Has anyone ever stayed north of Florence - between Firenze and Bologna? What is the area like? Thanks

As you've posted twice and are keen to know, the area around Bologna is very flat, agricultural and not too inspiring. The best places to visit small towns are really in Tuscany, do you plan to stay there for very long?<BR>Or further north to Lake Garda where there are a number of lakeside towns worth a visit. I would not bother stopping between Florence and Bologna, once you leave Tuscany.

Thanks Kathy - We are travelling by car from Pomposa (on the coast) to Montecatini Terme with a stop in Maranello to see the Ferrari museum. We will have already visited Venice, Lake Garda, and the Colli Euganee. We have one night to stay somewhere before we get to Tuscany (18 days north and south Toscana). Any ideas? Thanks.

I assume from your posting you are having 18 days in Tuscany, how marvellous, you won't have any trouble filling them in. Are you stopping in Verona at all? From Bologna south you could stop at a small town like Borgo San Lorenzo in Mugello and then Rufina, they are completely non touristy but another aspect of italian life before you hit Florence. If you are travelling round Tuscany include some of the lesser known towns like Montelupo, Via Reggio on the coast, Greve in Chianti, Fiesole above Florence, Certaldo.<BR>Don't leave out Sirmione on Lake Garda.<BR>Go to the huge tuesday market along the River Arno, not known so much by tourists but the locals. Good bargains in knitwear and linen.

Hello Again Kathy - I hope you see this as it has been a couple of days since my last note. You are kind to respond at such length. On further searching, I was thinking of perhaps Pievepelago? The pictures are lovely, and they have a rocca,and an infiorata. We will be there June 21, the night before Corpus Domini this year? You obviously know so much about the smaller places... I would love to tell you our whole itinerary and see what you think? But I don't want to spend the time here, unless you are still listening? I am taking my two teenagers for 65 days. Ciao, Carolanna

Hi there<BR>I just put up a search for Pievepelago, it looks a small and typical Tuscan town. Don't forget though that there is so many special attractions to see in the more well known towns of Tuscany that you will be able to fill in a lot of time just doing them justice. Florence alone needs ten days to cover the basics. your itinerary would be interesting to see, I did not have a car, covered a lot by train on day trips from Florence.

Ciao Kathy - Thanks for your response. You are right about all the things to see in Toscana, one could easily spend our whole two months there. I want to see however, as many different parts of Italy as we can, and because of my teenagers, I have tried to include places that will be of interest to them. Here is our intinerary: 10 days Rome - 5 days Tivoli &amp; Subiaco, Ravello and Sorrento (private tour with car and guide) - fly Naples to Venice (where my husband will meet us for) 2 nights on GC, one week apartment (with daytrip to Padua)- my husband returns home, we pick up car - 2 nights Sirmione - 2 nights Toreglia, in the hills above Montegrotto Terme (want to see the Butterfly Arc there, and the maze at Valsanzibio)- 3 nights at Pomposa, for the Parco del Po, the birds, and the wildness of it - day trip to Maranello for the museum - 1 night Pievepelago - 8 nights Montecatini Terme and visit Firenze from there, with one overnight, also Pisa and Lucca - 3 nights Pietrasanta (for the marble workshops and drafting museum, beach) with day trip to Cinque Terre - one night Volterra (San Gimignano and the alabaster!) - one night Castiglioncello, visit Veturina on way to - 3 nights Sorano, with daytrip to Tarquinia - 4 nights Val d'Orcia, we are going to balloon one morning, and will try to visit Montalcino, Sant' Antimo, San Galgano, and Montepulciano, with lunch at Certona on way to - 8 nights Montemelino, near Perugia (there's so much to do in this area from Bomarzo to Assisi to Pennabilli + the Jazz!) - 2 nights in Spello (I want to see Clitunno and the Aquaduct at Spoleto, my daughter wants to stay in a Palazzo) then home from FCO. I know I am leaving out a lot - namely the Chianti - but we really have no interest in the wineries, and I have been warned off the Palio by several people. We can still take a daytrip from Montemelino to eastern Chianti, if we want. Also, I know this is very ambitious, but none of the drives are really very long, we are learning Italian, and hopefully their stamina, and my enthusiasm, will see us through. Thanks for your interest in us and any comments you have will be gratefully received! Cordiali Saluti, Carolanna

Wow ! What a great adventure.

Hi Carolanne<BR>Sounds fantastic, I did not see the Isle of Capri on there, hope you are including a day trip over there, it was the highlight of the south for me. Visit Villa San Michelle there. I hiked up the centre by foot on a walking track but you can take the little orange buses from the harbour up to the towns and across to the beach on the other side, I believe it was called Piccolo. And then there's the Blue Grotto, I have not seen it as the water was a bit rough when I was there and the boat was not going there.<BR>I think you've covered so much, what more can we add, you will have to tell us all about it on your return. It really is a beautiful country.