Taking our four animals to Florence, Italy

You’d think traveling with an old tortoise on board would be straightforward, right? Wrong. It turns out PennyBenny isn’t considered to be a pet in animal travel law; she’s technically an endangered species. Who knew? According to international animal travel regulations, unless you’re a cat, dog, or ferret, you don’t get the “pet” pass. For PennyBenny we needed a CITES export certificate (that’s the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and were advised to get an EU import certificate too, more paperwork to add to the mix.

PennyBenny tortoise loving the warmer weather

PennyBenny, by the way, was originally mistaken for a boy. Turns out, it took decades to confidently determine our tortoise’s gender as her arc underneath isn't flat like a female tortoise, or more curved like a male tortoise, it's somewhere in-between, hence her gender bender name. She’s 46 now, wise and majestic, but it wasn’t going to be a leisurely stroll to get her here. We needed a veterinary certificate confirming she was fit for travel, plus the CITES papers, which set us back a cool £115 along with our dog and two cats who needed rabies shots (£55 each), followed by health certificates costing £330 total. Add an animal courier fee of £1,200 to transport the cats (after a date-change curveball from the company, no less), plus unexpected cattery fees of £200. By the time we factored in everything, our grand total stood at nearly £2,000. It would be cheaper to fly a family to Italy than our four animals!

We drove from Derbyshire, UK, to Florence, Italy, via France, where we stayed in an Airbnb that accepted our dog and tortoise. We forgot to factor in the £300 toll fees on the roads, but the scenery around Chamonix and entering Italy was breathtaking! (There are longer, toll-free routes but it's far enough to go already, so no thanks).

PennyBenny rode stoically in her cushioned box, unbothered by the long haul. The dog was mildly confused but cooperative and she slept as much as possible on the back seat and not in the boot, to reduce any chance of car sickness. The cats came via a professional DEFRA/APHA-approved animal transport service and arrived a few days after we had settled in. We are glad we did this as we were all pretty tired from the journey and needed a couple of days off full on animal care and some time to sort food, bedding and cat litter etc.

Beware of the cats sign on our villa, instead of "Attenti al cane" - beware of the dogs

But we made it! Now, everyone – tortoise, cats, dog, and us humans – is thriving in the sunny Tuscan countryside. PennyBenny has fully embraced her new life as an Italian lady, basking in the warm Mediterranean sun and exploring her surroundings at her own leisurely pace. Queen Dash, true to form, believes she owns Tuscany and has developed a particular enthusiasm for chasing geckos. Bustess, meanwhile, is relishing her golden years among olive and lemon trees, finding new spots to people-watch.

Occasionally, hot air balloons drift overhead, a breathtaking sight in the early morning around 6:30 a.m. as they float above our limonaia rental, olive groves, and endless vineyards. Their low, booming presence complete with the dramatic roar of flames never fails to mesmerise us, though the cats are unfazed by them, our dog finds them utterly terrifying. Watching them glide silently through the morning sunkissed valley feels both ethereal and magical, a perfect complement to this stunning Tuscan landscape.

Una mongalfiera drifting in front of our house at 6.30 AM

Daisy dog (6) - cute as...

Looking back, the journey was challenging, costly, and involved far more paperwork than we’d anticipated. But seeing PennyBenny exploring her new home makes it all worthwhile and the cats and dog are in their element with new territory to mark and wild boar (Cinghiale) to run from! No joke, they rule these hills and our neighbours have had to put electric fences up to keep them off the grounds and protect their children, though it doesn't differentiate between the cinghiale and the construction men on site and is a daily noise nuisance.

The boars are protected here, as well as the deers and other wildlife in the area, as hunting is prohibited. The sign below was found launched into our garden from the roadside, by revellers during the summer. We must hand it back to the local council but it sits on our draining board in the meantime until we figure out where to go with it.

Repopulation and Capture Area. Hunting Ban.

Back to animal travel and the lessons learnt... Moving pets to Italy is no small feat and if you’re moving a tortoise or pets, be prepared for both the big effort and expense.

PennyBenny (46): Formerly a Benny, now a proud Tuscan tortoise.

Bustess (15): Elder cat who is guarding the front door "Attenti il gatti"

Queen Dash (6): Still plotting world domination – Tuscany is just step one.