Has anyone looked at the map?

Many of us have access to a Garmin or Tom Tom, so map reading and directions are rapidly becoming a thing of the past.  However, not all roads lead to Rome when it comes to finding your way out in the country along some lonely, deserted highway.  If the signage isn't just right and the traffic is heavy, you can almost forget getting there on time when you are traveling in unfamiliar territory.  We had an experience like that today, so let me recap it for you.

We picked up our rental car in La Spezia and had what we thought was a short ride to Lucca.  Before we left the city of La Spezia, we logged several additional miles on the car while we were looking for the Autostrade.  Just about the time we felt we had taken the proper turns to arrive at the on ramp, we missed some critical turn in the road that left us off the beaten track again.  However, after much random luck, we eventually ended up up on the route out of "Dodge" with a glimmer of hope of arriving at our next destination safely.  This time we were headed for Lucca, an ancient city surrounded by walls but a whole lot of charm.

From here, we were planning the short 35-50 km ride to Castle Florentino which, in the real world, should have taken us only an hour or so, even under the most strained conditions.  About 2 1/2 hours later, we were still cruising about the countryside in our rented minivan.  None of the roads looked as though we had traveled them more than once, but we sure as heck didn't make short work out of that little trek.  It took us nearly 3 hours, one bottle of Rolaids and the hope of a few liters of local wine to get through that ordeal.  We didn't think the Sun ever set in Tuscany, but we were decidedly misinformed!

However, we did finally reach our "humble" villa in the hills just north of Siena and have enjoyed the time we have had ever since.  Today, we visited Florence, viewed the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, and walked the streets unimpeded, all while leaving the driving to the Italian train engineers.  It was lovely.  So, the next time you need to follow the map...don't, especially if it isn't up to date.  And remember, if you're there, then that's where you are, and if you are here in Tuscany, who cares?  Ciao!