JUNE 8 - VOLTERRA

• The drive to Volterra (about 55 minutes) up rambling and sometimes very narrow and tight roads, is easily the most beautiful drive I’ve ever experienced, ANYWHERE in my life! The colours of reds, yellows, greens and whites are mind blowing. There are beautiful red poppies growing wildly on the side of the roads too.
• Where San Gimignano has its towers, Volterra has its archaeological sites, an extensive network of mysterious alleys to explore and steep, stone stairways to scale. I believe this town was also the principal place for the vampires in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series, although I haven’t read any of that series, so do correct me if I’m wrong!
• There is your usual presence of bars, piazza’s, pizzerias, Churches, gelatarias but in addition, some other very hip & sheik martini bars, fabulous funky restaurants and the odd pub or two. This place has an awesome feel. Lindsay & Simon – we’re going for a drink here next week!
• My drive home consisted of some ‘hold ups’ – the entrance to the motor way I needed was closed (under repair – actually looked like a landslide) so I had a fair detour and several stops so large buses, trucks and one semi (not to our scale thank goodness) could pass through the tight turns (some of them close to 180 degrees) and very tiny roads!
• There was a man in an Audi convertible waiving a red flag (whilst driving the sports car I might add) to oncoming motorists (yes, me). I quickly found out it meant STOP as far as you can on the right hand side to let the F*CKING HUGE truck behind him pass! There’s a handy tip for you Lonely Planet!!
• All in all, Tuscany is not the place for your BMW 7 series or Mercedes S Class, It’s best to keep those at home and take your small Citroen or Fiat! And .... I’m loving my little ‘hairdressers’ car today.... Beep beep!