Lowe Family Travels

After enjoying breakfast on day 2 ( see day 1 here ), we set off in our little T-Cross for San Gimignano . The drive was just beautiful, and Kevin wished for a zippy sports car for zooming around all the curves. Our navigation program took us right there with no wrong turns! Tip for driving in Italy:  You can't drive into the historic centers of the towns. If you do, you'll get a hefty fine. So, when setting out to visit one, scout out ahead of time where you will park. They've all got parking lots nearby, marked with blue signs with a white P. A few might be free, but most require payment, and the process for paying it varies from lot to lot.  As we walked from the parking lot into the town, we were greeted with these beautiful views of the Tuscan hills. We were hoping to beat the tourist buses, but even by around 10:00 on a Sunday in early April, there were lots of people. San Gimignano is a medieval town that is known for its many towers. 14 of the original 72 (!) are st...

On this final day of our trip to Italy, we took a City Wonders bus tour to Tuscany . I worried that it might be more bus, less tour, but we felt we got our money's worth and had a great time. There were a number of people, but not so many that we felt like sheeple. Our guide, Andy-the-best-Australian-Tuscany-guide-ever, did a great job of keeping us entertained on the bus. As he said, this was a teaser tour - a highlights reel designed to make you want to come back. It was successful. I can't wait to go back. We first drove from Rome to Montepulciano , a lovely little medieval hilltop town. The drive took about 2 1/2 hours, but we stopped along the way for a restroom and coffee break. This was quite welcome as we left our hotel at 7 am and skipped breakfast.  Montepulciano is just beautiful. The views from the hill are as beautiful as any Tuscany views can be, and the town is so picturesque and quaint - so unlike anything we have in the US. There was an arts fest...