I'll be getting home the day of the Texas game but I'm sure I'll be dead tired. We'll see.
Starting out in Tuscany for about a week and then heading to Rome I think. We were originally planning a more adventurous trip but decided we need to take it easy for a variety of reasons. I think we'll be good to see the stuff we want once we get to Rome because we've already booked some tours.
Thanks!
Mrs. Basket Case and I spent a few days in Florence, followed by a week based in Lucca, but going out for day trips to various hill towns.
We loved Lucca. Exactly the right size. Big enough to have some good restaurants, but not so big that it was overrun with tourist buses.
An observation and two recommendations.
Observation: The driving is hard. Narrow roads, not always well or even accurately marked, and the stereotype of Italian drivers is a stereotype for a reason. Goes double for motorcycles. No matter how pretty the scenery you’re driving through, your attention needs to be 100% on the road.
Recommendation #1: Skip Pisa. The tower is cool, but the surrounding area is about half a step above Bourbon Street. Dozens of small shops and kiosks selling T-Shirts and cheap knick-knacks. There’s nothing there aside from the tower and associated duomo, and it’s just not worth the time.
Recommendation #2: DO NOT drive after having any alcohol at all. If you have wine at lunch, be sure you wait at least an hour per glass before you drive. If you have wine with dinner, have a driver or Uber. The Italian DUI laws are very strict, tolerances are much lower than in the US, and they love to get their hooks into tourists.
