My husband celebrated turning 60 in August and this was his 60th birthday trip, for his 50th we did Vencie, so another Italian adventure seemed appropriate!  After months of planning, hours of reading Facebook group recommendations, lots of stressing over what to wear, what to pack and what man-bag my husband might agree to actually use, we finally made it to Tuscany, Italy.  And we loved every single moment (well maybe not every moment, there were downsides too) but yes we fell in love with Tuscany and absolutely want to go back! 

​I know planning holidays can be hard work, I literally did spend hours researching, drafting an itinerary, finding the perfect Airbnbs (keeping in mind a budget - ours isn't massive), finding the best and available tour guides, and then re-drafting the itinerary after I realised it was probably a bit full on!  I don't want all the hours of research to go to waste now we are back - so I am sharing three blog posts about our Italian road trip and I hope sharing a few useful tips and some inspiration for your own visit to Tuscany.

This is how we split up our Italy road trip:

Fly into Florence, Italy and spend 3 nights exploring the capital city of Tuscany.
Pick up a hire car and drive to Lucca for 4 nights.
Drive to the Chianti region for a final 4 nights of rest, relaxation and exploring.

​And my first blog post is all about the top things to do in Florence, this is how we organised our time, we tend to take it easy, preferring a slower pace rather than a full itinerary.

The search had begun already, I needed a new waterproof jacket, but I needed it to be warm, preferably lightweight and I'd decided a little bit of colour wouldn't go amiss! I also have to be careful that the style doesn't drown me, so many coats can be too long. 

When Lighthouse Clothing got in touch, I was immediately impressed by their colourful styles, combining practicality and fashion.  Every Lighthouse design comes with the message 'Live simple, live happy' and they design everything in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where they certainly know all about rainy days!

​I chose two gorgeous styles from Lighthouse Clothing to share on my blog - let me know what you think!?

This is a gifted blog post.