Italian Wheels - On a recent trip to Florence Italy, we stumbled upon a pleasant adventure that turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. While studying the back of a promotional map to get a handle on the local landscape, we noticed an ad for "Walkabout Florence", a sightseeing company that lets you drive their nicely prepared 1960's Fiat 500L's or Vespa motor scooter through the scenic region of Florence and Tuscany. 

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a gentleman named Chris Pace, and a after a few signatures and a swipe of my credit card we were on our way. Our tour guide was Chris' younger brother, Julian Pace, a charming young man who like his brother had the opportunity to grow up in Seattle Washington while spending their summers in Florence, which is no doubt how he learned his way around the backroads of Florence and Tuscany. 

Our Fiat performed flawlessly and was the perfect mode of transformation through the parsimonious paths of the region where we visited ancient churches, scenic paths along with a drive through a local olive garden (not the all-you-can-eat salad and breadsticks place). 

At the end of our 4 hour journey we visited a local wine shop to enjoy a fabulous array of Italian meats and cheeses -- oh yeah, let's not forget a nice glass of Chianti too! 

                             For additional information: http://www.walkaboutflorence.com