I have always been afraid to drive in Italy!!  Not because, as is generally known, Italians ignore rules and regulations; not because the signs measure kilometers and not miles; not because I don’t the directions to where I’m going….but because I have never been sure I could find my way out of and then back in to the city!  Whether the city be Roma or Firenze or wherever.

I could always picture myself going around and around some round-about, not being able to get off; or, driving wrong way both up and down one way streets in the historic center.

So, it is not with a little pride that I share with you that I not only rented a car myself last weekend, an adorable Fiat Cinquecento, as seen below:

But I successfully drove it out of Florence, through Tuscany, to the area around Val d’Orcia in the south of the region, then back through Tuscany and into Florence!!  Woo hoo!  I got the car back to the rental agency in the center of Florence, with nary a scratch or bump!  I am a very proud driver!

I think you can see my pride above. Ad below.

And, not for nothing, this winding road, the most iconic in Italy, is one of the places I drove on Saturday!

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I will happily share with you that part of my confidence came from the fact that I had an Italian friend with me.  My friend made sure I made it out of and back in to Florence in one piece.  Next time, I’ll do it myself!  Face your fears, people!