I like the idea of doing something different on holiday, and although I’ve never done it, I can think of nothing quite as appealing as the idea of floating silently over Tuscany in a hot air balloon.
Unsurprisingly, I am not the first to have thought of this interesting way to see Italy, and on YouTube there are quite a few videos of hot air balloon trips over Tuscany, Italy.
Here is one such hot air ballooning in Tuscany trip video which I think captures the experience of floating over the glorious Tuscan landscape quite well.
Up, up, and away!
Ballooning Over Tuscany
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0g7nEFs3Cg[/youtube]

Stop reading, start speaking
Stop translating in your head and start speaking Italian for real with the only audio course that prompt you to speak.
In case you are curious, the lady in the balloon is Rome based South African artist Cheryl Lowery who was celebrating her birthday.
Fancy Ballooning over Tuscany Yourself?
For those of you who might like to try this out, here are links to the websites of five ballooning companies in Italy which can arrange for you to float over Tuscany, Umbria or Piedmont in a hot air balloon:
- Balloons over Italy – Tuscany, Umbria, and Piedmont too.
I’m sure such a trip would make an excellent birthday present for someone.
PS If you take a camera, make sure you tether it to the side of the basket. I would. Otherwise you might lose all your lovely pictures. Literally.
PPS Send me your ballooning trip photos, and I’ll publish them here, if you like.