazzo Conti A a little more expensive - 80-90 euros per day, perhaps a little more comfortable there. Both Palazzos are nearby, once they were the possessions of one person, then as a result of the division of the inheritance they were divided. There were also more expensive offers, 100-150 euros per day, but there we had to pay for a bunch of options we didn’t need. The cheaper deals are usually the worst location, no pool or anything. on the picture - Palazzo Conti A andPalazzo Conti B

HOW TO FIND ACCOMMODATION IN TUSCANY

Cheap accommodation or hotels in Tuscany can be found through one of the best booking systems Hotels Combined, service that I use myself. The advantage of the service is that it compares the prices of dozens of booking systems - you just have to choose the best offer. In each article or report, I provide links to hotels where I have stayed and which I liked.

Where is beautiful in Tuscany?

Already from the title it is clear that in Tuscany it is far from beautiful everywhere. The most beautiful places are located on a conditional line connecting cities Montalcino, St. Quirico D'Orcia, Pienza, Montepulciano. This is where all the postcard views are. Tuscany - in the famous Val d "Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I advise you not to waste time looking for housing in other places, it will not be more beautiful. You can drive anywhere in Tuscany from this square in less than an hour. The above cities are the best there is in Tuscany if you add to them Siena, and on the way home, stop by S. Gimignano(San Gimignano), then you get the perfect Tuscany itinerary.

HOW TO SIGNIFICANTLY SAVE ON HOUSING AND SEE TUSCANY You can save a lot on expensive hotels or agritourism if you rent apartments or private apartments, for this I recommend using the service for booking apartments and apartments -.

• Those who do not yet have an account can do so. follow this link and get a $20 travel bonus .

Flats or apartments in SAN QUERICO D'ORCIA
Practical information:

Of course, agrotourismos in Tuscany have addresses, but they sound rather strange and something like this: Pienza, road number ..., after 300 meters turn onto road number ... and drive another 500 meters. Therefore, finding pre-booked agriturismos is another quest.

While we lived in a tent, we traveled around the neighborhood and the day before the planned change of residence, we drove around the neighborhood in search of beautiful scenery and suitable places for us to live. Speaking in military language, they conducted a reconnaissance, that's how the process is called. Palazzo Conti B was found near Pienza in this way. At first, we photographed the surroundings and selected angles, simultaneously looking at the agritourism that came across. What you liked was entered into a notebook and noted the coordinates in the navigator. I don't post it here, but I'll be happy to share it in person.

To be honest, at the end of the third day we were already fed up in the tent and the next day we went to the planned coordinates to negotiate with the owners. The weather improved, it even became hot, and the wineries that came across here and there beckoned with their appearance. Driving around Tuscany and not tasting the local wine right on the farm is like stepping on the throat of your own song. The very first agritourism specializing in winemaking pleased us with high-quality white wine - an excellent thirst-quenching and uplifting drink. The price of just good white wines starts from 3 euros with a ceiling of 8 euros. Practical information:

There are no such things as the police among the Tuscan hills, everyone drinks wine and everyone drives cars, such a feeling as a measure helps, if it is not there, it is better not to start. There are police in the cities, but they are few and just out of curiosity they will not stop, they don’t sit in ambushes either. Nevertheless, if you are not sure, it is better to leave the drink for the evening or leave the steering wheel and walk to the nearest winery on foot - a couple of kilometers. Our agriturismoPalazzo Conti Bspecialized in pigs and chickens, so we tried wine from neighbors or in the city's wine shops.

Tuscany- Mecca of photographers all over the world, the best time is early in the morning when it's foggy or before sunset, at the Hollywood hour. It is not necessary to know the places, the surroundings of the above cities are very beautiful - it is not at all necessary to overpay for a photo tour.

May is the perfect time for photography. There is still no mass tourist from Western Europe and the border of the change of weather, which always pleases with interesting states of nature - from fog to partly cloudy.

IN Italy I love to shoot grapes. In May, there are no grapes yet, only a light ovary, and the leaves are very gently green. In some places it seems that they are artificial or painted, everything is so clean and well-groomed around.

Among the dense grass, many pheasants run with short flights. Sometimes they take off from under your feet, fly thirty meters and again plop down in the grass, it didn’t work out, and sitting in an ambush is not my thing.

SIENNA It seems that seven days is a lot, but in the Tuscan hills the day goes by unnoticed. Another day was dedicated to Siena. A rival of Tuscany in antiquity, I liked it much more than Florence. Very beautiful Duomo and a very old square in front of it. The main feature is to sit on this square, which was what a quarter of the tourists who were here did. Another quarter - dined in a cafe on the same square. The remaining half wandered and examined the architectural masterpieces of the Renaissance.

IN Siena I tried Italian pizza for the first time. I didn’t like it, maybe I was unlucky with the pizzeria, or maybe because I’m not a big fan of flour. In Kyiv they make it tastier. In general, where to dine with experienced Italians, the question does not arise. Here establishments are everywhere, I came across trattoria even in the courtyards of private houses with a barely noticeable sign. For their own. trattoria- Italian family-type restaurants, so I advise you to go to them. Some are adorned with Michelin stars, some with tripadvisor badges, it doesn't matter. I have not come across places where the food tastes bad. But for lunch, I still recommend small towns like Montalcino or Pienza, or restaurants at agrotourismo.

Cheap accommodation or hotels in Siena can be found through one of the best booking systems Hotels Combined, service that I use myself. The advantage of the service is that it compares the prices of dozens of booking systems - you just have to choose the best offer. In each article or report, I provide links to hotels where I have stayed and which I liked.MONTALCINO

A typical Tuscan town of winemakers. It seemed to me that 95% of the people are somehow engaged in winemaking here. City, like all cities in Tuscany located on a hill, at the very top of the fortress wall. It is worth climbing to the very top to buy a couple of souvenirs. And in no case do not stay there for lunch - a mega tourist place, respectively, the quality of service and prices are also touristic. The city is known for the fact that the famous Brunello Montalcino is produced at local wineries. Favorite wine of Roman Abramovich, by the way. Here it is sold in sets with less popular wines. The cost of a bottle of excellent Brunello starts at 15 euros, and for 30-50 euros you can buy a great gift (and more than one) for yourself or your friends. Here it is the great power of auto travel - no restrictions, how long the wallet and trunk can withstand - everything is yours. By the way, in Kyiv this wine costs about 70 euros, i.е. almost twice as expensive, I can not vouch for the quality.

my Hyundai got into the Italian photo history ...

typical italian picture...
It's time to dine in the gazebo by the pool overlooking the picturesque surroundings, watching the setting sun and the slowly changing May colors of the Tuscan hills...

The morning program of the next day included a photo outing to take pictures of the Tuscan foggy vineyards, got a little excited and almost got stuck in the Tuscan mud, but I am satisfied with the result of the photo shoot.

The afternoon program started at 10.00, immediately after an organic Tuscan breakfast with local products. A trip to neighboring Orcia and Montepulciano is planned, I catch myself thinking that I fucking like the Tuscan city names.

St. Quirico D'Orcia

St. Quirico D'Orcia is one of those small towns where you need to meet the morning, wander through the deserted streets and drink coffee in one of them. Orchia is one of those places that is better to see once than hear 100 times. I liked it much more than the hyped tourist Montalcino and Montepulciano, without detracting from the merits of these magnificent cities.

Unexpectedly, we came to the monument to the Ferrari team racer - Tazio Nuvolari. I never found out what he had to do with the city St. Quirico D'Orcia.

Also in St. Quirico D'Orcia I remember an absolutely amazing trattoria Rocca d'Orcia. Located in an old vine-covered yard (pictured), absolutely amazing meat and homemade wine. Below in the photo is their business card with a phone number and address. I recommend.

After St. Quirico D'Orcia, you can get to Pienza in 10 minutes. The town itself is no different from its counterparts, although it is cozy enough to spend a couple of hours here. Here are the best views from the city walls to the surroundings, and the best time is in the morning, when the sun is just beginning to color the surrounding hills. It must be insanely beautiful in autumn.

Cheap accommodation or hotels in San Quirici D "Orcia can be found through one of the best booking systems Hotels Combined , service that I use myself. The advantage of the service is that it compares the prices of dozens of booking systems - you just have to choose the best offer. In each article or report, I provide links to hotels where I have stayed and which I liked.

MONTEPULCIANO

Another iconic city that all guidebooks trumpet. The most touristy of the above, here they wanted to swindle us for money. Primitively, in the old known way. We approach the gates of the Montepulchan fortress, I must say, very picturesque, and a boy stands in front of the gate and offers to sign for helping some unfortunate fictional patient. To those who sign, he immediately offers to help the unfortunate AIDS patients financially, the strangest thing is that there were those who gave money. So in such places be on the alert! This is an old honest way of taking money from tourists, don't be suckers.

IN Montepulciano we admired the ancient church of the authorship of Antonio da Sangallo the Elder. It can be seen at the entrance, but the best views of the church open from the city walls. The best time to visit is early morning, after lunch the sun interferes.

Practical information:

Not far from Montepulciano you can have a good lunch. Make a note - agriturismo La Fonte, at the entrance to Montepulciano from Montalcino. The local restaurant is marked with a tripadviser icon, for me it is rather a minus - as a rule, the restaurant is packed and the atmosphere is not very intimate. Probably, this rule does not apply to Italy - everything is very sincere and tasty, I forgot about the camera, so you have to take our word for it. It is open from 13.00 to 16.00 and opens at 19.00 in the evening.

We had one more day left - May 9, Victory Day, and we celebrated it with a picnic on someone's plot, and here all the land, except for roads, is someone's land. It was felt that the owners were watching from afar, but no one interfered with anyone. There was no vodka, but there was local Brunello di Montalcino, local cheeses, ham and olives.

The afternoon was dedicated to relaxation by the pool, food and wine. Not very rich, but soulful, tasty and relaxed.
Early departure, plans to call on the way back to San Marino and spend a few hours there, so as not to be confused, I will post a separate practical mini report. The road to San Marino turned out to be more beautiful than the mini-state itself. San Marino this is such an open-air museum and a shopping center at the same time, in short. You can visit once. Slovenia.

Slovenia this time was just a pleasant transit. On the same day we spent the night in Slovenian Portorož, where we arrived in the evening. This is the only city on the coast of the Slovenian Adriatic in which we have not been, we did not book a hotel, but we were lucky here too - we saw a sign next to the embankment hostel "Europe". It turned out that on this day the hostel had its first day of work, and we were the first visitors. It is a great success for Slovenia to find such accommodation for only 40 euros, local hotel prices will be higher than Italian ones. We were not given discounts as the first visitors, but they presented a bottle of champagne in honor of the opening. Every number hostel dedicated to some country, we got red and yellow Spanish motifs. For transit - ideal, there are double rooms, as in a regular hotel, with a shower and toilet. Cheap accommodation or hotels in Portorož can be found through one of the best booking systemsHotels Combined, service that I use myself. The advantage of the service is that it compares the prices of dozens of booking systems - you just have to choose the best offer. In each article or report, I provide links to hotels where I have stayed and which I liked.

How good it is to sit on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, look at the screaming seagulls, remembering the Italian Tuscany. Only one day has passed - and Tuscany has become history, and the whole trip has become another successful investment, win-win and reliable, because impressions cannot depreciate. And this report, I hope, will help someone get their impressions and make their win-win investment.

That evening we walked for a long time and looked at the sea - in the morning the road home was waiting for us and this is always the most pleasant part of any trip. In addition to olives, cheese and Tuscan wine, we brought with us a lot of impressions and positive emotions to our friends.

HOW TO GET TO TUSCANY Get to Tuscany conveniently through Rome, you can buy a flight directly on the website of the airlines, but it is most convenient and profitable to use flight offers in the direction Kyiv-Rome orMoscow-Rome from www.aviasales.ru- the aggregator that I use myself. The service offers the most advantageous offers, including low-cost air travel- you just have to choose the best for the price, time of departure or airline.

HOW TO BOOK A CAR FOR A TRAVEL

Usually I book a car on the Internet and pick it up right at the airport, you can quickly do this through a search engine Austrian transit to Italy The best travel destinations in a crisis. Part 1.

So, as they say, "at the request of viewers" ... I will not go into details that can be found in any guidebook. Firstly, everyone can get their own list of what they need to see. Secondly, then the volume of the recall will increase to too grandiose proportions. Therefore, I will limit myself to my impressions, comments that may be useful.

Our route Moscow - Vienna (train), day walk around Vienna, night train to Venice. We covered the main attractions of Venice last time. But this time, several points were outlined, which we either did not know about before, or for some reason could not cover. And they were absolutely right. The best way to see the real Venice is to simply get lost in it. True, it is advisable to do this with a detailed map in hand :)

We took a ticket for the local "water bus" (vaporetto) for the whole day. This turned out to be more economical. Therefore, we combined walking with occasional "driving" through the canals. It's just that sometimes you have to make a very big detour to get from one side of the canal to the other. When you add to this the heat, from which you can not always hide ...

For the most part, we walked around Dorsoduro (less touristy, but this is a much more pleasant area), sat on the quiet St. Margherita Square, tasted the local signature Bellini cocktail. Surprisingly, but really, in the heat an amazing thing! We went to the Casa del Sol mask workshop. It's near San Marco. If you stay in Venice longer, you can take a master class from them, but we limited ourselves to visiting a shop where (unlike most other similar establishments) we could measure everything, take pictures and just wander around the workshop watching different stages of work. And why I love Italians. When I asked the owner where their workshop was and if it was possible to see it, she very kindly pointed to the neighboring building and said: "Unfortunately, there is no lesson right now, but if you are interested, you can go look." We came. There is no one in the workshop, the door is not locked. Because I theoretically studied this topic, then I simply told the children how it all happens, especially since it was really possible to track all the stages of work.

In the morning we took the car and hit the road to the opposite Tuscan coast. On the way we stopped at the small town of Maranella. I’ll make a reservation right away that initially I planned to combine a trip here with Bologna. But when we looked at my grandiose plans, we realized that the list needed to be reduced. Then we left Bologna until the next visit, and Maranello decided to visit, making a slight deviation from the direct route to the coast.

The town itself is unremarkable, except for the fact that there is a factory, a test and training track and a Ferrari museum here. My boys were completely delighted, I barely pulled them out of there. But I myself could absolutely calmly skip this place (which was what the Italian woman, whom I met on a bourgeois site, warned me about). In the evening we arrived at the place of deployment. I will not name the place, because this is an unremarkable one of the resort towns on the coast. Absolutely anyone will do. It's just that the closer to the north, the more expensive it becomes, and the further south, the longer it takes to get to all the places that we planned to see (except Rome).

Again, it was possible to take a week somewhere near Florence (then there would be fewer crossings), and a week on the coast (more swimming). We also had a very pleasant combination of a cultural program with swimming. The regimen was as follows: getting up around 7 in the morning (the older child and I woke up without an alarm clock (we were not early risers, we just had time to sleep), the rest were woken up. We had breakfast either in our cafe (we took apartments, but I was too lazy to cook even breakfast), or already at the place of the first stop. We returned at 5-6 pm (a couple of times it was later), went for a swim. Then we put ourselves in order - and for dinner at some restaurant. In general, almost in the mode of Italians, let only them through siesta. Although the children quite made up for it in the car. I do not remember exactly the order of trips. Therefore, I will simply describe by day.

Day 1.
Montelupo, Vinci, Luca
Montelupo is a small town famous for its ceramic workshops. For lovers of paleontology, a museum of all kinds of fossils, which are full in numerous souvenir shops. It took us somewhere around 1 - 1.5 hours to slowly get around the old city (the modern one is absolutely uninteresting) and move on.

Vinci.
Firstly, the villa of Leonardo's parents is not far from here, but our goal is a museum. For this, a whole castle has been allocated, converted into a museum, where all stages of the work of this great man are presented, although more emphasis is placed on his inventions. Everything is very well explained both on the stands and in the booklet that is given at the entrance. In addition, after the hall with models of various mechanisms, there is a large computer room where you can watch a video of how each mechanism worked. A separate room is devoted to his research in the field of optics. As in many European museums, everything can be touched and examined. Separate room for puzzles. The castle is multi-level, with several entrances. Walking through all its halls, you understand that it is not only the giftedness of the genius, but the monotonous and painstaking work of the researcher that allowed Leonardo to achieve such results. The castle is located inside the fortress walls and the combination of narrow medieval streets with an absolutely modern and originally designed square next to the castle is amazing. And around - Tuscan landscapes: endless fields, hills, olive orchards.

Luke.
Wonderful, well-preserved medieval city. Particularly impressive was the Church of San Michele in Foro. According to the guide, Luka used to look like a forest of towers, now only 2 have survived, but what a sight! We climbed both. One rather high clock tower, and the second one with a garden at the top. Those. climb up and find yourself in the shade of sprawling trees. And of course Luke's pride is the fortress wall. It is rather late (16th-17th century) and was not subjected to military threat. Protected only from floods. In the 19th century, the townspeople decided not to demolish it, but turned it into a luxurious boulevard. And now numerous tourists can walk along it (around the entire old city) or ride a bike. Near the wall there are several rental points where you can rent a bike (for children, adults, catamarans, etc.). Because I'm not friends with vehicles that have less than 4 wheels, then I just sat on a bench in the shade, and my boys happily took a few circles.

Day 2.
Day of enjoying nature! We're going to Cinquiterra. Translated - 5 Lands. These are five small fishing towns located near Livorno. Driving in cars is prohibited. Between them it is possible, but problematic. Therefore, it is most convenient to get to La Spezia and take the train there. We buy a complex ticket, for one day about 5 euros. It includes train travel up to and between 5 lands plus a trail pass. In fact, there are several routes of varying complexity, fullness and length. We chose the most picturesque - the road connecting all these towns, which runs mainly along the sea. Those. you walk along a path in the rocks, below is the sea. Indescribable beauty! Sometimes the path comes close enough to the sea, there are descents to wild and not very beaches. During our trip, the sea was a little stormy, so I only swam a little. Children limited themselves to sitting on a stone among the waves. A huge number of photographs were taken. One of the sections is called "Path of Love". In general, sheer romance!

Day Three.
Cooking lesson ordered in advance (from Moscow). Because Since Florence (collection point) is far enough for us to go, we decided to take it only for half a day. If there was an opportunity to rewind and repeat again, of course they would take the whole day. We arrived in Florence in the morning, walked a little for our own pleasure (also the main inspection was on the previous visit), at 12.00, as agreed, met with the organizers and another couple from America. Already on a minibus we were taken to some villa of the 14th century. It's good that we listened to the recommendations and left the car in Florence. As the mistress of the house later explained to us, the whole of Tuscany, in times of fragmentation, was constantly subjected to constant raids. Therefore, people lived in such villa-castles scattered from each other. But in case of danger, they gave each other signs. We drove along a very narrow path, all around the cliffs. In general, horror! But they came to paradise. Silence all around, standard Tuscan landscape, nice Italian family. In a specially equipped semi-basement, we were taught the secrets of real pasta. We made ravioli and noodles. I was very afraid that my men would start to turn around, that this was not a man's business. But they were so excited about it! Then our works were taken to cook, and we were able to take a walk, look around the garden and the premises of the house open to guests (the owners live there permanently, and such visits as ours are just additional income). Then there was a real Italian lunch. The hostess treated us to all kinds of snacks from her own products, our masterpieces and homemade ice cream from her own peaches. Of course, house wine. As the organizer explained to us, if we had taken for the whole day, we would first have traveled around a few more similar villas, we would have tried wine, cheese, and other snacks there. On the way back, the children, drunk on the air, of course, slept all the way.

Day 4.
In Italy, August 15 is a very big holiday dedicated to the Virgin Mary. And this is one of two days when traditional (since the Middle Ages) races are held in Siena. This is a pandemonium, so we did not go there on August 15, but postponed our visit until 16. Which turned out to be a very good decision. Parking was still a little hard (even all the paid parking lots were full), but we were rewarded for a circle around the city with a place right at the gates to the old city. There are still enough people. But such a beauty! All the decorations are still left (although they may hang them all year round). The city has long been divided into contradas (our districts or artels). Usually professional. Each Conrad has its own name, flag, coat of arms (any animal or plant). All taxes collected by the contrada go to its needs. Each Conrad has a fountain with a symbol of contrada, where they give communion to the horses before the races. In general, we plunged into the Middle Ages: around flags, people dressed in appropriate attire. Yes, and, of course, one cannot fail to note the main cathedral, which should have surpassed the Florentine one, if not for the plague. Although, in my opinion, it is already more interesting. Because even if it is smaller, but it does not stand on a flat square, but it turned out to be multi-level.

I forgot to mention that before Siena we stopped at the Chianti Sculpture Park. While it is private property. The husband and wife (architects) bought the park, invited sculptors and architects from all over the world. Each of them chose a piece of the park for themselves and created a sculpture just for the piece, so that it fits into the environment. We arrived at the very opening and were a little upset, the gates were closed. A "farmer" drove up to us and asked: "Do you want to get into the park? Then now, one minute." He rushed, brought the keys, opened it for us, gave out tickets. As it turned out later, this was the owner. Then he invited us to his house. They have there, in addition to living quarters, also a gallery with very original works. True, they asked not to take pictures.

Day 5
The Baths of Saturnius and the "Holy Paths".
There are many thermal baths scattered throughout Italy, but these were recommended to me, so we went. You need to go only on weekdays! (It’s even hard to imagine the number of people on weekends) You can, of course, stay at a nearby hotel and get the same thermal water for money, lying in a specially built spa center. But how can this compare in terms of sensations! And here a river flows, the temperature of which is much higher than air. You can also dig yourself up with healing clay and smear yourself with it. It flows both along the plain and along the cascades. So you can also get a massage. This water is very relaxing. I quickly felt it and after 30 minutes I drove the children out to rest. After bathing and finally relaxing, we set off to look for the "Holy Ways". This is the name of the tunnels dug by the Etruscans. These are natural refrigerators that the Etruscans used to hide from enemies. Frankly, it is hard to believe that these structures are so many years old. But it's really cold in there. At the same time, while we were looking for them, we discovered a very pretty town, which for some reason was not mentioned in any guidebook, but very pretty - Pitigliano.

Day 6.
This day is more for the parents, but the kids got theirs too. We made a trip to the medieval wine towns. There are a huge number of them, we chose San Gimignano, Monterigione and Monteciano for ourselves. Each of them is good in its own way and is described in detail in the guidebooks. We drive into the town, admire the old buildings, streets. Whoever can, tastes the wine, the wine they like is bought for further tasting at home. In principle, I did not prepare a special route for each city, I only noted that I should not miss it (in my opinion), and then we just walked and enjoyed the atmosphere. On the way, they also wanted to stop by the monastery, where a sword was stuck on a stone (like King Arthur’s, but this is already an Italian legend), but for a long time they could not find it, when they already understood, it became too lazy to return.

It took us 2 days to travel to Rome. My husband and I are in love with this eternal city and we use every opportunity to visit there even a little bit. This time, on the way to Rome, we stopped at Bomarzo (Park of Miracles or Monsters). A wonderful shady park, the owner of which, in grief over the death of his beloved wife, collected bizarre sculptures and structures from all over the world. It is useful to buy a book in a shop before visiting the park, it tells in detail where each statue comes from, its history, what it symbolizes.
We walked in Rome in the evening (it was just not hot), overnight, in the morning - the Vatican Museums and a little more around Rome. On the way back we stopped at Tivoli. It was very useful to take a walk in the shady garden with fountains in the heat. Moreover, the children immediately noticed the repetition of some elements from the Vatican Museums. Some days we just relaxed by the sea. Caves remained from the unseen (there are several of them). And 2 parks, which I would highly recommend, and Pisa were also viewed in previous trips.
The first is Collodi-Pinocchio Park. Of course, rather for small children, but still a very pleasant park. Where scenes from the book are recreated. For adults, you can visit Villa Collodi with a garden. And the second is a unique park, a park of Tarot cards. A park for all ages, because the sculptures are simply unique, and also fit into the surrounding nature. You don’t need much time to Pisa, but you definitely need to climb the tower! It is better to take care in advance and book tickets online. We did not know about this, but while we were waiting for our session, we looked around all the districts. Yes, there are age restrictions, but I don’t remember which ones (a 10-year-old child is allowed, but kids 4 and 5 years old were not allowed). Yes, another important note. I thought over all my routes so that there was no driving for more than 2 (maximum 3) hours in a row. It looks like we succeeded.

Rent a car and drive around Tuscany - you will remember it forever! We decided to go to the province of Siena, because, to be honest, the most beautiful piece of Tuscany belongs to Siena, not Florence.

So, we left, and ... the weather began to deteriorate. This is normal, sometimes in the weather forecast for the same day you can see: snow, rain, clouds, sun, thunderstorm. But we were even glad of this, because we didn’t want to explore the cities under the scorching sun. We didn’t have much of a plan, we were guided by a navigator, a map and the Internet and chose cities on the way.

Our first choice fell on the Monteriggioni fortress. The first impression of us ... deceived. From the road, the fortress seemed so authentic, retaining its medieval atmosphere, but inside it turned out to be touristy through and through. We stayed there for about an hour and ate an insanely delicious sandwich (I took a sandwich with prosciutto crudo and truffle sauce, mmm ...).

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Then on the map we saw that Montalcino was very close to us. My husband and I are big wine lovers, and we wanted to drink a glass of Rosso di Montalcino in the city where it is produced.

*I must say that the word "city" for most of the places that we visited is not very applicable, they are rather fortresses, small towns surrounded by city walls. But for convenience, we will leave the proud name of the cities for them.

We liked Montalcino already more. It is also touristic, but still larger in size than Monteriggioni, which means there is more choice, you can find places a little in the depths, away from the main attractions, but more “real”. Instead of one glass of wine, we were given a whole tasting of different wines, one better than the other. And for wine we ordered different bruschettas (toasted bread), the most delicious of which were truffle bruschetta and bruschetta with traditional Tuscan liver pate. Hm. some kind of enogastronomic tour we get ...

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But the further, the more interesting! Our next “city” was planned in advance, because as soon as I accidentally found it on the Internet, I realized that I must definitely visit it. And everyone should go there and try to understand how one can even live in such a town. I already liked one name - Murlo, something so cozy that it is associated with cats (Murlo is the emphasis on the first syllable, not the last, otherwise the associations would be completely different).

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This photo is not mine, I took it from the internet.

Under the sign hung a sign that said we had arrived at Murlo, the most beautiful borgo in Italy. "Borgo", or "burg", in ancient German means "fortified city", "castle", "fortress". To say that this fortress is small is not enough. From the strength of 20 people will be typed. The city is located on a hilltop and consists of fortress walls (they are also houses), located in a circle, forming a ring. In the center of this circle are 3 more houses. There is one bar, one trattoria and even an archaeological museum. That's it, here's Murlo! 10 minutes is enough for you to get around the whole of Murlo, but if you were not born there, then a whole life is not enough to understand how you can live there. But this is an amazing place! For some reason, I was always attracted by the Dark Ages, and I wanted to be in the Middle Ages at least for a day. And so I visited there, this Middle Ages is called Murlo. I want to repeat and repeat this name, it is so warm and pleasant.

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Then we headed to Bagno Vignoni, a city that was also originally on the list of places we wanted to visit. We were about to look for some suitable agritourism where we could spend the night, but along the way we saw a sign for San Quirico. We did not know or read anything about this city, but for some reason we decided to turn off. At least for half an hour, why not. Moreover, there were only 5-7 kilometers to Bagno Vignoni.

The first thing we saw there was an absolutely amazing Romanesque church. It seems that this is how it was built in the 11th-12th centuries, and so it remained. It's so cool! In big cities, everything is different: first they build a Romanesque church, then over time they will redo it all, make it Gothic, then a couple of centuries later they will add a Renaissance facade to it, then subsequent generations will not like the decoration of the church, with the advent of a new fashion, everything will be demolished, redone ... and in the end nothing will remain of that very Romanesque church, and only the guide tells you: “Here you can see the columns that remained from the Romanesque church, look at the drawing, that's what it was like.” And in San Quirico, everything remained as it was. Inside it is so dark, dark, with small windows through which daylight penetrates. You go in and at first you go blind, but then your eyes get used to the darkness. Time has stopped there.

We walked around this city, through its gardens, and nevertheless went to Bagno Vignoni, the city where Tarkovsky filmed Nostalgia and Yankovsky spoke Italian. Bagno Vignoni is a thermal spa. But do not imagine Karlovy Vary, Bagno Vignoni is 20 times less. But it has one outstanding attraction: in all cities there is a central square, there is one here too, but its place is completely occupied by a thermal pool, and you can see how the spring beats from below.

The hostess advised us where it is better to have dinner and what is the fastest way to go down to the city on foot, because we no longer wanted to take a car. At the same time, she warned us that when it gets dark, it’s better not to return this way, it’s better to return along the road we came on.

When we finally began to descend into the city, it turned out that the road led through the forest. As soon as we entered it, in the depths we saw a fox, which first looked at us intently, and then ran away. I felt a little uneasy, somehow I didn’t think about wild animals. But Tuscany is famous for a large number of wild boars in its forests ... In general, all the way I behaved like a coward, and was afraid of every rustle. Then we finally got out of the forest, the road led us straight to the square with the pool. There was also a restaurant that was recommended to us by the owner. I won’t describe here what we ordered there, I’ll only say that all the dishes were very original and tasty, plus a dessert and a bottle of white wine.

After supper, we walked a little more, sat on a bench above the cliff, looking at the hills, which seemed so welcoming under the sun during the day, but now, at night, so uncomfortable and full of dangers. When it was already completely dark, we went home. After a hearty dinner, it was very difficult to get up (if the car could barely cope, then what can we say about us) and we had to light our way with a telephone, because there was not a single lantern and there was impenetrable darkness. In general, on this day we got emotions over the edge!

The seat of the city is not taken.
Of course, a week in Tuscany is not enough. We had more. We traveled to many small and large cities, bathed in baths, lived on farms and ate - a lot and unusually tasty. Before the trip, I studied the forums as usual, trying to compose my ideal route from scattered reports and impressions. Something turned out to be an undoubted must see, and something could well be passed by.
If I were now asked where I would send my virgin relatives or acquaintances in terms of tourism in the first place, I would answer - to Tuscany. To my great surprise, even Provence remained in the shadow of Tuscany. In such a light shade, but still.
So, we have a week in Tuscany - we arrive on Saturday, we fly away on Sunday. Prerequisites: you can rent a car, like to drive it, don't look for parties.
Season - spring / autumn. It is still or no longer possible to swim in the sea, but you still want to get wet somewhere.

Day one: arrival, transfer to Florence.

As an adherent of direct flights, I advise you to fly to Verona. Transaero Airlines regularly flies to Verona from Moscow. Another option is Venice. But I would make Venice a separate visit. Or combined it with western Slovenia.
At the airport of Verona we transfer to a rented car (we book it in advance, for example, here: www.skyscanner.ru). And we go to Florence.
We settle in Florence at our discretion. Florence is expensive. I found an apartment on booking in a residential area, in this house:

The apartment was good for everyone, except for the deaf grandfather-neighbor, who, behind the wall, watched horror films on TV at full volume. The next evening, an Italian family was arguing on the set. We experienced a whole range of emotions. So get ready)
In the evening, if we are still alive, we go out for dinner to a restaurant nearby (TripAdvisor to help).

Day two: Florence.

I don't have beautiful photos of Florence. And it's good, because it must be seen unprepared, so as not to spoil the impression. I have seen enough cities, and Florence is not like any of them.
Where is the first place to go in Florence? Of course, to Santa Maria del Fiore. No matter where you come from, you will be impressed, I promise. Further - at will. You can go to get in line at the Uffizi Gallery, you can look at the graves of celebrities (Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli ..) or at the unique frescoes in the cathedrals. Well, or straight to the world's first Gucci store.
If we know English, then by 16.00 we approach the church of Santa Maria Novella. Two free walking tours of the city start from here every day. (http://www.florencefreetour.com). At eleven in the morning - the Renaissance tour of the very center, at four days - the Medici tour.
We were on both excursions, the second is more interesting. The guides are excellent, with jokes, the people are divided into groups, everything is heard and seen. The second tour ends at the Palazzo Pitti. There is another world-famous gallery there.
And finally, dinner. And, of course, the Florentine steak. On the advice of a guide, we went to the San Lorenzo market for a steak. Food court on the second floor.

Hot meals are served after 6pm. Our "restaurant" is the first on the left side of the entrance:

Choose Bistecca Alla Fiorentina, wait 15 minutes, pick up:

I don't eat meat with blood, but I ate it. Very tasty and there are no extra charges for garnish, tablecloths and other rubbish. The steak is large, almost a kilogram, we could not even finish eating.
If we don’t like raw meat, we go a little further and take raw oysters at the far left side of the “restaurant”, at 2.50 euros apiece. Also excellent.

There is also tuna tartare and what not yet:

Day three: Florence and evening transfer to San Gimignano.

So, we have another almost full day in Florence. If we want to learn more about the history of the city and listen to stories about naked statues, we go on the first free tour. If it's hot, or you're tired of art, you can go for a walk in the Boboli Gardens. We have already been near the gardens - they are right behind the Pitti Palace.

Gardens are paid (12 euros), in principle, not bad, but in general - gardens are like gardens. If you were, for example, in Peterhof, then these are unlikely to impress much. I liked the carps in the fountain the most. And an amazing grotto with sheep.

It's lunchtime and we're off to taste the guts. More specifically, beef stomach. This is me about Lampredotto - the famous Florentine shawarma. Guts in Florence are sold in street stalls. Ours was called Sergio Pollini Lampredoto (ho-ho). From the Boboli Gardens half an hour on foot, but the road is interesting, you will not regret it.

Guts in a boiling vat look disgusting. But if Dante ate, then I can. If you do not think about what you eat, it is very tasty. But fat, of course.

In addition to the intestines they give wine - for free. There is just a bottle and no one monitors how much you pour yourself there. They ate and thought how such a freebie would take root in Russia.
In order to finish off our own stomach, we’ll also run for “the best ice cream in Italy”, not far from here. We need Marco Ottaviano Il Gelato Gourmet.

I recommend strawberries. Maybe not the best in Italy, but so far, perhaps, I have not eaten better.
We inspect what we didn’t have time to, get in the car and hit the road. Our goal is medieval New York. San Gimignano.
At dusk we check into a farm overlooking the city.

Now I understand why New York? Only nine in the evening, so you can walk into the city - for dinner. The city is practically empty.

Tourists usually come here during the day, just for a couple of hours - and in vain. It was here, late in the evening, that I felt that time had stopped somewhere in the narrow stone nooks and crannies. No comparison with ancient Rome, yes its fans ask me.
The season is not in full swing and there are only a couple of restaurants in the city. We go at random.

We order meat. The waiter asks if we would like some truffle shavings with the meat - just in season. Of course we want. The surcharge for shavings is not at all significant - two or three euros per serving. But we have not eaten such delicious meat in all our lives.

They even wanted to build a return route through San Gimignano in order to visit this restaurant again.

Day four: San Gimignano, transfer to Saturnia, thermae.

We wake up in an old house in the heart of Italy.

The hostess has already prepared breakfast.

And the owner's dog came to beg.

During our stay, the old muzzle did not make a single sound inherent in a dog. But the dog snored like a hero. Fortunately, I spent the night in the living room, on my own sofa and behind a thick door.

After breakfast - coffee in the fresh air.

Leave things in the car and go - look at the city in the light of day.

Those who wish can climb one of the many towers:

The rest walk and buy wild boars

Or the unique white wine Vernaccia di San Gimignano. With me, the Poles bought two boxes. The wine is truly amazing.
Finally, we look into the tavern at the entrance to the city. We sit down at a table above the cliff, order a pizza and a glass of local white.
We return to the car, we go to Saturnia. Why Saturnia? Because terms. Useful, natural, free. What an attraction in and of itself. Nice rest after a long day. And it’s also convenient to travel from Saturnia to the cities that I noticed. Saturnia - this is me in general about the surroundings. We lived near the town of Montemerano. In a cozy house above the valley.

Settled in the car and to the terms. Ten minutes later I hear from the driver: “WHAT IS THERE??” I love these moments. Yes, that's where we're going.

Like any self-respecting place in Italy, it has its own bearded legend. Like, once Jupiter was angry with Saturn and threw a spear at him. He missed, but he rescued hydrogen sulfide sources with a temperature of 37.5 degrees.
Cascate del Mulino is a natural waterfall at the foot of an old mill. Nature has created a number of cozy baths with blue, actively smelling water.

I think it is especially good here in the off-season. You approach the waterfall in a jacket, undress in a sprint (there is a shower and a toilet here, there are no changing rooms) and run into the almost hot water. You lie down, get wet, look at the green hills. With us, couples with plastic glasses of wine climbed in there.

Occasionally you pull your hand out into the air and immediately back - it's cold. Go out invigorating, I will not hide. You will run to things, dry yourself, chattering your teeth, pull on jeans with a jacket. Fine. You will drink hot tea in the bar (there is food there, the prices are quite democratic).

And, renewed, you go home - to sleep, smelling of sulfur.

Day five: Pitigliano, Sorano, Via Cave - Etruscan roads in the rocks.

We wake up on the farm. Breakfast with amazing view

If the farmer does not provide breakfast, we buy a grocery set in the supermarket the day before:

We move towards the "magic triangle" of the Etruscans - Pitigliano, Sovana, Sorano. I’ll note right away that I wouldn’t waste time on Sovana, nothing special, just a very small old town. There is also a terrible wind.
For starters, I would stop by Pitigliano. Most of all, the city is impressive from the outside. I strongly advise you to check out this moment - an unremarkable turn and suddenly a city grows on a rock in front of you. An unforgettable sight. That is why I advise you to stop by here on your way to Sorano from Saturnia. I don't think it will look like this on the way back.
We quickly inspect Pitigliano, drink a cup of coffee and go to visit the ancient Etruscans.
We park at the entrance to Sorano.

We go to inspect the roads in the rocks:

The walk will take an hour and a half. Food and drink are not sold there, keep in mind.

On the way home we stop again to soak in the cascade. Or choose paid Terme di Saturnia. This is already a full-fledged thermal complex in Saturnia itself - with pools, showers, a restaurant, etc. Entrance fee 12 euros, bring towels and a shower cap (you can also buy it on the spot).

Day six: Montalcino, Montepulciano, the famous hills of Tuscany, Bagni San Filippo.

Today we have to get up early) We go to look at postcard views of Tuscany: fields, vineyards, small churches, sheep and wild hares.
We are heading for Montalcino.
We stop to take pictures of the sheep. We get out of the bushes. The rams immediately knock the flock together and silently but persistently drive it from the field in an unknown direction.

We quickly wash off, fearing shots in the back seat.
They say that one of the most picturesque roads in Tuscany is the section between Montalcino and Montepulciano. Let's go. Very lacking lavender from Provence, but not bad either. The weather was dull, so there are no good photos.

We visit the vineyard, taste wine and olive oil. We have lunch in one of the towns. We, to confess, did not visit any of them - there was no time. But I think they are worth it. From Montepulciano we head for Chianchiano Terme. We do not stop here (although there is also an excellent thermal complex with pools here). We drive into the navigator Bagni San Filippo. If you go that way, then after Cianciano you should drive along a simply breathtaking serpentine with cypresses (if I didn’t mess up anything, of course). A little detour, but you won't regret it, trust me.
We come to another natural term - San Filippo. An unusually beautiful waterfall is located in the forest.

Before the trip, I could not understand in any way whether it was possible to swim there. Reviews on the forums were diametrically opposed. It turned out that you still can’t swim - a sign hangs.

But almost everyone swims. Well, how they swim - they climb into warm baths for a couple of minutes (like no one sees) or bask in the sun on a salt rock. It is a very unusual feeling to sit on a rock on which water flows.

Above and below the waterfall, a sulfuric river flows, also with baths, and no one is shy there anymore - they sit with whole families.
After another recovery, we go home. On the way we pass a very unusual alpine city - Abbadia San Salvatore. You can stop for dinner or go to the jewelry store at the gas station (I highly recommend local costume jewelry). Just keep in mind that the road is mountainous, winding, and some impressionable people will not be very comfortable driving in the dark)

Day seven: relaxation, Lake Bolsena, Civita di Bagnoregio.

We sleep off. We ride horses on one of the nearby farms. We just walk. We are going to have lunch on Lake Bolsena. For example, in the city of the same name with a very picturesque fortress. We drove past the city and were very sorry that we did not leave time for it.
We are heading to see one of the iconic towns of the region - Civita di Bagnoregio.
I'll warn you right away - the place is extremely touristy. But still, it's worth looking at.

If I had known about everything in advance, I would have preferred to look from the outside. It is this view that impresses the most. Inside the town there is only one street - an ordinary stone street, we have already seen dozens of them. You can get to the city only on foot - along a long bridge standing over the abyss. On the way there, I was somehow distracted by the peeling of peanuts, which are sold at the entrance. And she walked back on wadded legs, at the end she almost ran. In short, the bridge is not for the nervous. Although the pension is actively going back and forth. For them, there is a mini-ambulance right at the entrance on duty)

Not far from Civita there is another very popular ancient city with tourists - Orvieto. We went there too. But after all that he saw, he did not impress me much. Unless, the Cathedral, but we have already seen similar ones in Florence.
We return to the house. It's time for a farewell dinner - for example, in a very cozy little town of Montemerano:

We have been to this restaurant:

And again ordered meat with truffle. Not as phenomenal as in San Gimignano, but still amazing)
I went to Italy with an extreme taste prejudice. I don't like pizza, pasta, etc. Naturally, I was worried that I would eat there at all. It turned out that I simply did not try real Italian cuisine, from real Italian products. Well, okay, pasta is not mine - well, pasta and pasta, albeit tasty. But pizza with thin dough from Orvietto or pizza with truffle from Viterbo I still remember. I remember everything I ate there. Meat, intestines, shrimp and vongole in a restaurant in Rome, tomatoes (what kind of tomatoes are there!), apples, cheeses, biramisu (!), of course, prosciutto. It was by far the most delicious trip in my tourist life.

Day eight: transfer to Verona.
Well, that's it, we get into the car and take the long way to Verona (or where you fly from there).
In Verona we settle closer to the center and go for a walk.

Are you going to Juliet's balcony anyway?) Well, yes, a balcony. But it was necessary to dissolve such a vulgarity - to rub Juliet on the chest. Both adult men rub (over there in the background), and children.

Most of all I liked the tombstones of the Scaligers. And the cathedrals are beautiful. And, still, there is a Colosseum.

Stores are not interesting. Well, there is, of course, no special “spirit of love” there. I don’t know, half a day in Verona would be enough for me. If you find yourself there in the evening, take a look at this place:

It's very atmospheric here. Quite a tiny cocktail bar, no one fits inside, everyone hangs out on the street. As I understand it, mostly local and young.
Well, last glass of red wine and sleep. Goodbye Italy.

P.S. All this is solely my opinion and my ideal weekly itinerary - Italy is different for everyone. I would be glad if you tell me about yours)