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It wasn’t long before we made another pit stop to admire the lush greenery and the fantastic surroundings. By now, the sun was shining brightly. It was so peaceful. You could even hear the birds singing. It was like the scenery from a postcard. I couldn’t resist taking a dozen more photos.
Our group weaved down tiny roads, nestled in between castles, passing through the hilly countryside before parking up to visit a vineyard in Chianti. This was amazing.
Then, after we’d driven a bit further, we stopped at a secluded terrace.
‘Time for lunch,’ Lorenzo said. We sat down at the tables with the other people on the tour and a waiter brought out boards of ham, cheese and baskets of bread. Since living in Italy, I’d slowly learned to enjoy more cold cuts (prosciutto was my favourite) and cheese (well, mainly just mozzarella), so this didn’t freak me out as much as it used to.
‘Mmm.’ I bit into the bruschetta.
‘Is good, no?’
‘Definitely.’
‘So, are you enjoying?’
‘I’m having the best time—thank you! I’ve never been one for motorbikes, scooters or whatever the correct name for a Vespa is, but it’s been brilliant. Being on the road, surrounded by such wonderful scenery, with the wind blowing through my hair and my arms wrapped around you, Iloveit. It’s pretty romantic. Riding on that scooter, I felt so free. So alive. It was just so… I don’t know….exhilarating!’
Lorenzo grinned. ‘Make me very happy to hear you say that.’
‘I thought I’d be scared, but actually, I felt really safe.’
‘Bene. Is settled.’
‘What is?’
‘The journey back. You can drive us to Florence.’
‘What?’ My eyes popped out of my head. ‘Me? Drive?No. No, no, no, nooo!I couldn’t do that!’
‘Why not? You just said you felt safe, no?’
‘Yes. Withyoudriving. With my arms wrapped aroundyou.’
‘Is simple. Will be fun. I ask Viola to show you again and I am sure we have time to practice quickly before we go.’
‘But…but what about the Chianti?’ I glared longingly at the bottle on the table that was from the vineyard we’d passed through. ‘I was going to have some wine with my lunch.’
‘Tranquilla, mi amore. We have plenty of time to drink later, when we get back toFirenze. But this afternoon, is about fun,sì? Will be good for you to ride Vespa. Move from your zone of comfort.’
‘Oh what the hell!’ I said, my stomach fluttering. ‘I’ll give it a go.’
After Viola briefed me and I’d had a quick spin on the secluded road, I felt a lot better. Lorenzo was right. It reallywaseasy. And it was automatic, so that made driving it a breeze. We all set off, winding down the narrow lanes, back past the stone houses and vineyards getting lower and lower until the centre of Florence was in sight.
Look at me. Driving a Vespa in Italy.Very cool. I felt like a real local.
Before we knew it we were back at the Authentic Tours HQ. Naturally, there was a lot more traffic than when we arrived, but it felt so good to be in a vibrant city again. As pretty as Chiorno was, it was too quiet for me. I missed London. My friends, my family, the familiarity. Thebuzz. At the same time, driving a Vespa back home couldn’t compare to doing it in Italy, so being here had its advantages.
After I parked the Vespa, we took off our helmets, then said goodbye to Viola and the rest of the group.
‘Thanks again.’ I kissed Lorenzo on the cheek. ‘I’ve had a brilliant day.’
‘Day?Is only three in the afternoon. The day is just beginning. We have more activities to do.’
‘More?’ We’d had a fantastic tour of Florence and the Tuscan hills, plus eaten lunch. What more could there be?
‘Of course! First, we will go back to the hotel...’ He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a long kiss on the lips.
I could have been wrong, but the moment Lorenzo said the wordsback to the hoteland his lips touched mine, I could have sworn I felt a little tingle. You know—ofdesire.
