Another sunny day in Tuscany and after having some real bread for breakfast courtesy of a tiny panicia in Sillicangana we avoided the standard duck feed. We have driven past this place at least a dozen times and only stopped on the way home from Pisa as old mate in Villetta had pulled up stumps. Happy days.

We are having a home day today but I am keen to suss out the station and train timetable for our trip to Lucca as well as checking out some of our neighboring hamlets. So many pretty village views from our farmhouse so it urges a closer look.

I must mention our car as it is my first time driving a diesel. The Opel Insignia which is a Holden wagon essentially. It is massively economical as we have travelled over 1,000 k's on a tank and it also responds when you boot it. There end the positives as the noise it makes in low gears make you feel you are behind the wheel of a 1920's out of tune John Deere. It is also less comfortable than an Italian bed and it's instrument panel makes as much sense as Iraqi television. Thankfully this bag if German chook droppings won't ever make it to Oz.

My life however has been made more complete by seeing many Fiat 500's as well as seeing a Dacia Sandero and a Renault Espace in the flesh. The Autostrada is the best as you get overtaken by AMG's, Fezzas, Lambo's, hot Beemers, and other exotica that we don't see at home but here are as common as rude b******s.

I was however blown away by being overtaken whilst doing 135 by a Fiat Panda.

Well I went in search of the station and found a deserted one in Campogiorno. A train stopped there as I pulled into the carpark so it is still in use even though there is no other sign of life (or ticketing). Tickets over here can also be purchased at Tabbachi's so I went to our local only to be told I need to go to Villetta.

When I got to Villetta I could only buy tickets for up to 50 kilometre trips and would need to go to Castelnuovo (the most scary and least car friendly place on earth). Apparently there is a station at Villetta so I will check there when we go to get some supplies from old mate later.

What a faff - I wonder what the locals do rather than traveling 25 km out of their way. Maybe they do it on the Internet although that's not likely as I have seen not a jot of evidence to suggest that Northern Tuscany has it or is even aware Mussolini no longer runs the place.

Tarn asked me if the local tabbachi had wifi but all it seemed to contain was a few packs of chips, 2 poker machines and 500 brands of cigarettes. I know I wanted rustic down time but this is rusted and backward. I am starting to realize why they have so many porn channels on the satellite TV.

In another turn of inconsistency when we visited old mate I thought I would query whether Villetta station sold tickets and low and behold old mate has the tickets and I only need a 50 km ticket as opposed to what the tabacchi across the street said earlier.

So happy days we gave avoided Castlenuovo (and another episode of Tarn's white knuckle fever) for the moment but must brave it at some point for it's great shopping and it's most famous inhabitant the giant mortadella.

Be like looking in a mirror 

Ciao