Monday 26 September: Around Mugello, and a change of plans

Still no sign of the proprietor, but somebody was cleaning the pool - a lady named Amanda. Unfortunately she spoke no English at all, but did indicate that the boss Raphael would be in sometime late this afternoon. We wanted to use the internet connection, but she knew nothing about that and we had to see the boss. We also asked about the laundry, but couldn't make ourselves understood - that can wait till we see the boss.

We decided to have a drive around the neighbouring towns to see what they were like. First stop was Scarperia, where the Mugello circuit is. There were a lot of motorbikes practicing, but they were too far away for us to see much. Scarperia is notable for its castle and tower, built back in the 1300s. Apart from that, it's just a pleasant little town, with not much happening.

Next stop was Borgo San Lorenzo, the largest town in the area. It's an undistinguished place, and just about everything closes at noon for a three hour lunch / siesta. We got a few supplies at the supermarket and found the tourist information office - which is only open from 10:00 to 13:00. Come back tomorrow.

We had intended seeing some more of the local towns, but Paul was finding the driving more and more stressful, and is having more frequent headaches. Driving on the wrong side of the road (after 35 years driving on the left), on generally very narrow winding roads with heavy traffic, and difficulty navigating was getting to him. Time for a review of our plans. We headed back to the agrotourismo to see the proprietor about our grievances, but he was nowhere in sight. Neither was anybody else. To make matters worse, the people at the adjoining property were having a pool party, with the loudest music this side of a rock concert. (On a Monday afternoon?) We eventually found Raphael's mobile number and gave him a call.

I was there this morning. I'm not coming back today.

We need to use the internet.

You can use it tomorrow.

We need to use the washing machine.

It's locked up - you'll have to talk to Amanda.

Where is she?

She'll be back tomorrow. Goodbye. Click.

We spent the next hour or so looking at our options. This place is not as represented, and is really not giving us the relaxing time we had expected. It's not convenient to anywhere, and the amount of driving is sending Paul nuts. We have decided to get the car back to Avis ASAP, and check into a hotel in Florence - assuming we can get a room at short notice. We will have to try and get our money back from this place, but that's probably a forlorn hope. Looking further ahead, the Interlaken - Nimes - Milau - Paris part of the trip is starting to look like a bad idea as well. Too much driving, too little time to see a number of places. We need to review what we want to see, how much time to allocate, and the best mode of transportation.