Do you know Tuscany?

[holtjv]

We're flying in to Milan and need to drive to Lucca, which is about 3 hours south.

Should I take the coastal route through Genova or Parma?? Many thanks in advance...

[vash]

i did the overland trip. but it was a mystery, because my sister wouldnt let me have the map!! we were lost right out of the milan airport!! i am serious. we left the airport, and 3 seconds later...LOST! i asked for the map, and got, "IT"S MY MAP! AND I AM BETTER AT READING MAPS!!"

the trip spiraled from there..i vowed to never ever travel with my lovely sister again. EVER!

you know, you just bringing this up, makes me anxious! wow, my sister gets to me.

[Dottore]

The coast road is a massive freeway. Not nice—even though its on the coast. Go to Crema, then Cremona, then Parma and then to Lucca.

Cremona is one of our favourite small towns. It's a gorgeous medieval university town. Lots of life and lots of pretty old stuff. Stradivarious built his violins there.

And Parma is well worth visiting en-route as well.

Alternatively go to Brescia first—the start and finish of the Mille Miglia. Lots of car-guy things to do there, and then head down to Cremona etc.

[RPKESQ]

Much better scenery along the coastal route, IMO. Hot and dusty inland.

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by RPKESQ

Much better scenery along the coastal route, IMO. Hot and dusty inland.

I couldn't agree less.

[holtjv]

I heart Pelican.

Keep them coming. So far, inland sounds like my bag. We'll have plenty of time to get to Lucca.

Jack

[vash]

what is that gas station found throughout italy? buy gas, buy cheese, buy a nice pasta dish..buy WINE! auto(something).

good times..

[stuartj]

Take the road less travelled. Hire something that is fun. Find hills. Some the best driving roads (theyve been building them for some time in Italy). Enjoy.

[Eric Coffey]

Just a thought: Why not Parma, then Maranello (just South of Modena) for a tour of the Ferrari factory/Galleria, then over to Bologna for a visit to the Ducati factory/museum? The Lambo and Pagani factories aren't too far out of the way either.

[holtjv]

Got a 159...

[imcarthur]

Yeah, always get a real car in Italy. In Sicily, I ended up with a VW Passat 2.0 TDI (same class as Alfa 159). It was a capable car & I had enough fun to terrorize my wife. As soon as you break away from the autostradas, you will have to pass, conquer hills & hilltop villages. Go intermediate at a minimum.

Ian

[holtjv]

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey

Just a thought: Why not Parma, then Maranello (just South of Modena) for a tour of the Ferrari factory/Galleria, then over to Bologna for a visit to the Ducati factory/museum? The Lambo and Pagani factories aren't too far out of the way either.

Definitely doing Ducati but heard you can't get a factory tour of ferrari. I can use my owners card for the duc tour

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by holtjv

Definitely doing Ducati but heard you can't get a factory tour of ferrari. I can use my owners card for the duc tour

You can tour the museum (Galleria), restaurant (Il Cavallino) and shops. The factory is a bit harder to get into, but may be do-able with enough advanced notice, and an authorized dealer that is cool/helpful. Usually you have to be an F-car owner, or convince a dealer that you are seriously in the market to get inside. Can't hurt to try!

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by holtjv

Definitely doing Ducati but heard you can't get a factory tour of ferrari. I can use my owners card for the duc tour

You can't get into the Ferrari factory unless you own one—and even then it's not easy. But there are a lot of things to do in Maranello. Great Ferrari museum. Great restaurant across from the factory gates, full of Ferrari history. (Schumi's table etc.) Lots of great little shops for car guys. With the right juice you can get into the test track at Fiorano (sp?)—but you'll need to check with Ferrari chat how to do that.

And if you're there anyway—Bologna is one of my favourite towns in Europe that most tourists miss. Magic place IMO. Great food, arts, shopping. Stunning women. etc. Countless miles of covered arcades—which is great as that part of Italy is insanely hot in the summer.

[RPKESQ]

Originally Posted by Dottore

I couldn't agree less.

Stay off the autostrada (A12) and stay on the coastal road (SP1). While I agree that inland can and is beautiful and full of history (and nobody loves history more than I do). This time of year inland is hot and often dusty, much of the time.

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by RPKESQ

Stay off the autostrada (A12) and stay on the coastal road (SP1).

Do this and it will take you days. And days. The coast road either goes through horribly overcrowded beach towns (bumper to bumper), or through some equally horrid industrial slums. This is not a road you want to drive. And the highway is no fun.

[RPKESQ]

Originally Posted by Dottore

Do this and it will take you days. And days. The coast road either goes through horribly overcrowded beach towns (bumper to bumper), or through some equally horrid industrial slums. This is not a road you want to drive. And the highway is no fun.

While I admit to having last done this on a motorcycle 2 years ago (so traffic was not much of a problem), I have to say the industrial sections are mostly around Genova. I had a great time on the SP1 - SS1 through that area.

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by RPKESQ

While I admit to having last done this on a motorcycle 2 years ago (so traffic was not much of a problem), I have to say the industrial sections are mostly around Genova. I had a great time on the SP1 - SS1 through that area.

Pistols at twenty paces!

This part of the Italian coast sucks, and it is certainly not a driving road. It's a bumper to bumper traffic road.

Trust me. I'm a lawyer.

[speeder]

I have a friend who just moved there and bought a huge villa, she's opening a yoga studio and moved her whole family, kids/dogs/everything. Beautiful part of the earth, Tuscany...

[Garp]

Originally Posted by holtjv

Got a 159...

Good choice. Cinque Terre is a must (by train). Enjoy the trip.