Get off the beaten tourist path and try driving the white roads, or strade bianche.

Strade Bianche: Chianti Region
One of the most beautiful roads in Italy is La Via Chiantigiana ("The Chianti Road"). Chianti is the Italy that everyone dreams of visiting — cypress trees leading to beautiful farm houses, hills lined with vineyards, rustic wineries, and olive trees set atop rolling hills. Many roads cross the area and many different itineraries can be taken — but wherever you go, prepare for one thing: Tourists.

The entire Chianti area has retained its original splendor, with the result being that some of the most beautiful houses in the area have been rented or bought by English, Germans and Americans. Entire villages have even been converted into agriturismo, with farmhouses, apartments and single rooms for rent to travelers in search of the perfect country holiday (a few of these are listed on www.initaly.com andwww.chianti.it, the official Chianti site).

If you have time and you like adventure, there are still some corners of Chianti that remain untouched. Look on any map of Tuscany and you'll find plenty of white lines. These are the Strade Bianche, unpaved but well-preserved roads between hillside villages that have been used by peasants for centuries.