We set off driving on the Saturday, completely packed. We'd booked an overnight stay in Austria before continuing on to Tuscany, Italy. I started the drive in the Netherlands and drove us a good stretch into Germany too. We'd deliberately chosen the Sauerland route through Germany, since that lets you avoid most of the 'big' traffic (like trucks, caravans, etc.). It's a somewhat hilly route, but because of that, gorgeous too. The trip went incredibly smoothly, right up until southern Germany and Austria. There we crawled along at walking pace for a really long time, and thankfully we could exit the jam, since we'd booked an overnight stay in a village nearby.
A great hotel, very Austrian. After checking in we went out for dinner, and after that I went for a run around the area. Just to stretch my legs after almost 900 km in the car. What gorgeous weather we already had, and what a beautiful area!

We'd seriously underestimated the second day of travel, from Austria to Montecatini-Terme, in Tuscany. Partly because of the distance, but definitely also because of the traffic. We basically had a jam from the Italian border all the way past Lake Garda. Lots of stretches where we could only drive max 50 km/h, or even just at walking pace. After a really long travel day, we finally arrived in Montecatini, but then had to take a really steep and narrow road up to the B&B. Once we'd finally unpacked, though, it was worth those two days of travel.

Montecatini-Terme, Tuscany

Our spot was genuinely gorgeous. We stayed on the edge of the old town, up on a hill, in a studio at a B&B. We stayed at Villa La Moresca. Breakfast wasn't included by default, except on our first and last mornings. We could let Lucca know, and then a beautiful table would be set for us on the terrace. The B&B only had five rooms, so it was really peaceful, always a spot free by the pool. It genuinely felt like a home away from home. Especially the pool and the view, it was pure bliss, you just kept looking around you!

Florence

Our first genuinely big trip in Tuscany. A bit of an adventurous one, though, since we first had to drive down to the station, then take a bus to Pistoia to catch the train from there to Florence. That bus isn't normally part of it, but there was track work going on, so it was replacement transport.
The first spot we visited was the museum The Uffizi. We really wanted to see the famous works held there, the ones you usually only see in films or on postcards. After that we had a bit of time to walk around the area, and we ended up walking past the famous bridge, with all the jewellers lining the top of it. Then it was already time to head to the famous Duomo, since we were going to climb it! Perfect for not having to stand in line to look inside and see over Florence from above. It's genuinely quite a climb, but honestly worth it!

Right at the end of that day, we wandered through the city and past a really great steak restaurant, heading towards the Dell'Academia museum, where a huge amount of Michelangelo's work is on display. Including his famous work, David. It was incredibly busy there! An unbelievable number of people. It was, however, a perfect spot to wait out a rain shower.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Who doesn't know Tuscany's most famous tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We set off really early, to beat the big crowds. We hadn't bought tickets to climb the Tower of Pisa itself, but we did have tickets to see the other buildings from the inside. The Tower of Pisa is of course the most famous, but there's also a gorgeous Duomo, the Baptistery, and the Camposanto.
If you walk all the way to the end of the shopping street, you'll also find a huge mural by Keith Haring there. This spot isn't one I'd need to revisit, but I am glad I saw it!

Genuinely try to be there early. We arrived around 9 AM, and at that point you could still easily take photos without too many people around. The queues were also totally manageable. When we walked back from the centre, in the early afternoon, the queues were massive, and it was elbow to elbow. Pisa can also be reached fairly well by train, though it does depend a bit on your connection. We came by car and were (thankfully) the third car in the car park. By the afternoon, parking was simply not doable anymore.

Want to visit another lovely town for shopping and eating? Then Lucca is really worth it. We could easily park just outside the walled town, and the little shops were genuinely adorable. They had loads of handmade pieces for sale. In summer, there are also some really great concerts held in the city! Seriously keep an eye on that. Some really big names perform there in a small, intimate setting.