Where in Tuscany to base ourselves for a week?
 

Hi,

First of all - I know it sounds like I am, but I don't intend to ask a question many others have asked before. I have read so much about all the towns, mapped out distances, read countless posts on fodors etc. Still, I am confused where we should base ourselves. This is by and large because our profile is so dissimilar to most tourists who visit Tuscany. We are teetotalers, so there goes winery visits and Chianti craze; we are vegetarians, making our menu choices much more limited; and husband is a reluctant driver with even more reluctance to drive after dark.

So there it goes...

My husband and I are going to spend a week in Tuscany in end Oct/early Nov and wish to see the countryside and the several charming and famous towns. Focus is on relaxation, beautiful countryside, strolling in charming towns, visiting olive oil and cheese farms, eating good food (we are lacto-vegetarians with some tolerance for eggs as ingredients). Husband is not much into history, art and architecture.

Given a car affords more flexibility, we are going to hire one with automatic transmission from the Florence airport and move south. However, my husband is the only who would drive and he is extremely reluctant to drive too much (anything more than ~3-4 hours or so daily) and uncomfortable at the thought of driving after dark in countryside. Maybe it is the reputation of local drivers strengthened by the youtube videos and articles, or maybe it is because he is really not used to drive. Further, it is his first time in Italy. To him, our car having technical difficulty at 9 pm in the middle of countryside is high alert situation. To me, first of all I didn't even think of it happening. And if it does, it would be an adventure, and a story to tell for years to come! Anyway!

I was thinking it might be a good idea to split the week by staying right smack in the middle of a small town for 3 days and in the countryside for the rest. Potentially stay in San Gimignano for first 3 nights and do day trips to Volterra, Siena, Monteriggioni, etc and spend time in San Gimignano in the evenings when there are no more day-trippers left. Would give us option to walk around and have dinner without having to drive back late at night. For the latter part of the week, we could stay in a cottage / farm / villa in the countryside in Val d'orcia rather than within the walls of a town. But not too far from a nearby town, so that we can always drive over for dinner etc. It would be nice to stay where the owners live on site and dinners are offered. By the second half of the week, husband would feel more comfortable with the countryside driving so this should work out. We could visit Pienza, Montalcino, Montepulciano, etc.

Questions:

1. Is my line of thinking correct? Earlier, I wanted to rent a villa in a dreamy landscape in the countryside for a week and do day trips including nice dinners in different towns (and being part of passegiata) and going to nice farm restaurants specifically because of their acclaimed food. But maybe the modified approach could be more feasible practically given our constraints? How hard is it really to drive after dark, and locate addresses and drive down to restaurants in countryside specifically for dinner? Is it going to be unnerving rather than relaxing, this rent-a-car drive-in-tuscany week?

2. Any suggestions for specific towns / countryside for our home base as per approach above? I read that Pienza is a good idea because it is not too high up on a hill, and easily connected with main roads, making it easy to drive in and out? How about San Gimignano? Other towns?

3. Any pearls of wisdom on driving in tuscany? We have read up on road signs, driving rules, general Italy driving info online, etc.

Thanks for your patience if you made it till the end. And thanks in advance for understanding our predicament as newbie travelers and helping us.

It has been too many years since I stayed in Tuscany but we had a few nights just outside of San Gim and then moved to Umbria for the remaining nights,

I think you are right to be hesitant about driving distances, particularly at night. Tootling around slowly from village to village is easy but when pressure is on ( for what ever reason) to travel a long distance in Italy is not for the faint hearted. The freeways are awful, IMO. Maybe find a town to stay in with restaurants within walking distance or a short drive.

Road signs can be appalling, often just on the exit with no notice... Get a GPS which will at least tell you roughly where you are.

The secret is to set yourself very relaxed itineraries, don't try and do too much, see too much, you will be frazzled. Less is more.... Stop and really get to know a town/village rather than hurtling along, ticking them off as you go, they will just be a blur at the end of the holiday.

That's my tuppence worth I'm sure others will have their input.

We stayed just outside Montepulciano and loved it. It is a 5 min easy drive to town and a lovely property with a very helpful English speaking host.

http://www.santantonio.it

Don't worry about being teetotalers. You'd be surprised how many Italians drink little or nothing. (My Italian husband, for instance.) For example, a week ago, we had lunch at a well-known restaurant with four Italian friends. Only one of the six of us wanted any wine at all, and he (because he was driving) had only about half a glass. Waiters won't look down their noses at you because you don't drink.

We've had a number of very pleasant times in Tuscany without any wine at all.

Avoiding meat is actually probably harder in Tuscany than skipping the wine. The Tuscan cuisine is rather heavy on the meat. However, there are lots of vegetarians in Italy, and most restaurants will be able to accommodate you. In late October and early November, you should be able find many dishes based on mushrooms and even truffles. Just be sure to say that you're vegetarian when ordering, because some things based on mushrooms or truffles may also have some meat in them. If you order a first course based on pasta with a vegetable or mushroom sauce, you can get a vegetable contorno instead of the second course, which is, almost by definition, based on meat.

There are also many pizza toppings which have no meat in them.

The prettiest scenery in Tuscany is around Pienza and Montepuliciano or Montalcino (the last is my favorite). Not around San Gimignano.

Have you considered renting an apartment? That would solve a lot of the problems of food and not driving at night. Some apartments are in town or at the edges of towns, at the walls, with beautiful views. Other apartments are on farms. and sometimes the farms have restaurants too so you can eat there if you don't want to make your own dinner. Not much goes on in any small Tuscan town at night, so while it can be nice to walk around after dark once or twice, everything is shut down except restaurants.

In whatever part of Tuscany you go there are more intereseting towns than anybody has time to see in a week. Plus cheese farms and olive oil farms. If your husband is not interested in architecture and history, I am not sure it makes sense to move to two different locations. If you don't see some particular town like Pienza or Volterra or San Gimignano, which are tourist attractions because of their architecture and history, I don't think it will be very important in terms of your trip. Maybe it's best to go to where there is the nicest scenery, and then just visit the towns closest to where you are staying. You won't run out of them, and sometimes the less famous ones are more charming than the famous ones just because they don't get as many tourists.

Driving around Tuscany is really pretty easy, and beautiful. I also suggest you just pick a pretty spot and stay the week. Montalcino is lovely. So is Pienza. See what you can find in terms of an agritourismo or a "villa" rental.

Hello thought I wld you let you know what your wanting is so much like what I'm looking for. I am a single Sr. lady traveling with three other single Sr. ladies. We are really hoping for several days at a villa and planning to rent a car somewhere outside of Florence. No one in our group is really that interested in a lot of sculptures, churches, architecture etc. Just trying to figure out where to stay and enjoy the beauty of Italy. Unlike you we would have a glass of wine while enjoying a view of the beautiful Tuscan hills in the evening. I am the DD designated dummy trying to make plans while keeping three other ladies happy so will be following your post closely.

Thanks to each of you for responding. Will pay heed to the advice.

Wrt meatless food, I guess I'd use my usual sentence in broken Italian - noi siamo vegetariani, no pollo no pesce no carne. Piatti vegetariani per fevore...? Should be able to find something or the other at each restaurant. But I just wish we didn't have to be relegated to choosing from 2-3 options but the constraint is ours, so no complaints.

We are thinking of splitting our stay and base ourselves around San Gimignano or possibly Siena only because we wish to explore San Gimignano, Siena, Monteriggioni, etc and thought it would save us driving much at night. We wish to move towards Val d'Orcia after 3 days or so.

I guess it comes down to either:

1. Stay near or inside Siena / San Gimignano for first 3 days
2. Stay near or inside Pienza / Montalcino / Montepulciano

Staying in a town helps us return to our base in a reasonable time in the evening. But yah, if nothing much happens in the towns post-dinner, maybe it's not going to be very interesting. I was hoping for people watching in the passeggiata...maybe of far lesser scale than the buzz in Rome or Florence, but certainly something like what I experienced in Ravello. The locals were hanging out with families and friends and chatting up with people they were bumping into and kids were running amok in the main piazza next to the duomo. It was nice to walk around and also just sit by.

Can somebody throw light on post dinner buzz in towns such as San Gimignano, Siena, Pienza, Montalcino, Montepulciano? Especially in end Oct / early Nov?

Similarly, what would be the earliest time the dinner service would start in these towns at good restaurants, and not necessarily the ones in the main piazza or near tourist traps? Can we reasonably finish dinner by 8:30/9 pm and stroll for half an hour or so and make our way back by 9:30 pm or so? Or is this unrealistic?

All those towns are pretty quiet from dinner on and at that time of year, it will be getting cold.

Some of the towns you are talking about, I've found quite deserted even in August and September (and even during the day). Especially by eight at night there isn't much happening. You really won't find anything going on unless there is a weekend festival. Of the ones you've listed, I've stayed in San G, Siena (multiple times) and Pienza. I've stayed outside of Montalcino also. In my experience, any strolling takes place earlier in the night (before dinner), but can't say I noticed it in any of those towns. I was surprised how early at night Siena seemed deserted.

Orvieto does have quite a few people get out (once again before dinner) for passeggiata.

I think you might find San G boring for a 3 night stay in winter.

Thanks for your comment. Seems like we might be better off staying in the countryside but close to a town for easy drive for dinner and back. If we can have early dinners, that is.

Any idea on general dinner timings in these towns and when do they open for dinner? I'm assuming these restaurants are not like the all-day-dining concepts found in many US restaurants.

Driving from small town to small town is not problematic.
We were in Tuscany 2 months ago, and the difficulty we had it driving was getting up to each of the small towns and parking the car.
Each town is on the top of a hill, and some of the roads do become narrow the further up you get. I would not want to be driving up or down when it is dark.

DON'T DRIVE in Florence! Frustrating. Hire a taxi, walk around and hire a taxi back out. Do bring money for beautiful leather goods-they are plentiful and beautiful!

There are so many little and beautiful towns to stay in. One of our favorites was Orbitello which is right on the coast. The people were so kind and plenty spoke English. We particularly enjoyed Arrezo with a beautiful town square and the antiques market on the last Saturday of the month will blow your mind.

The true Tuscan meal is earthy and more of a peasant meal with simple ingredients. We found plenty to of variety, rich in flavor with cheeses, breads, pastas, salads, fruits and cappucinos.

We stayed in Air B&B's and agritourismo and had a wonderful time getting to know the Italians- we love them!

Restaurants were generally open 12-12;30 to 2-2:30 for lunch and then reopen at 7:30 for dinner.

Providing you don't want to rush around seeing multiple towns in a day, it is not essential to hire a car in Tuscany. We have been several times, always using local transport. While a car gives you greater flexibility, don't assume that you must have one. For example, the bus between Montepulciano and Pienza is about 20 minutes, from memory. Can't recall how frequently they run but check here http://www.tiemmespa.it/ I find not having a car much more relaxing.

I think it's a real treat to be able to walk out to dinner and meander home so prefer to stay in a village/town. But that's personal choice.

I second Orbetello as a great place to stay but perhaps not for those for whom this is their first experience of Tuscany. also part of the pleasure of being there is being able to swim in the lagoon which probably wouldn't be an option at the end of October/beg November.

As for town or countryside, I completely disagree with those who suggest you stay in the country. With what you are looking for, you need a choice of restaurants and not to need to drive at night. Also, my experience of Italian towns is that they may go to sleep between about 3 and 6, they wake up again then and are quite lively in the early evening, which is when you'd be likely to be wandering around looking for a restaurant, doing a bit of shopping etc.

So I would suggest staying in a couple of places; Siena and one other would be my choice for you because of the range of restaurants there.

Orbetello is not central to anything the OP wants to visit.

>>>Each town is on the top of a hill, and some of the roads do become narrow the further up you get.<<<

Pienza isn't really at the top of a hill (at least not a steep one that is difficult to navigate) and has easy parking. Pienza is pretty flat (not so for Montepulciano or Montalcino). I always find street parking there, but then I'm familiar with the town. There is a paid lot across the street from the historic area. Keep in mind that a town like Pienza is tiny and you can walk end-to-end in 5 minutes. Montalcino and Montepulciano are larger so maybe a 10 minute walk across (depending on whether you are going up or downhill).

If you stay in Siena for part of your stay, you can select somewhere in the center that has parking and do day trips. Montalcino is easily visited from Siena as are San G and Monteriggioni. Volterra would be a bit further.

I think you will be surprised how quiet these towns are especially that time of year. For that reason, I would pick Siena as one base (easy access to a variety of places to eat and possible after dinner activities) and Montepulciano for the other stay(a bit more going on than the other towns in the area).

>>>Restaurants were generally open 12-12;30 to 2-2:30 for lunch and then reopen at 7:30 for dinner.<<<

I agree with Jamikins about the general meal time openings. I do know Pienza and Montalcino have a place or two open continually, but that may only be in busier seasons. In Montalcino, Enoteca Osticcio is open 11-11 and has fabulous views. For dinner, it will be dark around 5 so views wouldn't be important.

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...6a&oe=586D9337

In Pienza, La Buca di Enea has been open all day. Neither place I listed are really full service restaurants so might not be the experience you want for meals.

<i>My husband and I are going to spend a week in Tuscany in end Oct/early Nov </i>

If your stay includes November 1, which is All Saints Day, you might want to do a little research on what to expect. It has been some years since we were in Tuscany at that time, but we found things (traffic, parking, restaurants) busier than we expected. We also had trouble finding a place to stay, but we were booking accommodations on the fly (we were around Cortona on the holiday). That year, November 1 fell on a Friday, so perhaps the long weekend may have contributed to the crowds--but not sure.

Why not base yourself in Florence and take a bus tour of some of the hilltowns?

In winter, I think Florence will be much livelier in the evenings. And if the weather doesn't cooperate on a specific day, you can tuck into a museum instead of venturing into the countryside.

I think people are underestimating the weather in November. It can get too cold in the hills to enjoy an evening stroll.

We have spent two New Years week in montepulciano and with winter jackets we were fine. Chilly should be expected.

Wow this is a lot to absorb! On one hand, staying in towns gives more dining options and something to witness in the evening. Countryside after dark is not much to experience. But I really thought countryside living will be a 'real' way of experiencing Tuscan life. Maybe not?

We are going to spend ~3 days in Florence as well. I thought given we have a week to spend beyond Florence, it was a good idea to rent a car and stay in smaller towns. Is my line of thinking not applicable in the season we are going there in?

Tuscan life I the countryside is probably like in a lot if places : Shutdown with people living indoors with family. Better to be in cities. Even San gimignano was boring at 9 pm ...

I don't see what is difficult with driving I Italy. I drove a big car (small bus actually) in Tuscany and it was perfectly doable. I did drive in the dark since days are short in October/ November.
Just drink a good glass of wine to put you at ease ;-)

We are going to spend ~3 days in Florence as well. I thought given we have a week to spend beyond Florence, it was a good idea to rent a car and stay in smaller towns. Is my line of thinking not applicable in the season we are going there in?>>

rtwin - this is exactly the sort of trip that we enjoy. I can't see that you'll have any real problems with cold weather at the end of October/beg of November; we had a week in Florence about 10 years ago in the last week of October [I know it was then as it was the UK schools Autumn half term which always falls then] and it was warm enough to eat outside most evenings though you might need a cardigan after the sun goes down.

3 days in Florence followed by a week divided between two other small cities/large towns would be a perfect combination. Agriturismi are all very well, but they can be quite isolated especially at night and if you don't want to drive in the dark you are stuck. I would pick Siena [where there is loads to see anyway plus enough people around at night to make it interesting] and another place. Actually, thinking about it Orbetello might not be that bad a choice; there are many interesting places to visit like Porto Ercole, Saturnia [for the hot pools] Pitigliano, which is a bit like Orvieto but less touristy, and en route, the stunning Massa Maritima which is another little visited but beautiful hill town.

I should add that I have a friend who stayed in San Gim for a week and loved it, so that might be another option [it's mad during the day, but very nice at night, apparently]

Are you flying into and out of Florence? if so, Fodor's wisdom would suggest that you should put your stay in Florence last and your furthest destination first, so that you work your way back towards the place which is closest to the airport. If you did want to include Orbetello, it would make a good first stop as it might then still be warm enough for swimming, particularly in the lagoon. you could then work your way back to Siena, drop the car off there, and get the bus or train to Florence.

annhig, we are flying into Florence from Paris by the evening flight and planning to stay in Florence for couple of days before making our way to the countryside. Then return on 5 Nov and have a relaxed evening, dinner, some shopping and next day morning fly back to US. We too wanted to leave Florence for the last, but we are arriving so late that we won't be renting a car at night. Hotels near the Florence airport are pretty dismal, plus would end up costing the same as city center, including the fixed cab charges 25E. Rather than staying in the city center for one night and making our way in the morning to the airport for picking up a rental car, we thought we might as well spend couple of days and then head out towards the countryside. We intend to leave majority of our luggage with our Florence hotel so that we can come back and stay at the same hotel on 5 Nov and check out for the airport from there. Do you have a better idea? Please suggest. I am not happy with this sequence either.

I would never go to a seaside town in Tuscany in late October or November. The chances are that you will get more rain there than you would inland. Besides, these are mainly beach towns that are only lively in summertime.

It is not winter in Tuscany in Oct or Nov. Winter starts Dec 21. If it is windy at night it will be unpleasantly cold. Otherwise, it should be brisk but nice weather.

Evening strolls happen before dinner, even in the countryside, where you will often see couples walking alogn the road. The point is to get some exercise and work up an appetite. So the people watching time in a town or city like Siena is between 5 & 7pm.

If you enjoy relaxing by the fire in the evenings with a glass of wine and having a meal that starts at 8pm and afterwards, you just walk across the garden to go to bed, and you have the company of other visitors and farmers, then being in the countryside, on a farm, in Tuscany in autumn is full of wonderful smells and activity.

Even though I wouldn't switch hotels twice, I think you have a nice plan to spend a week in small-town, rural Tuscany. Since you don't want to stress out driving, it makes sense for you to pick two places to stay. Because of the possibility of night chill, most Italians are not going to be outside much after dark. That is even true in Siena. (In Florence, there are outdoor heaters in the cafe). So think about whether you might find it cosy to be on a farm with the farmers. Or in a small town like Pienza (with other tourists!) Since you have 2 stays, you could try both.

But you've identified the places you are interested and they are good choices. They don't need to be chagned, in my opinon.

rtwin - I can see your dilemma. it's difficult to plan when you have a late flight in and an early flight out. Probably the plan you have is the best one - a couple of days in Florence then heading out, and coming back for a night before you flight out.

frencharmoire - your experience of the weather in Tuscany at the end of October must be different from mine. OK it might rain, but if it's warm, I can't see any need for outdoor heaters in the cafes, and IME both Florence and Siena are buzzing all day and night long.

IME if you want some life and atmosphere in the evening the place to be is in a city or town; you might be lucky in an agriturismo but OTOH you might not and it could be a quite isolated [and isolating] experience once it's dark and you've only the cows/sheep/pigs for company.

annhig, yes probably it's for the best. Serendipitously, it also marks our arrival in the countryside on Saturday when many owners prefer to start the renting cycle (most state this rule for bookings until October, on their websites). Hopefully our second half booking which would be mid-week won't be a problem as it falls in Nov.

I'm getting such conflicting reports on whether the Tuscan towns (barring Florence) would have any buzz going on post 9/9:30 pm during our stay, it's hard to decide town vs countryside stay. I don't want to feel isolated. I do want interaction with the locals, some overlap with their lives.

I don't live in Tuscany, but in Le Marche, just east of Tuscany, in a small hill town. The culture is similar.

Here, you won't see many people out strolling before dinner. They may be cooking dinner, or rushing to the grocery to pick up the makings of dinner, or rushing home from work to eat dinner. Teenagers often "hang out" in the late afternoon in the center of town, and the elderly, especially the men, may be killing time at the bar.

I don't know anyone who goes out for a stroll to work up an appetite. Most of us have more appetite than is good for us. Some people go out for a stroll after a heavy meal, often on a Sunday, to work off some calories. A lot of us, especially if we're retired, go for a brisk walk, or a run, for exercise, but more often in the early morning than in the afternoon or evening.

In the evening, except in the summer,you mighti see a fair number of people in the streets only if something's going on: a concert, a theatre production, courses at the adult school, or things of that nature. Teenagers hang out after dinner, and buzz around town on their motor scooters.

Someone has already mentioned All Saints, the first of November, which is a national holiday. Many towns now have some sort of Halloween festival, often several days long in the days leading up to All Saints. This will animate the streets. There are also other fall festivals, especially at the weekend. Here is a list of some of them.

https://www.discovertuscany.com/tusc...n-tuscany.html

Also, November 2nd is the traditional day for visiting the cemeteries. Many people come from a distance to visit their family tombs. This means family get-togethers, meals out with old friends, and in general, a little more life in town.

As a very general matter, IMHO, at that time of year, staying in cities can be better, because if the weather is not good, there are more indoor activities to do, to get out of the cold or wet.

I have only been in San Gimignano earlier in October, or in May. At those times of year, the main square was lively in the evening, and it was very pleasant to sit at a cafe and people-watch with a glass of wine or cup of coffee. We liked to stay in the town because in the evening and morning, the day-trip visitors were not there. And San Gimignano has a good number of quite-good restaurants.

You've seen the great variety of opinions on driving in Tuscany, at night or otherwise. I'm one who doesn't mind the driving at all; our long-standing routine is that I drive (manual), and DH navigates. Driving at night is more difficult for me, because my night vision is not great, and because I do like to have some wine with dinner. I think the signage on small roads in Tuscany is far better than a similar-sized rural road in the U.S.

But the bottom line on driving is that if you will not be driving at all, and your husband gets stressed driving at night in a strange location, then why do that do yourselves? Stay in two different smaller cities / larger towns where you have a variety of restaurants and can walk around before or after dinner, and your husband can save himself the brain damage.

>>>Serendipitously, it also marks our arrival in the countryside on Saturday when many owners prefer to start the renting cycle (most state this rule for bookings until October, on their websites).<<<

I haven't found that to be the case except in high season.

Couple of points:

I've sat under heaters in late October and November in Florence, having cocktails. I was referring to when the sun goes down, which it does fairly early.

May I do just a bit of an eye-roll about whether walking "for exercise" never could possily mean "walking to work up an appetite" for many Italians? I confess I've not talked to every blessed one of them, but I hope to get around to it, somedays.) In the countryside, in rural areas, nobody is going window shopping or doing significant people watching, that's for sure. Whatever spirit is moving them, they are doing it *before* the dinner hour, not after.

If your husband has not driven in the dark in the Italian countryside and therefore is not worrying due to personal bad experiences, you are likely to be pleasantly surprised that it is much easier than either of you are imagining. Just like there are not a lot of people on the streets after dinner, there are very few vehicles on the road. If one is coming, you can see it from a very long distance away. Lights up everything! But if your husband has night vision problems, or whatever -- Tuscany has oodles of options: cities, towns, villages, borghi, castles and farms with restaurants. Have a blast!

We rented a farmhouse just outside Montepulciano for one week and made day trips from it.

http://www.capannedisopra.it/2011/EN/listino.htm

We considered it a perfect location and a dreamy place. Driving in the Italian countryside is not stressful but we never drove after dark.

I would spend 7-10 days at least in Florence, rent an apartment right in the center of town(last year we were two blocks from the Duomo and it was great).
From there, you could explore the town at leisure as well as plan easy day trips to many different towns. Trains and buses run fairly frequently and could do a trip to Siena and catch the latest bus, while spending a good full day there.
Wine tours, bike rentals etc. etc.

if we are going to stay for few days within a town or near a town, another consideration is to have enough shops and open markets in that town from where we can get varieties of fresh pasta, vegetables, bread, cheese and pantry staples so we can cook in our apartment. Too small a town and maybe not enough interesting shops? Wrong assumption? Any particular Tuscan towns specifically known for their gourmet shops and amazing farmers' markets, etc? I know there are bound to be many in every town as this is Italy we are talking about. But still if any particular ones win your vote?

After asking lot of queries on Fodors amidst cancelled trips and last minute panic, glad to finally declare we are leaving for our trip tomo! I would never feel fully prepared for a trip, and this is definitely a last-minute one. But I take adeep breath among lot of last minute running around, and tell myself it would be a beautiful trip simply because I am going there with my husband, and because I am going to be in Europe :)

Frencharmoire: <i> May I do just a bit of an eye-roll about whether walking "for exercise" never could possily mean "walking to work up an appetite" for many Italians? </i>

You can roll your eyes all day. I've been living in Italy for 18 years and have never heard of anyone walking to work up an appetite. My husband has lived in Italy all his life, and he's never heard of it either.

I never said no one ever did it, but, believe me, it's not a custom here. No one needs to work up an appetite, except maybe some convalescents and elderly people in the nursing homes; most of these people aren't really fit for walking.

Why do you think they sell so many appetite suppressants in the pharmacy? A number of times I've dined with groups of people who suggested a walk after dinner to "help them digest it", which really means they're hoping to work off some of the calories.

buon viaggio rtwin.

Have a wonderful trip and do come back and tell us how it went.