Hello!
My husband and I are going to Grenoble, France on work and then planning a weeks trip thru Italy. We will have a car, so after 1 night stay in Turin we are driving via Parma, Modena to Florence where we plan to stay 3 days maybe... and then to La Spezia after seeing Pisa. We plan to spend a day or two seeing the coastal villages from La Spezia to Monterosso al Mare ... my question is...

1. Can anyone suggest how we can see the Cheese making farms in Parma? We plan to spend perhaps 2-3 hours there.

2. Should we simply drive thru Modena or should we stop a few hours to site see there? All suggestions for sightseeing there are welcome.

3. We plan to stay a little outside of Florence to avoid the traffic and take the train into the city for sightseeing. Can one of you suggest what we must see for sure in the 3 days there? Also, I am an artist (painter) and I am told there is a district in Florence where one can see craftsmen doing work in their shops and studios... does anyone know the name of the district? I would so love to see people making violins and gilded frames!

Any other suggestions to see off-the-beaten-path sights are most welcome.

Thank you in advance - Vee

I forgot to mention... we are doing the trip from May 12th to 20th. I take it the weather will be nice?

If you are driving from Turin to Tuscany, and not spending the night in Parma, and you wish to visit a cheesemaking factory, then you do not have time to visit Modena if you want to reach Tuscany that day.

Many tours of cheesemaking factories begin very early in the morning, because that is when the cheese is made. So if you can, it might be a good idea to drive from Turin the day before and spend 1 night in Parma. If you ar a painter you might really enjoy seeing the interior of the duomo in Parma.

Modena is a very charming small city but you will probably find it easier to skip it (and it does not have any great paintings). As for what to see in Florence, look at a guidebook and pick what interests you. Forget about what interests other people. See what you think you would enjoy seeing. There is more than you can possibly see in 3 days or 3 months if you are interested in painting, so just pick what you would enjoy. Instead of the big museums, you might enjoy seeign the beautifully painted small chapels or the monastery of San Marco with its painted monk cells (by Fra Angelico).

There are many artisan shops around the church of Santa Croce, but looking at a guidebook might be the best way to identify specifically what you are looking for.

Thank you frencharmoire!

Yes, I think my husband and I will just drive past Modena and not stop there.

My husband and I made some changes to our travel route... we will be driving from Grenoble to La Spezia and that takes a good 5 hours or more. We will stay in La Spezia, or somewhere nearby, so that we can spend 1 and half days to enjoy the Cinque terre area. We intend exploring that area via train and keep our car parked at the hotel because I understand it is not a terrain that is easy for cars.

After seeing Cinque Terre area, rom La Spezia we plan to go to Pisa and then Florence. Is there a specific area with beautiful views that you can recommend for us to stay outside of Florence? We plan to stay in Florence area for 3 days and I completely agree with you that 3 days or 3 months may still not be enough to experience all of Florence! But that is the time we have - 3 days!

Thank you for telling me the area where the artist shops are located in Florence.... I certainly plan to see as many as I can!

From Florence we plan to go to Bologna and then Parma... we may stay a night in Parma. You mention that there are many cheese making factories... is there any you can recommend near or in Prama that may come on the way for us?

Thank you in advance.

I am sorry I can't personally recommend a cheese factory but there are many and there are many tours, so you can find them on the internet.

If you plan to visit Florence more than once, consider staying in Fiesole. You can take a bus or taxi to Florence very quickly from Fiesole. Also, it is not impossible to find a place to stay & park your car in the Oltrarno area of Florence. This is the area that is directly across the river in Florence and you can walk to most of the sights in Florence or take a very short bus or taxi ride. If you decide to stay there (or in Fiesole) be sure to get a guarantee from the owners that you will be given a parking space (you might need to pay for it). Sometimes owners will tell you that there is a parking lot 100 meters away or "lots of parking" -- but when you arrive, all the spaces are taken. So make certain that parking is included in your reservation.