8 Days · May 2–9, 2026 · What actually happened
Reconstructed from Google TimelineEight days, 2,683 km on the road, five countries crossed (Czechia, Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia). Five places to sleep across seven nights: Bolzano, Verona twice, Siena, Florence twice, and a Slovenian guesthouse on the way home. The path below is reconstructed from Google Timeline — every stop, every overnight, every kilometre.
Every coloured line is a single day's drive, from Google Timeline GPS points.
Long transit day. Out before 7am, into Italy via the Brenner, Bolzano old town walk in the evening.
Centro Storico / Mustergasse — over an hour wandering before dinner.
Out of Bolzano, brief stop on south Lake Garda, then a long swing west to Crema for a 2½-hour visit before settling in Verona.
Three logged stays around Crema (Centro Nuova + Le Villette) totalling 2 h 26 min — lunch and a wander.
Shortest driving day — only 132 km. Loop up the east shore of Lake Garda to Malcesine, with a high stop east of town that lines up with the Monte Baldo cable car.
South over the Apennines and into Tuscany — San Gimignano towers, a Poggibonsi pause, then on to Siena for the night.
Short drive north to Florence, drop bags in Novoli, then straight into the centre — Stazione, Duomo, Via Ricasoli (Accademia street).
A proper city day — only 23 km on the car, the rest on foot. Centre, then east to Quartiere 2, dinner near the hotel.
9-min stop pushing east of the river — Sant'Ambrogio / Mazzini side.
Long haul north-east, breaking the home leg in Slovenia rather than pushing all the way through. Dinner and bed in a quiet village just outside Ljubljana.
17-min check-in stop in Ljubljana's NW outskirts before settling for the night.
Three border crossings in one day — back through Austria, into Czechia at Dolní Dvořiště, home by late afternoon.
Five places, seven nights. Two stays were doubles (Verona and Florence).
How the actual trip compared to the original 8-day itinerary.
| Day | Planned | Actual | km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Sat May 2 | Chyne → Bolzano | Chyne → Bolzano | 657 |
| 2 · Sun May 3 | Dolomites: Lago di Braies + Funes | Bolzano → Lake Garda → Crema → Verona | 388 |
| 3 · Mon May 4 | Verona / Lake Garda day | Lake Garda + Malcesine / Monte Baldo | 132 |
| 4 · Tue May 5 | Florence (arrival) | Verona → San Gimignano → Siena | 298 |
| 5 · Wed May 6 | Florence Renaissance core | Siena → Florence (Stazione + Duomo) | 94 |
| 6 · Thu May 7 | Florence Oltrarno | Florence on foot | 23 |
| 7 · Fri May 8 | Val d'Orcia & Pienza | Florence → Slovenia | 456 |
| 8 · Sat May 9 | Drive home (long) | Slovenia → Home (split route) | 636 |
| Total | ~2,730 km plan | 2,683 km actual | 2,683 |
The big swap: instead of doing the Dolomites loop and Val d'Orcia, the trip picked up a Crema detour, an extra Siena overnight, and a Slovenia stop on the way home. Florence stayed central but ran 2 nights instead of 3. Distance came in 47 km under the estimate.