Rome / Tuscany October 2008
Oct 27th, 2008, 08:19 AM
#1
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Rome / Tuscany October 2008
My wife and I just returned from a ten night trip to Rome and Tuscany. Here's my bullet point list overview with details to follow later.
1. Tuscan hill towns were virtually empty in late October.
2. Weather was perfect by my standards. Seventy during the day with mostly sun and mid-forties at night.
3. Driving was easy. All my fears were unfounded. Until the GPS broke.
4. My GPS was terribly accurate and a great investment -- until it broke.
5. A map works almost as well as a GPS. "Almost" is the key word.
6. We never had a bad meal and in fact had some great ones.
7. The best cup of coffee we had was in Chianciano Terme. We sat at a small pastry shop, on a tiny balcony, overlooking the hills to the south. Terrific.
8. The tiniest street I ever drove down in my life was also in Chianciano Terme. If the car had been waxed recently I think we would have got stuck between the buildings.
9. All of the local people we met were friendly.
10. We found out why "Under the Tuscan Sun" (the movie) was set in Cortona. What a beautiful and delighful town. Our favorite.
11. We booked our rental car through www.Kemwel.com and they contracted us with EuropeCar. No hidden costs and a zero deductible insurance policy. It worked out well.
12. I thought that the drivers in Italy were largely courteous and quite talented.
13. Good wine is quite inexpensive.
14. Overall, food in grocery stores seemed quite reasonably priced.
15. Sixteen people in a large villa for one week makes for interesting conversation over dinner and drinks.
More later ...
1. Tuscan hill towns were virtually empty in late October.
2. Weather was perfect by my standards. Seventy during the day with mostly sun and mid-forties at night.
3. Driving was easy. All my fears were unfounded. Until the GPS broke.
4. My GPS was terribly accurate and a great investment -- until it broke.
5. A map works almost as well as a GPS. "Almost" is the key word.
6. We never had a bad meal and in fact had some great ones.
7. The best cup of coffee we had was in Chianciano Terme. We sat at a small pastry shop, on a tiny balcony, overlooking the hills to the south. Terrific.
8. The tiniest street I ever drove down in my life was also in Chianciano Terme. If the car had been waxed recently I think we would have got stuck between the buildings.
9. All of the local people we met were friendly.
10. We found out why "Under the Tuscan Sun" (the movie) was set in Cortona. What a beautiful and delighful town. Our favorite.
11. We booked our rental car through www.Kemwel.com and they contracted us with EuropeCar. No hidden costs and a zero deductible insurance policy. It worked out well.
12. I thought that the drivers in Italy were largely courteous and quite talented.
13. Good wine is quite inexpensive.
14. Overall, food in grocery stores seemed quite reasonably priced.
15. Sixteen people in a large villa for one week makes for interesting conversation over dinner and drinks.
More later ...
Oct 27th, 2008, 01:04 PM
#2
I thought you were only traveling with three people, not sixteen.
Did you decide your worry about train tickets was unfounded also?
I was also surprised how empty the hilltowns were in mid-September.
Did you decide your worry about train tickets was unfounded also?
I was also surprised how empty the hilltowns were in mid-September.
Oct 28th, 2008, 04:56 AM
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Hi ky,
The villa rental was for 16. Three of us left Rome "early" to get to the villa and prep it for the others, who followed about four hours later on a small private bus from Rome.
Actually, the train that you bought us tickets for was full, with people standing in the corridor near the ends of the car and adjacent to the old "smoking" sections.
The train we took back from Chiusi to Rome was only about 60 percent full, and we bought those tickets a few days ahead of time, although the ticket person would not give us the Amica fare. Go figure!
The villa rental was for 16. Three of us left Rome "early" to get to the villa and prep it for the others, who followed about four hours later on a small private bus from Rome.
Actually, the train that you bought us tickets for was full, with people standing in the corridor near the ends of the car and adjacent to the old "smoking" sections.
The train we took back from Chiusi to Rome was only about 60 percent full, and we bought those tickets a few days ahead of time, although the ticket person would not give us the Amica fare. Go figure!
Oct 28th, 2008, 05:14 AM
#4
Wow! I guess it was good to have seats on that train then. Maybe it was full because it was early Saturday morning and everyone was escaping Rome for the weekend. I started to select three seats side-by-side, but since I had been on a similar train I thought one of you might have long legs and be more comfortable sharing leg space across from you with someone you knew. lol Where did you buy your return tickets?
How did you arrange the small bus? I'm planning a group trip for 2010.
How did you arrange the small bus? I'm planning a group trip for 2010.
Oct 28th, 2008, 06:21 AM
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ky,
The tickets that you bought for me were on a regular 2+2 configuration train. There were no three seat configurations. It was two seats on each side of a center aisle.
We bought the return tickets at the Chiusi station. We took the train from Chiusi to Florence on Tuesday, and on our return bought the tickets for the following Saturday.
If you email me off the board I can get the info for the group tour bus. I did not do the direct arranging of the trip, so I would check with the person who did for you. My wife and I were the last two people invited on the trip, and made most of our own arrangements as a result becuase the original group arrangements had been made for the original fourteen people.
The tickets that you bought for me were on a regular 2+2 configuration train. There were no three seat configurations. It was two seats on each side of a center aisle.
We bought the return tickets at the Chiusi station. We took the train from Chiusi to Florence on Tuesday, and on our return bought the tickets for the following Saturday.
If you email me off the board I can get the info for the group tour bus. I did not do the direct arranging of the trip, so I would check with the person who did for you. My wife and I were the last two people invited on the trip, and made most of our own arrangements as a result becuase the original group arrangements had been made for the original fourteen people.
Oct 29th, 2008, 03:31 AM
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As I mentioned, the favorite hill town that we visited was Cortona.
The weather was perfect, with temperatures in the low 70's and a light breeze. There was not a cloud in the sky.
We spent about four hours in the city, having morning coffee and pastry, shoppoing, sightseeing and finally having a light lunch before heading on to our next destination. It was absolutely delightful.
I took one photograph in Cortona that came out particularly well. I took the photo into the window of a pottery store, but with the main piazza and church steps showing as a reflection in the window. I am very pleased with how it came out. You can view the photo at the link below.
http://i37.tinypic.com/2qw0cwy.jpg
The weather was perfect, with temperatures in the low 70's and a light breeze. There was not a cloud in the sky.
We spent about four hours in the city, having morning coffee and pastry, shoppoing, sightseeing and finally having a light lunch before heading on to our next destination. It was absolutely delightful.
I took one photograph in Cortona that came out particularly well. I took the photo into the window of a pottery store, but with the main piazza and church steps showing as a reflection in the window. I am very pleased with how it came out. You can view the photo at the link below.
http://i37.tinypic.com/2qw0cwy.jpg
Oct 29th, 2008, 06:16 AM
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Without looking at the map, my recollection is that Cortona was only an hour or so from the villa, and we traveled a route that was not the most direct as we wanted to drive through Castiglione del Lago, which is a lakeside town in northern Umbria.
My recollection is we left the villa around 9:00am and were in Cortona around 10:15am, in time for a morning coffee.
My recollection is we left the villa around 9:00am and were in Cortona around 10:15am, in time for a morning coffee.
Oct 29th, 2008, 06:17 AM
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ky,
The only time the small bus was used was to transfer most of the group from Rome to the villa and to return to Rome.
The 16 of us rented five cars between us. The day we went to Cortona it was my wife and I and another couple in our Fiat cRoma rental from Kemwel/EuropeCar.
The only time the small bus was used was to transfer most of the group from Rome to the villa and to return to Rome.
The 16 of us rented five cars between us. The day we went to Cortona it was my wife and I and another couple in our Fiat cRoma rental from Kemwel/EuropeCar.
Oct 29th, 2008, 06:47 AM
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Here is a link to the villa:
http://tinyurl.com/6824fq
Although the listing says 10 persons / 5 bedrooms, there are actually eight full double bedrooms each with an individual bath for a total sleeping number of 16.
Two of the bedrooms are located in an annex building immediately adjacent to the main house, complete with it's own living room/kitchen and laundry facility.
The villa was located about six miles south of Sarteano in a beautiful area of hills and valleys. This location was convenient to all the southern Tuscan hill towns, and even the Orvieto area in northern Umbria.
We did take the train to Florence one day, and that was about a one and one half hour ride each way.
The villa was very, very nice. I did not do the booking, a friend did, and in fact she paid for the entire group to stay there. The prices on the website seem a bit high to me for the amenities in the villa, but I hesitate to say that because I was a guest there.
The weather was nice and cool, but we still had a fairly large assortment of bus in the area and sneaking in the doors and windows when they were open. To be honest, if we were to stay there in hot weather (no air conditioning) I don't know how it would be possible to be comfortable and bug free with the windows open, because as you know there are virtually no screens in use in Europe.
The pool area was closed when we were there as the weather was cool, but it looked to be very nice and in an elevated position from the main house.
All in all, a very nice location that easily handled 16 people.
http://tinyurl.com/6824fq
Although the listing says 10 persons / 5 bedrooms, there are actually eight full double bedrooms each with an individual bath for a total sleeping number of 16.
Two of the bedrooms are located in an annex building immediately adjacent to the main house, complete with it's own living room/kitchen and laundry facility.
The villa was located about six miles south of Sarteano in a beautiful area of hills and valleys. This location was convenient to all the southern Tuscan hill towns, and even the Orvieto area in northern Umbria.
We did take the train to Florence one day, and that was about a one and one half hour ride each way.
The villa was very, very nice. I did not do the booking, a friend did, and in fact she paid for the entire group to stay there. The prices on the website seem a bit high to me for the amenities in the villa, but I hesitate to say that because I was a guest there.
The weather was nice and cool, but we still had a fairly large assortment of bus in the area and sneaking in the doors and windows when they were open. To be honest, if we were to stay there in hot weather (no air conditioning) I don't know how it would be possible to be comfortable and bug free with the windows open, because as you know there are virtually no screens in use in Europe.
The pool area was closed when we were there as the weather was cool, but it looked to be very nice and in an elevated position from the main house.
All in all, a very nice location that easily handled 16 people.
Oct 29th, 2008, 10:07 AM
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How super to hear that your trip was such a success. I love that area, and you were lucky with Ottobrata romana, which means Italian Indian Summer. Keep the good flavor of Italy in your mouth and check out ItalianNotebook.com. Contribute if you'd like. It sounds as though you have plenty of material.
Arrivederci back in Italy.
yolanda
Arrivederci back in Italy.
yolanda
Oct 29th, 2008, 12:36 PM
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Thanks for the link. I keep thinking about doing something like this in Italy...(I've previously rented only once, with a small group, in the Dordogne)
How did it work with the meal preparation? Did you eat dinner in the villa and lunches out?
It is definitely a good thing that you had 5 cars!
How did it work with the meal preparation? Did you eat dinner in the villa and lunches out?
It is definitely a good thing that you had 5 cars!
Oct 29th, 2008, 01:04 PM
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We had two dinners at the villa, but those were prepared by a local Sarteano chef. The other meals we ate out.
We had breakfast in the villa, with supplies from the local supermarket in downtown Sarteano. It had a suprising array of products for a small market. IT reminded me of the supermarkets my fokls would take me to forty years ago in Michigan.
There is a larger supermakret about five miles east of Sarteano, and close to the A1 Autostrada exit. It seemed much more like a supermakret at home.
We had breakfast in the villa, with supplies from the local supermarket in downtown Sarteano. It had a suprising array of products for a small market. IT reminded me of the supermarkets my fokls would take me to forty years ago in Michigan.
There is a larger supermakret about five miles east of Sarteano, and close to the A1 Autostrada exit. It seemed much more like a supermakret at home.
