Hi all,
Here is an article from Today that would whet your appetite. No one has ever written a (worthy) travel journal while on a tour package.
This story was printed from TODAYonline
Roads from Rome
Tired of jostling with fellow tourists, Simon Tan finds his own wheels to explore the Italian countryside
Thursday • February 28, 2008
Italy is evocative of romance. But nothing is more unromantic than going on a packaged tour with two dozen other people. Fellow tourists jostling for the choice position in front of the Tower of Pisa or the Swiss Guard can certainly extinguish any feeling of romance.
Instead of head banging, I decided I would travel on my own. I would fly to Rome, rent a car (Hertz, Budget, Avis, you name it) and armed with a map harnessed to the dashboard, make my way out of the city through the narrow, serpentine streets. This is definitely not for the faint hearted.
As if driving a manual car with a left hand drive is not enough, one has to put up with the incessant horns and vitriol spewed by the locals.
But, as soon as you reach the outskirts of the city, the stress and tension evaporate and are replaced by a sense of calm and serenity when you finally enter the expressway.
Apart from having to get used to the road system and courtesies expected of a road user, you have to keep your eyes on the road rather than the endless picturesque scenery. Once on the highway, the road signs are easy to fathom.
From Rome, I choose a leisurely drive to the Maremma Coast where I can visit the towns of Montepulciano, Montalcino, Pienza, San Gimignano, Siena, Florence, Pisa and Lucca. Most of these towns are well marked and accessible by car.
The beauty of these towns lies in their predictability. They have a piazza, a church, probably a castle or castles, towers and quaint cobbled streets. The charm is to be able to stop and gawk from afar before entering the town or city.
The smaller towns and churches dotting the countryside of Italy are enough incentive to drive. You can visit vineyards, climb the ramparts with a magnificent view of the countryside, play a round of golf or go truffle hunting.
If ever you have a chance to drive through Italy, I would recommend Montepulciano and Montalcino as two of the less visited but quintessentially Tuscan walled towns I have ever visited.
You can use these towns, which are known for their wines, as bases to travel to other smaller towns. These dot Tuscany, where lazy afternoons are punctuated by boisterous kids playing football while adults, oblivious to the din, loll under the sun enjoying a quiet tete-a-tete.
For those who love big cities, Florence and Siena offer diversity of experiences in that you can shop, visit the museums or art galleries or take a day trip out to the lovely wine region of Chianti.
You can visit the Duomos (town Cathedrals), eat pasta in the piazza (town square) or shop for the best Italian footware and leather goods money can buy.
The possibilities are infinite. Italy calls for exploration and discovery. Italy is romance personified.
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