[Idyllchat] Feedback on South Tuscany - just returned

[Ed Comer]

My wife and I just returned from an Idyll Inc. UnTour of Southern 
Tuscany. We stayed in the the Geranio Apartment at the La Canonica 
Agriturismo near Torrenieri along the road to San Givanni d'Asso. You 
can see it from above using GoogleEarth, N43.11645, E011.56795

Here are a few thoughts about the trip while the experience is still fresh.

WHY UNTOURS?
While we could have easily have booked a similar trip ourselves, 
Idyll provided the added value of (1) one stop shopping, (2) 
accommodations of known quality, (3) an in-country contact to help 
with issues. Consequently, we felt that, even if we may have saved a 
little by booking the trip ourselves (not sure about that), these 
added values were worth booking through Idyll.

THE APARTMENT
We pre-selected the smallest apartment at La Canonica but upon 
arrival the host offered to switch us to one of the larger 
apartments. However, we retained the original apartment because we 
wanted the king-size bed versus the twin beds of the larger 
apartment. The Geranio apartment was clean, neat and functional. It 
is on the ground floor, convenient to the pool and has its own patio 
for dining al fresco. Idyll provided a welcome basket of provisions 
so that trip to the grocery store wouldn't be an immediate necessity. 
The geographic location of the apartment was ideal - close enough to 
a town with good restaurants (Buonconvento) yet out in the beautiful, 
quiet countryside, high upon a hill with a breathtaking view and 
surrounded by grape vineyards and olive groves. Two other UnTour 
families were at La Canonica and we quickly formed friendships, often 
gathering on a patio or by the pool to share wine, cheese and 
experiences of the day.

La Canonica has a lovely swimming pool but actual swimming was rare 
due to the cool air. The sun was intense and hot during the day but 
the air was cool. At night, the temperatures dropped sufficiently 
that a long sleeve shirt or wrap was usually required. It rained very 
lightly during two days of our trip, but otherwise was very dry.

However, all wasn't perfect at La Canonica. The hosts live elsewhere 
and are present only during the day. Additionally, the hosts speak NO 
English at all. All of the UnTourists at La Canonica agreed that this 
detracted from the experience since we were unable to obtain advice, 
recommendations or directions from the hosts. Additionally, with no 
telephone or assistance available at night we were on our own with no 
way to call for help had there been a problem. Additionally, our 
apartment suffered a few problems during our stay, such as the hot 
water heater failing - no shower that day! Our shower didn't drain 
well but our neighbors indicated that they had no problem. We never 
reported the shower but the hosts quickly corrected all other 
problems. You may wonder how I communicated the problems - well I 
speak some Spanish and I found that a combination of Spanish 
sprinkled with some Italian words and body language worked for very 
basic communications.

TELEPHONES
I strongly encourage anyone doing an UnTour to Southern Tuscany to 
bring from the United States a GSM cellular telephone that is 
guaranteed to work in Italy. The Idyll plan for providing cellular 
telephones through a store in Buenconvento doesn't work, or at least 
it didn't for our group. I opted to simply possess a phone card 
(purchased at the Tabak), but another couple staying at La Canonica 
tried unsuccessfully, on several occasions, to find the store open 
for business. A telephone is a useful tool in Southern Tuscany 
because many situations require reservations - restaurants, winery 
tours, some museums, etc. It is also handy should your vehicle break down.

INTERNET
Simple answer - don't expect to send or receive many emails. Rural 
Tuscany has very few Internet Cafes and what few exist are rarely 
open and are quite expensive.

DRIVING
I was the driver and, at first, I was nervous. In retrospect I don't 
know why. I found the Tuscans to be excellent drivers. I feel that 
they are more careful drivers than Americans, keeping a vigilant eye 
on the road out of necessity, because something unexpected is common. 
The small winding roads filled with strange signs that I could only 
occasionally read by applying Spanish created an alien feeling that 
made me tense and nervous. It lessoned each day until, after a few 
days, I found myself looking at the sights as I drove instead of 
intensely staring at the road ahead - this was a sure sign that I had 
acclimated to Tuscan driving. The SEAT (Spanish FIAT) rental car 
provided by Avis was wonderful. I loved it so much that I wanted to 
smuggle it home. It was about the size of a Honda Civic, with a 
smooth 5-speed manual transmission and a turbo diesel that had power 
to spare. I eventually became somewhat Italian and found myself 
passing slow cars.

Once, I was pulled over by the police standing beside the road. While 
I wasn't happy, I knew that I'd done nothing wrong. After examining 
my papers they simply said "OK - go", and I drove off.

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
Avoid Paris' Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) for your 
connections! I repeat - avoid Paris' CDG airport for your 
connections. It is the airport from hell. One hour between flights is 
a very, very tight connection. I know -  we missed our connection to 
Florence on the inbound segment and almost missed it on the homeward 
flight. I have also had problems on two previous trips that involved 
CDG airport. I will NEVER again accept a connection in CDG that had 
less than two hours between flights. I would be more comfortable with 
three hours. Better yet, avoid Paris' CDG airport for your connections.

Not only did we miss our flight to Florence, but Air France lost my 
wife's luggage. This is where using UnTours paid off. From Paris, I 
contacted by pay telephone our South Tuscany UnTours contact, 
Harriet. She told me that, since we would miss the Idyll provided bus 
to Siena to pick up the rental car as well as the escort to the 
apartment, that she would leave a packet of instructions at the 
information desk at the Florence airport. Her emergency information 
packet was a life saver. Her detailed instructions got us to the 
apartment that evening, in time to join the dinner in-progress that 
was ordered by the other UnTour guests. It was a grueling experience 
that included a standing room only, sweltering public bus ride from 
Florence to Siena, some wild taxi rides and an instant introduction 
to Italian city driving, but we made it. Without Harriet's emergency 
instructions and telephone help it would have been far worse. By the 
way, Air France delivered my wife's luggage to La Canonica the 
following afternoon and she had to wear my clothes for only the first day.

FINAL THOUGHTS
As the trip ended my wife and I both wished that we could stay for 
another two weeks. Just when we were feeling assimilated into the 
"Tuscan way" of laid-back lifestyle, we had to return home. I would 
love to return to this area, especially since I've already done the 
obligatory sightseeing and could simply relax and further enjoy the 
Tuscan way of life. My only problem with Tuscany is its impact upon 
my waistline. The cheese and wine are wonderful!