Mario....
My wife is the tour guide. She planned the entire trip. I - as usual - was just along to carry the luggage.
I don't want to taint anyone else's "vision" and or the way or types of things they want to do and see... but I will say this (and even Gwen agreed)... The castle towns all look better from a distance. And by this I mean... they're romantic and look medieval - until you get inside the walls - where they turn into tourist traps selling "I was here" T-shirts and postcards.... So once you've seen two of them... you're done.
There are a FEW remarkable churches that are must sees... the interiors can be absolutely mind boggling...
WE - (you know who) - didn't allow enough time for just taking a couple days off here and there... we were far too busy even at a relaxed pace. I would have liked a couple more days in Portofino to just lay by the pool and not have to get dressed or have to be anywhere... You also need to just discount the "travel days" -- i.e., the days you are moving from one town to another... even if you're stopping along the way to sightsee... by the time you pack up - check out - drive/ride/train to your next destination - check in - unpack - eat etc... that day is SHOT. So I would have liked to plan the travel day as a non-day.... get somewhere - settle in - next day or two sightsee - then have a day to just relax before moving on...
You can actually get into the LAMBO and ZONDA factories... SCREW Ferrari... You can buy the same exact chinese made crap in Vegas...
Do NOT do the Ferrari drive that I did in Monaco or from that company. The guy has to ride with you and the SOB NEVER SHUT UP. Two hours of this AH blabbing and telling me when to up or down shift was.... well.... just never mind. I loved the car (F430) and the roads... but the AH blabbing was too much and ruined the otherwise wonderful experience.
Do not rent a Renault... it's a car your Grandmother would drive.
Do not rent a car and intend to only drive one way - our drop off charge was 1000 Euro ($1250 US).... which is just a giant waste. If you plan to rent - do your research into the actual costs and try to incorporate a "loop" where you bring the car back.
I'm sorry I missed ROME... Next trip... and if you want to blow 800 euro a day... and trip around in luxury - I have a guy for you. You'd love him, and riding in the back of an S Class and being dropped off at the front door - and not having to find cabs etc was "the only way to fly" IMHO. The days I drove - I didn't see much as you're too busy driving... riding in the back - I could look around... I could say "Dude! Can you turn around I want to take a picture of that." Or.... I'm hungry... and he knew a place and could speak the language and we ate things that I wouldn't have known to order etc...
Do NOT buy leather
until you go to the Sculoa Del Cuoio in Firenze (Florence)... it's a leather making school in a monastery building (hard to find it!)... and work with a cute little man (6" shorter than me!) named VITO. I bought two jackets (one custom made) 3 large overnight satchels... two purses... Mama Mia! But wonderful things and well priced and you can TRUST them to ship etc.
The winery in Tuscany was "interesting" (if you've seen one winery you've seen them all) and the history of that particular wine was really interesting... but super expensive (500 euro per bottle starting point for the good vintages) and I bought a few just "because"... but there are wineries everywhere and a great bottle of that type can be had for 60 euro or less and you'd enjoy it just as much. The Tuscan area is littered with wineries... and retailers.
We found a new "snack" -- Prosciutto and melon... and a chunk of Pecorino cheese.... DONE! Mama Mia...
DO NOT TAKE YOUR WIFE HERE! <in Portofino>
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
Mario
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