A drive through Chianti, Tuscany

Past Milano, the northern Italian motorways whizz one along efficiently south-east, past Parma and Modena, until, close to Bologna, you turn sharp south. And before long there are iconic sights of hilltop towns with ochre roofs, vineyards and cypresses, to let you know unmistakably that you're in Tuscany.

Between Firenze and Siena to its south is the Chianti wine-growing region

where, outside the town of San Casciano, there's an overnight stop in Mangiacane (the great dog), a pinky-orange Medici villa surrounded by cypresses

set on a hilltop overlooking the Chianti vineyards

After a long day in the car there's a pool to relax in, and one of my favourite pleasures that only a warm climate can offer: an outdoor shower

In the peaceful courtyard garden I was surprised to find Zimbabwean soapstone sculptures - slightly out of context, but they look well here. 

A sudden heavy rain shower cleared up in time for dinner in the garden: antipasti of local cheeses and charcuterie, a pasta of fresh truffles, and obviously a bottle of red Chianti. What could be more perfect?

Chianti, Tuscany, Italy, September 2016

Crossing Lake Como with bikers

On day 2 of the Italian road trip, south of Basel, we entered the 17km long Gotthard tunnel that bores under the Alps and pops you out in Italian Switzerland - to drive alongside the beautiful Lago di Lugano with gorgeous homes on the edge of the lake surrounded by mountains. 

Lugano is right on the border with Italy; we cross over and minutes later have the first sightings of serene Como in muted shades of blue and green under an overcast sky.

At Cadenabbia we drive onto a car ferry. 

These ferries cross the lake every half hour and we're waved on with little concern for order, cars and motorbikes filling up the boat deck higgeldy piggeldy, Italian style. At the back, with a fabulously un-British finger to health and safety there's a basically pointless loose rope across the open end of the boat, where the bikers are standing and chatting.

As we pull away from the west side of Como lake, we join everyone else on the roof deck of the ferry 

(including a wee and clearly cosseted dog)

from where we have perfect views of a receding Cadenabbio, where Mary Shelley stayed and lingered - was she one of the first of the 19th century Brits to become obsessed with the beauty and quality of life in Italy?

and watch the 'pearl of Como', Bellagio, drawing near

The wee pooch sped off the ferry in a stylish open-top red car, bound for who knew what Sunday adventure.

Byron adored Bellagio and Flaubert declared that one could 'live and die here', but could we find the smallest sliver of a parking space?

Sadly no, so it was onwards and upwards along the coastal shore of this uniquely gorgeous lake, where locals were soaking up the last of the summer sun on jetties and tiny beaches

looked over by peeling ochre mansions and olive trees

Lake Como, Italy, September 2016

Floating down the Rhine in Basel

My latest European road trip, last month, began just across the channel in Lille, in cool 6 am darkness. Somewhere around Reims or Épernay there was a pit-stop at a roadside L'Arche for coffee and a croissant, before driving on through French farmland, and by 11.30 we were well into the Vosges and Alsace. Things were getting German. 

At lunchtime we were in Basel, Switzerland, looking down on the Rhine.

It was a hot Saturday, 29 degrees, and in the Rhine were not only pleasure boats but also loads of swimmers - or floaters, rather.
The Rhine runs through the centre of the city in a strong, fast current. All through summer, the thing to do in Basel is jump in the river upstream and let the current sweep you along.

There's nothing to do but float, enjoying the sun on your face, for miles ... with a specially designed waterproof bag that sells everywhere here for keeping your clothes and belongings dry, doubling as a flotation pillow to hang onto. And when you hop out, there's a bus to take you back to where you started! Swiss efficiency.

Before I dipped a toe in I was going to need to know how clean the water was! Pretty damn clean, it turns out. Billions of euros have been spent on cleaning up the Rhine and keeping it that way. I'm in awe of how Switzerland and Germany manage to be industrial and manufacturing power-houses of Europe (Basel is the hub of the pharmaceutical industry) and at the same time the leaders in green-ness and preservation of the environment.

Les Trois Rois, one of Basel's grand old hotels, is the perfect place to drop in for a drink or lunch on the terrace with a view

This is a distinctly people-friendly city, I discover, as we walk across one of the bridges closed to all traffic except for the trams which silently criss-cross the city. 

Public transport is not only efficient and 'green', but also cheerful ...

In the Marktplatz and Theaterplatz everyone was enjoying the last of summer days
and street food ...

This may be one of the most expensive countries in Europe, but hugs were free from this friendly guy!

At the Basel Münster there were games of boules under the trees

and at the extraordinary Tinguely fountain where mechanical sculptures play with water, children were dipping their feet and dodging the spray.

Besides pharmaceutical company headquarters, Basel is most famous for being a major art centre of the world. There are more art galleries and museums concentrated here than in most far bigger world cities 

Kunstmuseum Basel

I was impressed by how well older buildings blend seamlessly with modern ones. Town planning here (as in Germany) and protection of the natural environment are fantastically well done.

Did I mention that Basel is spotlessly clean? I watched street sweepers cruising the streets at the crack of dawn, and people carefully hand-sweeping the pavements in front of shops and hotels for the odd cigarette butt or stray leaf. 

I was sorry to leave Basel on Sunday morning, after a last linger on the bank of the Rhine where early swimmers were already doing their floating thing, and cyclists were freewheeling alongside the river. 

What a civilised, liveable city. All I need is a Swiss bank account and I'm moving right over there.

Basel, Switzerland, September 2016