The words ‘fly-drive’ are seldom associated with luxury and comfort. Instead they conjure up images of thrill seeking students braving the desert in a beaten-up Ford Taurus or a family of five cramped into a minivan smelling of nappies and baby wipes.

In Italy, whilst the masses head south for the summer, we sought refuge in the arms of the northern gastronomic region of Lombardy, famous for its food festival, Salon de Gusto.

Thankfully, my brother Christian and I were on a fly-drive of a different nature, saving us from the torment of a Ford Taurus or a minivan, equipped instead with a Maserati Spyder courtesy of Elite Rent-A-Car, who offer customers an extensive portfolio of the world’s most exotic cars.

Many people see driving as a way to get from a to b which, if you’re living near the M25, I can understand. In Italy’s lake region, however, cradled beneath the Orobic, Lepantine and Rhaetian Alps amongst undulating hills and picturesque villages, a convertible sportscar has to be the ‘best seat in the house’.

On arriving at Milan Linate airport to pick up the car, we excitedly gather our bags and head off in search of Elite Rent-A-Car’s representative. We’re met by Yulia, who leads us out to the car park where we go through a brief demonstration on how everything works and I sign forms that commit me to an empty bank account should anything go wrong. Confident that I have grasped the tiptronic controls, I convince Yulia that everything is perfect and she bids me goodbye and good luck. Suddenly though, I am over-cautious, remembering the warnings about erratic Italian drivers, 90% of whom worryingly all seem to drive beaten-up Fiats and Alfas. Export must be strong because I didn’t see one Ferrari, Lamborghini or Maserati, save my own, which people seemed to gaze at in bewildered awe. A legacy of bad driving or simply dis-interest?

Whilst still stuck in the airport car park, I suddenly realise that in the absence of normal gears, I have absolutely no idea how to find reverse. Twenty minutes later and still none the wiser, I call Elite Rent-A-Car’s head office in a desperate attempt to actually leave Milan airport and start enjoying myself before I am suspected of something more sinister. Elite Rent-A-Car laugh at me, but we’re soon on our way.

The first stop is Verona, home of Opera and the famous Arena di Verona, where we have managed to coincide our visit with Puccini’s La Bohéme. Verona is renowned for its architecture, despite being quite small and it oozes classic Romanesque design, with cobbled streets and alleys leading to the main piazza and the city’s operatic arena. Despite adoring the opera, this is a stop gap to the main event - dinner. I’d made some enquiries before leaving London and the most popular recommendation was La Bottega Del Vino. Tucked away from the main square we found, what is now, an institution. The restaurant was buzzing with the post-Opera crowd and a healthy number of Italians - always a good sign. Faced with the biggest wine list I’d ever see, we ordered a reliable Chianti and tucked into a healthy helping of proscuitto and parmesan. Nonchalance became a well-used word on this trip and it is best used to describe Italian waiters. Italians might be gods in the kitchen but I was amazed at the inefficiency of the service but it doesn’t stop you loving the place, although I am more convinced than ever that Italians do things in two ways - brilliantly and badly.

We made short work of Verona, slipping off early the following morning for a date with one of the world’s most elegant residences. Hugging the windy roads around Lake Garda we dash through poetic villages and thrash through tunnels, the Maserati’s husky growl following every curve. This was the driving experience I was after - it just wouldn’t be the same in a Fiat Panda.