My friend Santo and I are going to take that man trip we’ve long talked about, going to Tuscany this fall for a week, on the Dante trail. I’ll be doing research for my forthcoming book on Dante. We know for sure that we’re going to Florence and Ravenna, but we will be renting a car in Rome so we can drive through the Tuscan hill towns too.

We expect to be there on the first week of October. So, readers, help me plan our itinerary. We know the Dante places to see in Florence and Ravenna, but where else would you recommend? Where should we stay? Where should we eat? Like Your Working Boy, Santo likes to eat and to drink. Unlike Your Working Boy, he speaks fluent Italian. We can go anywhere.

Please advise. Remember, the focus of this trip is the world of Dante, and that we only have a week, else our wives would exile us like a pair of White Guelphs.