Totalcar – Inner – Tuscany, seaside, marble and mafia – holiday in Italy and the Ford Kuga

At 3 o’clock within the morning on Saturday, there isn’t a lot existence at the major street of Esztergom, they may have concept it used to be a burglar, as a result of we had been unpacking baggage from a area with a lawn, wrapped as much as our necks in heat garments. That is once we left for our past due fall holiday in Italy, so we crammed the trunk of the Ford Kuga take a look at automobile. There may be 412 liters of area even with the again row folded again, we did not be apologetic about the stuff, even if being a person, I am going with a backpack for the week-long shuttle. On the other hand, if the gap permits, then garments, gear, grill – the entirety in it.

If I’ve a large number of kilometers forward of me, I love to prepare my departure within the early hours of the morning, it is more uncomplicated to transport in gentle site visitors, and the opposite factor is that I do not waste my entire day touring, although Google predicted 10 hours to the town of Luni. Even with positive estimates, that is 11 hours, however the day before today’s paintings didn’t permit me to leisure correctly, we stopped a minimum of six occasions for pee/pee/espresso breaks to forestall falling asleep.

To Luni, just a thousand kilometers

I wasn’t apprehensive in regards to the automobile, I examined the brand new Kuga a couple of months earlier than the holiday, even if it did not have one of these long-lasting using enjoy. I am acquainted with Toyota’s hybrid programs, and I wasn’t apprehensive about intake both, despite the fact that the cost of gas consistent with liter used to be not up to 1.75 euros (~700 feet) in few puts in Italy. After all, it used to be encouraging that once refueling, the Kuga promised a spread of round 1,000 kilometers, whilst the navigation estimated all of the adventure at 1,050 kilometers.

I vacillated between the roads thru Austria and Slovenia, however the Austrians had raging storms and floods on the time, so we ended up heading in opposition to the latter. I believed that the one-week monitor decal can be just right, however because it seems, with them it really works from Saturday to middle of the night on Friday, now not from Saturday to Saturday. So I used to be pressured to shop for the per thirty days decal for 32 euros, which interprets to HUF 13,000. Persons are clearly offended, however there is a likelihood that I should not have made it thru Austria as a result of the floods, so it isn’t sure that I used to be worse off.

As we headed in opposition to the west coast of Italy, the gloomy, grey, wet climate at house at 11 levels used to be slowly changed by way of delightful sunshine at 24-25 levels. We took over the lodging, parked the auto, or even took a brief stroll alongside the coast, the sundown is gorgeous in that house. We discovered a small circle of relatives pizzeria, the place they presented conventional Italian pizzas for 7-9 euros (2820-3640 feet), the primary evening we had the sensation that we had arrived. The opposite necessary early enjoy used to be about parking, as a result of we could not to find an automated system and I did not need to be punished both. I could not perceive the puts painted with other colours, so I requested a neighborhood. We realized that during Italy the blue areas are the paid ones, the yellow areas are for his or her areas or the ones with a allow, and the white areas are the loose parking areas.

Within the first days we explored the realm, there used to be a Penny and a Coop on the finish of our side road, we had been ready to shop for maximum issues from them. If we went additional, we checked out some better chain the place shall we purchase lunch and breakfast. The lodging used to be truly just right, a tight kitchen, a mattress, a tight, fashionable toilet and my favourite used to be that it got here with two bicycles. At the first day, we attacked the sandy seaside with those, benefiting from the nice climate for a bit of of September seaside time, the water remains to be heat at the moment.

Chaos in Florence

Then the power got here on the second one day. If I am going on holiday, I will be able to’t truly lie at the seaside for seven days. Since we had been at the fringe of Tuscany close to the center of the boot, it used to be handiest herbal to try Florence. I went there two years in the past, I believe it is a stunning position and I used to be taking a look ahead to it even now. The one factor I did not keep in mind used to be the chaotic site visitors. The Kuga’s using toughen programs wailed and tugged at the ropes of the alarm bells, what is occurring there isn’t of this global. Once I needed to pull out of the innermost lane at the six-lane, one-way street, however motorcyclists and scooters surrounded me like a faculty of fish, I may handiest pray that I would not hit somebody – whilst the blind spot observe flashed till it melted in each mirrors.

Gradual maneuvering isn’t essentially an possibility both, the Italians repeatedly push like a steam locomotive. Particularly at the slender, single-lane roads, they felt that if a Fiat Panda got here on the subject of my ass, I might indisputably pass sooner than the criminal restrict – I did not. Or the similar from the attention, on slender roads I could not pull the auto onto the gravel, they do not hassle themselves. They aren’t even used to important vehicles, the Kuga is already regarded as a sizeable commodity there, within the sea of ​​Fiat Pandas, 500s, Piaggio Porters, Quarters and Apes, there’s no room for larger fish. To the attention, the compact class represents the common there, however the proportions could also be lowered by way of the numerous small B-segment vehicles.

We had been ready to park the auto in a downtown parking storage, I paid two euros consistent with hour for parking, which isn’t that a lot compared. After some sightseeing, we even visited Pisa at the long ago, they ready us prematurely that there’s now not a lot else to do but even so the tower. We additionally confronted this, however the house across the Leaning Tower is fabulously stunning. We were given there simply at sundown, the best way the bone-colored stone used to be coloured by way of the orange gentle, it used to be stunning. To my marvel, it used to be nonetheless filled with folks in the midst of September – by way of the appearance of it, principally vacationers – however I will be able to consider what occurs there within the prime season.

The marble mine and the mafia

Our lodging used to be in Luni, a small the city on the subject of the coast, with the Apuan Alps now not some distance above it. From our side road you want to see that in opposition to the foot of the mountain there are small and massive humps, on which a small the city has been inbuilt an not possible manner, we concept we might check out them. Now and again we did not also have to near the Kuga’s mirrors, we went up very slender, however top quality, well-built roads. Those are comfy little cities and you’ll be able to see them in a few hours. We were given again to Massa, however the mountain vary and its suspicious white spots didn’t allow us to leisure. Most probably the rock might be like that, I believed, since at 25 levels it hardly snows in one of these now not very giant mountain vary.

Previous, it used to be spotted that there are a number of websites across the town the place large stone slabs are being transported, minimize and carved. On the time, I did not know that we had been beneath the well-known Carrara white marble mine, which can also be visited by way of the best way. So we began uphill, at the aspect of the street there have been marble statues of roosters and a freight teach with a steam locomotive. I noticed at the map that there have been public roads to the mine, so we agreed, and I spark off. Someplace midway, a person beckoned us down, his garments had been all white mud, it appears he had labored within the mine earlier than. Did you ask if we got here for the mine? Do you want to look it? In the beginning my eyes lit up that sure! I noticed at the Web that there’s a excursion information, I believed that our guy belongs there.

My spouse had a foul feeling from the start, however we adopted the person’s previous Mitsubishi pickup thru unlit caves and impressive mountain roads. At one level we stopped to take pictures, right here he began making buddies with us, asking what we had been running on. Once I informed him that I used to be a journalist, he frowned, as he informed me proper earlier than that the marble mine, even if it formally belongs to the town of Carrara, is in truth owned by way of 12 mafia households and coordinated by way of them. Mafia? That is the place I began to fret a bit of. And should you paintings for them? If we pass house from the mine with minus one kidney? Or worse? The tales, novels and films in regards to the Italian mafia are mentioned to be unfounded, I began to get severely apprehensive.

We stopped at a big, empty concrete slab, there have been already transparent indicators of manufacturing throughout, even if the machines had been already status. The person began packing in his automobile, and shortly after he got here to let us know that we must switch to him, that we will be able to’t pass any upper with our automobile. Right here the placement used to be already suspicious for either one of us and the previous guy may make it worse. A automobile got here down with a person in a visibility vest and helmet, additionally lined in white powder. He and the person appeared to know every different, they laughed, then they winked at every different firmly after our guy seemed again at our automobile.

It used to be right here that we learned that we needed to get out of this case in some way, conceptual objections began to spin in my head. When our guy got here to allow us to take a seat down, I discussed that my spouse used to be now not feeling properly, and we were given a fierce what is fallacious query. The early being pregnant card virtually got here, when the person minimize it off, that we learned the ugliness and concept it higher to step down. He drove away with the pickup, we simply sat within the automobile and did not talk for a minute. We almost certainly made the correct determination and stored 25-25 euros (10-10 thousand forints) consistent with individual.

We drove round Tuscany on minimum fuel

Day after today we got here and went a bit of extra within the house, took a power alongside the coast and noticed Los angeles Spezia, which is extra of a big, busy port town than an appeal. Day after today we noticed Tuscany and its iconic small cities like San Gimignano or Volterra, however earlier than that we crammed up a tank. It put a grin on my face that after you have in, the Kuga predicted a spread of one,173 kilometers after a happy uncle refueled the auto at a non-public properly – I have by no means met one of these individual earlier than, but it surely used to be imaginable to barter the quantity of refueling. After all, he requested for 87 euros (35,000 feet) for a complete tank, I negotiated right down to 92.

Tuscany has stunning, unbelievable roads. Those are clean, top quality, sufficiently extensive and well-constructed roads thru stunning landscapes, in such prerequisites the Kuga truly ran virtually on gas. From San Gimignano again to Pisa we lined more or less 77 kilometers in 1:12. In this stretch, the auto’s fuel intake used to be 3.8/100 km, in keeping with the pc, and it additionally mentioned that it lined 45.2 kilometers of the above-mentioned distance purely on electrical energy – that is 58.7 % of the shuttle.

Day after today we drove in the course of the cities of the Cinque Terre, as soon as once more we discovered unbelievable roads, however we had been handiest ready to park in two of the 5 cities – at a fee of three euros consistent with hour. I needed to method the towns on steep slopes and uphills, or even right here I had a difficult time with the competitive Fiat Panda drivers. We were given concerned with the group past due, as a result of you’ll be able to talk over with the 5 towns by way of teach after parking in Los angeles Spezia, so we handiest noticed Vernezza and Riomaggiore – they truly are like at the postcards. It is a stunning house, you’ll be able to power and hike superbly, however because of the intense off-road prerequisites, the gas intake right here jumped to round 5 liters – even this is ridiculous for a automobile of this dimension. Within the period in-between, I discovered the chirping sound that were coming from the again of the Kuga because the starting of the adventure and it began to bother me. The 60/40-folding rear seatbacks rubbed in combination on minor bumps, making a relentless aggravating noise till I slammed a seat down.

The best way house

I rested correctly earlier than the shuttle house, we did not even go away too early. We comfortably looked at at part previous 9 within the morning, were given into the auto and popped into the shop on the finish of the road. I refueled on the smiling uncle and we began house, however as a result of I rested in entrance of him, we lined the primary 525.5 kilometers in a single pass – it used to be 5:14. Since many of the using used to be finished by way of automobile, we ran handiest 72 kilometers of this distance on natural electrical energy, and the gas intake used to be 5.7/100 km.

After a handy guide a rough damage, we handiest stopped in Hungary for lunch at a quick meals chain. After that, I refueled the auto and we did not prevent all of the manner house. A little bit past due at the manner there, I handiest reset the pc at the M0, so once we pulled into the gate on Saturday evening, it mentioned 44 hours 50 mins and 33 seconds of using, all through which we had pushed 2995.4 kilometers, of which 812.1 kilometers had been purely electrical – this 27 % of the best way. After all, intake used to be 5.4 l/100 km, which I believe may be very great for a 1,765-kilogram C-SUV, which differently has 180 horsepower to be had.

Gasoline accounted for a vital a part of the shuttle prices, we paid HUF 128,080 for seven days of gas, however the gated freeway machine in Italy isn’t too reasonable both. There have been sections the place 38-40 euros had been charged, and along side the per thirty days Slovenian monitor decal, a complete of HUF 60,438 used to be spent on expressways – this doesn’t come with the Hungarian monitor decal, as it used to be a 12 months previous at the take a look at automobile. After all, the shuttle bills for the entire week had been HUF 188,518.

The ST-Line X apparatus of the take a look at automobile truly had the entirety, however in this shuttle the comfy AGR-certified seat, distance cruise regulate, a just right on-board pc and the Bang&Olufsen sound machine had been an important. The auto is quiet at standard pace, handiest round 130 the wind and rolling noise began to assault, particularly the previous used to be traumatic. If we handiest cruised at 110-120 km/h at the monitor, it used to be completely exhilarating – particularly once I solved the chirping.