Our European Adventure, Part 2 - Tuscany: Our Drive to Chianti!

If someone were to ask me where my favorite place on the trip was, it would hands down be in Tuscany. Away from all of the tourist infested areas and amongst the beautiful vineyards, you find yourself in an incredibly relaxing oasis.

Instead of taking the trains, we decided to rent a car and take the road trip of a lifetime as we drove from Rome to Lido di Tarquinia, Siena, Gaiole in Chianti, Pisa, Florence, Bologna, and Venice!

Lido di Tarquinia and Siena Memories
I'll never forget...driving through a private community and the wacky GPS

From the B&B in Rome, we had a taxi driver take us to the airport to pick up our rental car. For some reason, the driver could not figure out where the Hertz pickup was and dropped us off at a random, empty spot at the airport, and told us to squeeze down the almost nonexistent sidewalk to get to the elevator. Well, we got to the elevator and surprise, surprise. It was the janitor's elevator. After looking around confused, we decided to keep walking towards the main terminal. As we approached, we saw the actual elevator leading up to the Hertz dealership.

Luckily for us, Hertz accidentally gave away the cheap Volvo we had paid for...so somehow, we ended up with the brand new Audi A5 with only 10 kilometers on the clock. Gwith was ecstatic! Along with the car, we also paid to rent a GPS. As it turned out, the Audi was one of the few cars they had already equipped with a GPS. We sat in the car and tried to figure out how to use it. First, I had to figure out how to change it to English which was surprisingly not an easy task! Even more shocking, was once I changed the language setting, we still couldn't figure out how to use it. Gwith started using a weird method of manually locating a random place on the map and selecting it. With this method, it didn't give us any instructions and I had to keep turning the dial just for it to track us! We selected Grosetto since it was half way to where we needed to go. As we left the parking lot, we stopped at a stop sign and the car shut off. I can safely say we will never buy a car that shuts off every time you stop. Because Gwith couldn't figure it out right away, he had to turn the car off and start it back up again. For the next few days, every time Gwith stopped, he would leave plenty of space between the cars so he could roll forward every few seconds!

As we drove out of Rome, we saw the beautiful farming landscape. It was great to leave the hustle and bustle of the city and really explore the rural country. FYI, driving in Italy is a very interesting and different experience, even for us LA drivers! Apparently it is entirely acceptable to drive between two lanes, as well as honk twice if you want to pass the slow poke in front of you...and amazingly, they will politely switch lanes when you honk!

At the private beach

One hour into the drive, we somehow decided to get brave and detour off the highway and search for the beach. We ended up in a small beachside community called Lido di Tarquinia. We are still pretty convinced it was a private community that we accidentally drove through. Why? Mostly because it was gated and as a car went through the gate, we just followed right along. Whoops. We realized after the fact but decided to keep on driving through the cute suburban community. We stopped in a small lot and walked onto what was most likely a private beach. The water temperature was perfect. I don't know about the other coastal locations in Italy but I have to say, we are spoiled with the 17 Mile Drive in California. Nothing compares to it. Not yet, anyways. After our sneaky excursion, we jumped back onto the highway and continued as we passed Grosetto. Realizing we now had no destination on the GPS (and it kept telling us to turn around!), I decided to start fiddling with it as we continued on the highway. After many attempts, I finally figured it out and was able to add our castle destination! The GPS also started showing us the actual path we needed to take and listing the directions. We were so happy that we weren't going to be confused the next few days!

Roaming the streets of Siena

About an hour from the castle, we stopped in Siena for a walk around the medieval town. Finding parking was confusing but we finally figured it out, purchased a map, and walked around. The medieval streets really pull you back in time. It was awesome walking along the cobblestones. Supposedly, cars aren't allowed within the town, except for those staying at hotels, and yet there was a large amount of cars constantly driving down the streets! I really do wish they didn't allow any cars within the town. It would make it far more mysterious. While walking around, we stopped and bought some gelato and then continued to look around. As the clouds rolled in though, we realized it was time to head off. After all, we didn't want to end up in a storm while driving in a foreign country! Luckily, the clouds never actually opened up.

Gaiole in Chianti Memories
I'll never forget...the beautiful Tuscan Castle

On the castle grounds - camera in the grass!

Arriving at the Castello di Spaltenna felt like arriving into a fairytale. Before we even got there, we were just surrounded by miles and miles of vineyards. The castle and its surrounding grounds took our breath away. It was a beautiful oasis in the middle of Tuscany and we couldn't believe we were only there for one night! We honestly did consider canceling our next hotel just to stay longer.

Gwith hung the camera from a tree knob!

Our room was lovely. It included an enclosed stone wall balcony and the most heavenly memory foam bed you could ever sleep on. Looking out the window, all you could see were the rolling hills for miles and down below, the fresh herb garden for the restaurant. After settling in, we headed out of the room to explore the endless grounds. As we wandered around and took photos, we had to get creative with the camera! At one point, Gwith even hung the camera from a tree knob and set it on the timer! The photo turned out fantastic! Who knew a tree could be such a great couples photographer? The other crazy spots he placed the camera on included one of the rolling hills, as well as a ledge with a water well on the other side. Somehow, the camera made it through all of our crazy antics and we ended up with some amazing photographs.

After our photofest, we wandered to the bar, which was located in an old stone cellar. Gwith got a red wine made by at the vineyard and I got a white wine. I'm not much of a red wine drinker (or at least I wasn't until this trip!), but even I thought the red wine he had tasted amazing. It was so relaxing sitting in the courtyard sipping our glasses of wine. The next morning, after the greatest night's sleep of our entire lives, I had a massage at the castle's spa. The castle was the most relaxing part of our entire trip. I still can't believe we were only there for one night! We will definitely be returning one day!

Quick Tips for Tourists Driving Through Tuscany

• The Italian drivers are insane - they drive between two lanes, they speed, and expect you to move to the next lane if they want to pass you.

• Drive like an Italian and you'll surprisingly feel a lot safer.

• Pay attention to the signs - certain signs warn you about upcoming speed traps (in Italian, of course!).

• There are toll booths everywhere. Make sure you go through the correct lane and grab the ticket otherwise you'll be charged through the roof!

• Staying in a castle is a must.

• Get creative with your camera but seriously, don't sue me if it breaks. I still think we got lucky...

• Visit Siena if you like medieval towns. It's awesome.

• Close your eyes. Relax. Open your eyes. Take in the amazing location you're in. No matter where you are in Tuscany, it's most likely the most beautiful place you'll ever be.

Next up on my European Adventure blogs: Why Pisa was terrifying and our wine tour from Florence was amazing! Plus: Detouring in a foreign country with a crazy GPS, is not all it's cracked up to be.

Our European Adventure Blogs

Part 1: Chicago & Rome!

Part 2: Tuscany - Our Drive to Chianti! (Now Reading)

Part 3: Tuscany - Pisa & Florence!
Part 4: Venice & Milan! (Coming Soon)

Part 5: Switzerland - Zurich & Lucerne (Coming Soon)

Part 6: The Magic of Paris (Coming Soon)
Part 7: Why the Hilton in Belgium Can't Get Customer Service Right (Coming Soon)