Many people go for drives in the country on Sunday, but few have the good fortune to take them in Tuscany. Much of Tuscany resembles a man-made garden: collections of vineyards, groves of olive trees, or fields of sunflowers flow over rolling hills that are interrupted now and then by small, ancient villages. Often on the summits of the hills one sees a row of cypress or umbrella pines. What a place for a drive!

Florence (Firenze in Italian) was one of our Sunday destinations. Those of you who have visited Florence have probably struggled through throngs of tourists to visit its many splendors. Imagine walking it streets on a Sunday and encountering relatively few tourists, let alone people. Olive went there with my brother on a weekday and did see many people going about their business, but Florence was hardly crowded.

Of the many sights to see, two…