Expert: Lisa - 7/8/2009

Question
Hello Lisa!
We are interested in driving from Milan to Florence instead of taking the train. Can you recommend a scenic route and a nice town to stop for lunch? Also, how long should the journey take?
We are travelling in Sept with my family, quick summary of our itinerary is: 4 nights Lake Como, 2 nights Florence, 2 nights Umbria and 1 night in Rome. We will be hiring a car from after Lake Como till Rome. If you have any suggestion here, it will also be great.

Many thanks, I have read your other answers and they have been most helpful!


Answer
Hi Charite. Here are directions via mapquest, that will get you from Milan to Florence avoiding the highway (cut and paste into your browser):

http://europe.mapquest.com/directions/europe.adp?mo=ma&2si=gaz_nt&1gi=0&un=m&go=...

The journey will take 7 hours (not including stops), which is 4 hours longer than it would take using the autostrada. The route is along the autostrada, so you can jump on at some point if you want to save time.

Parma might be a nice place to stop for lunch. Here are 3 restaurants that are listed at frommers.com:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/parma/722_inddin.html

Best wishes,
Lisa