After three hours sleep I woke at 2.00 a.m. so decided to get up and program the GPS for the routes we would take from Rome to Cortona and then Cortona to Rapallo. I still couldn't go to sleep so did some banking and emails at the computer set up for guests in our B&B.
We enjoyed our last breakfast in Rome and then we were off in the taxi to the Fiumicino Airport where we were to pick up our small automatic Mercedes.
It took us quite a while to find the hire car section of the airport but after much toing and froing we eventually found Europcar and were upgraded to a Peugeot 407 automatic car - very luxurious medium sized car with all the extra bells and whistles, including a built-in GPS and sensors for everything, including some which beeped when you got too close to anything - very necessary in Italy! We thought we were blessed to have it until we started driving and found that a smaller car would have been much better and wished we had been given the original little Mercedes we had booked!
So we were off on our adventure - driving through North Italy for 11 days through the regions of Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany, Liguria , Lombardy, Trentino and Veneto. Little did we realise just what an adventure that would be!!
With Steve trying to remember to stay on the right side of the road, as well as negotiate indicator and wiper switches on opposite sides of the steering wheel than he was used to, as well as remember to look on the opposite side to see through the rearview mirror, we left the airport and "attempted" to find the correct road to Cortona - I say "attempted" as the GPS was set to go down country lanes and avoid traffic but we had no idea what this actually meant!
A cement water tower - several hundreds of years old - attached to a farm outside Rome
This actually meant driving down tiny dirt roads, going around in circles, driving under railway lines with only a couple of inches to spare over the roof and only about 30 cms on either side of the tressles, and not knowing where on earth we were! It was quite hair-raising and something we had not been expecting, even after seeing the antics of the drivers in Rome!
Old homes in a village outside of Rome
Two of the country dirt lanes we traversed on our travels. The GPS had been set to avoid traffic but this was ridiculous, however I did love the trees!
Ancient houses abut the narrow streets of the towns of Italy - no footpaths, so we had to negotiate around people walking on the street, as well as avoid very fast cars traveling in the opposite direction
Village square of one of the towns we passed through on the way to Cortona
Old hotel in one of the townships outside Rome
After about an hour of negotiating incredibly narrow country roads where the speed limit was only 50 km, and tiny villages where the speed limit was 30 km, we decided to put our original plans aside and take the autostrada to save some time. It had turned out to be much slower than we thought due to our hire car being so much bigger than what we had booked, the roads being so narrow, and Italian drivers very fast - not dangerous, just fast!! So many of the houses are built with roughly hewn rock, which means they "lean" out into the roadway and as the roads were originally built to carry horses and carriages we found it quite harrowing trying to negotiate them, avoid the jutting homes, with cars coming at us at a great speed!
Once we reached the town of Viterbo we altered the GPS to take us to the autostrada - a move we were glad we had taken.
A leafy country road on our journey - a wider road at last!
Four story farmhouse with quaint wooden fences
One of the many ancient farmhouses that dot the countryside of Italy
As we drove along we saw hilltops adorned with either incredible castles or amazing old towns. Some of them were precariously perched on its cliffside and we were amazed that they didn't slide into the valley below.
The amazing ancient hillside town of Vitorchiano - how do the houses stay put?
One of many castles we spied perched on the hillsides of Lazio
A fortified castle in Lazio on the way to Cortona
Castle perched high on the hill overlooking the district of Lazio in Italy
Olive groves were around most corners as we drove the country roads of Lazio
We were blown away at the history surrounding us as we passed so many fortified towns on the hills everywhere we looked - it was amazing sight to see.
The centuries old fortified city of Baschi, high on a hill of Umbria
Vineyards and a ruined castle in the district of Umbria
We stopped for lunch at one of the roadside petrol stations and cafes on the autostrada - just a very basic hamburger - but it was great to fill our stomachs and get on the road again.
A monastery high on the hills in the district of Umbria
Plowed fields which will be ablaze with sunflowers in spring
The fortified town of Monteleone d'Orvieto is surrounded by olive groves
The twin towers of Citta Della Pieve, a town in Umbria, graced the skyline as we drove past
Our journey led us past fields lying dormant until sunflowers will grace their slopes in the Spring
We spotted Chianciano Terme, one of the quaint towns in Tuscany, high on the hill in the distance and then wound our way through the tree-lined avenues as we continued to Cortona
We decided to get out and stretch our legs for a little while in Montepulciano. It was siesta time so the shops were shut but all the streets were lined with beautiful trees, most of them decked out in their autumn colours. We walked through a restful park with spectacular views across the valley to the older medieval part of town. We couldn't believe we were seeing a medieval fortified town with huge walls that were centuries old surrounding it. It was lovely getting away from the rat-race of the traffic as well as the hustle and bustle of Rome.
Across the parkland to the old town of Montepulciano perched on the top of the hilside
The streets of modern Montepulciano - tree lined, pristine and very quiet
The hills and valleys of Tuscany from the new section of Montepulciano
Views from the new township across to the old fortified township of Montepulciano and the Tuscan Valley
A luxurious home in the new section of Montepulciano, Tuscany
Then we were on the road again heading for Cortona, our home for the next three days, and enjoying more of the the amazing Tuscan countryside along the way.
Sections of Montepulciano's older township
The countryside around Montepulciano - vineyards and olive groves
Approaching the old city walls of Montepulciano
Driving around the base of the old walls of Montepulciano - I wonder how old those stones are?
Leafy Avenues in the new area of Montepulciano
The Tuscan countryside around Montepulciano
Outskirts of Montepulciano
Looking up to the older section of Montepulciano
Fields ready for planting between Montepulciano and Cortona
Older streets of Montepulciano, but still on the outskirts of the town.
Fields ready for planting between Montepulciano and Cortona
Gorgeous typical Tuscan countryside and farmhouse
Tuscan building sighted on the way to Cortona
Looking across from Camucia to Cortona - perched high on the hill
The streets of Camucia - a township just below Cortona
Looking up to Sanctuario San Margherita, located high above the town of Cortona
The view from halfway up to Cortona, looking down to the towns of Camucia and Sodo in the Tuscan valley
Homes lining the streets to Cortona
Climbing up the winding, narrow road to Cortona - a beautiful fortified Etruscan town in Tuscany
The Church of Santa Maria della Gracie al Calcinaio was built in 1484 and is located on the outskirts of Cortona
Perched high on a hilltop stands the old and majestic township of Cortona. One of the most attractive hilltop towns of Tuscany, Cortona was founded in 500 BC by the Etruscans. Most of the architecture in Cortona is medieval, with steep, narrow streets situated on the hillside and taking in views of the Valdichiana, the valley below. Ancient guidebooks from the 1400s of this area state that 800 years after the flood Noah, while navigating at the mouth of the Tiber River enters into the Valley of Chiana. Due to its fertile plains he decided to live here for 30 years and one of his offspring, Crano, built the city of Cortona. Pythagoras is said to have been buried here. Often called the Grandmother of Rome and the Mother of Troy, Cortona is one of the oldest towns in Italy.
After a few wrong turns as we didn't actually have an address, only vague directions, and climbing up the very narrow and winding road to Cortona, which is perched on the top of a hill, we eventually located our quaint little B&B. Steve let our a huge sigh of relief to finally arrive and know we wouldn't need to do any major driving for a couple of days!
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