Day 43 - The day started with the challenge of getting all our luggage once again into the hire car for the return trip to Florence. We gave ourselves plenty of time for the journey into town, but fortunately being Sunday, the roads were fairly quiet. We then had plenty of time at the main station to catch our connection to Rome. Where would we be without good old McDonalds. Our midday train (our last train journey) was a smooth high speed trip to Rome. Two block...

Day 42 - Today we decided not to venture to far and took a drive to a market at Greve in Chainti.The road to Greve was mountainous, narrow in parts, unsealed and very windy. The markets are a weekly event and attract large crowds, mostly locals who come to purchase fresh produce. After a couple of hours we came home a more scenic route. The rest of the day was spent relaxing poolside and talking to a couple from Melbourne who had come to Italy for a self drive w...

Day 41 - Thought to-day may have been a bit cooler with the clouds rolling in early, but it was not to be. Today was our day in Florence. With advice from the receptionist, we drove to the outskirts (about 7km) and caught the local bus at Botti into Florence. Definitely an experience when the alley ways are so narrow and cars parked either side and the bus trying to get through. Think we almost got stuck once the poor lady was standing watching her side mirrors...

Day 41 - Thought to-day may have been a bit cooler with the clouds rolling in early, but it was not to be. Today was our day in Florence. With advice from the receptionist, we drove to the outskirts (about 7km) and caught the local bus at Botti into Florence. Definitely an experience when the alley ways are so narrow and cars parked either side and the bus trying to get through. Think we almost got stuck once the poor lady was standing watching her side mirrors...

Day 40 - No change to the weather, but today was a change in direction as we made our way towards the coast. For an hour of mostly freeway driving we arrived in Pisa (not quite on the coast) and slowly made our way towards the Leaning Tower. Parking was a bit slow to find, and we no sooner found one and we were harassed by Africans selling sunglasses, sunshades for your windscreen and watches (with 5 year warranties). We soon found out why the parking was such ...