“We’re off on the road to Toscana!” No, Crosby and Hope never did make a “Road Movie” for Italy but the region of Tuscany is a great place to embark upon your own Italian road trip.

I know many people that have traveled to at least one of the many tourist hot spots in that diverse region. Florence, Siena and Pisa to name a few Tuscan cities, are all worthy of the traveler’s attention. But I know of only one adventurous gal that has opted to see Tuscany by car.

There was no single act of war or nature that served as a demise of the cathedral which was already in serious decline by the mid 1500’s and it is said that by the 17th century only one aged monk still lived within the abbey whose walls were already in ruin.

Then in 1786, the bell tower collapsed taking with it, much of the main roof. The architectural components became fair game for local appropriation and use in buildings of the region.