Family advice
This gallery contains 27 photos.
My nephew’s girlfriend and her sister are planning a trip to Tuscany in September. We have been asked for some advice on where to stay and what to do in and around Tuscany. It sounds as if the girls are looking for an authentic experience so rather than staying in hotels they are keen to […]
Out and about in the village
There are a number of notable buildings in and around Aspley Guise. One worth mentioning is “The Rookery”. Although it is now a private home, during World War 2 this secluded Victorian mansion was the home of Australian Dennis Delmer. He was involved in “black ops” which included broadcasting radio propaganda and programmes to Germany which, among other things, suggested that Hitler had Jewish ancestry.
In fact there was much covert activity in and around Aspley Guise during the war with Bletchley Park, the home of the World War 2 Enigma code crackers, only a few minutes down the road.
Another notable house in the area is Aspley House. This is a splendid property set in grounds near the entrance to the village. It was built around 1650 and remains the largest house in the village.
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- Aspley House – what more is there to say
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- The Rookery in Aspley Guise
Our place – Aspley Guise
This gallery contains 6 photos.
Today the sun came out. The all-pervading greyness of the last week vanished and the world suddenly became a warmer, friendlier place. Well, friendlier anyway. I grabbed my trusty Nikon and made the short walk to Aspley Guise.
The “meant to be” dress – a modern fairytale concludes
This gallery contains 5 photos.
The pretty girl visited the shop run by the wicked shopkeeper and discovered that the wicked shopkeeper was, in fact, her fairy godmother and had many, many magically beautiful dresses. So many in fact that the pretty girl couldn’t decide which one she wanted. She tried on many dresses, but no matter how many she […]
Amalfi, Ravello and dinner
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On Sunday we took our visitors to Amalfi and Ravello. This a drive of only 25kms from Positano but it takes the best part of 50 minutes given the narrow winding road along the coast. You pass through picturesque villages along the way but at each one the road twists between buildings and it can, […]
Tuscany in three and a half days – day two
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When thinking about where to take Isabel and Charlie, we decided to focus on the smaller places. They had already spent some time in Florence before arriving at our place and we felt that most people equated Tuscany with rural scenes and small hilltop villages. And we know hilltop villages. Day two would include two […]
Tuscany in three and a half days
Arch in Monteriggioni overlooking Tuscan countryside
Gentle readers, you may have noticed a brief pause in posts to toscanakiwi. We have had visitors from home staying at our place and have taken the last few days to show them some of Tuscany.
We have revisited some places we went with others and explored some places that are new. Old favourites like San Gimignano have impressed and new places like Monteriggioni have surprised.
Autumn is an ideal time to sightsee as the days are still warm, but not too hot. In summer you sit in the shade at cafes avoiding the sun, but in Autumn you sit in the sun and savour the last of the good weather.
Pictures and stories of our travels will be added over the next few days.
A trip through the Chianti hills
Yesterday we went for a drive to Castellina in Chianti. We have been there a number of times, both with others and by ourselves over the last few months, but this time we abandoned the autostrade for the backroads.
The trip from Siena to Castellina is a winding road through the lower slopes of the Chianti hills which then climbs up towards Castellina.
Everywhere you look there are classic Italian scences – even when you take a break to let Daisy the dog have a comfort stop. “Good girl Daisy” and you turn around and this is the view.
Answers to questions
Never let it be said that Toscanakiwi doesn’t respond to it’s readers comments. The recent post about our day at the beach raised a number of questions.
Here, we answer them.
That Ferrari
I didn’t have a photograph of the Ferrari yesterday but “Tina of Texas” wanted to see the car. Today I wandered up the road to take a shot and, being Italy, the car was still there. In fact it hadn’t moved an inch.
What you can’t see from the photo is the steepness of the drive the car is parked on. Clearly the car’s owner doesn’t trust the handbrake and has used what I assume is a Ferrari aftermarket accessory to ensure the car stays put.
Obviously it must be a Ferrari branded brick although I couldn’t get close enough to confirm this.
The turntable
The turntable is covered in a very stylish faux grass finish. Not really sure the logic of this but I guess it’s an Italian thing.
The beach
Geoffman asked about the makeup of the beach. Asienzo beach is mostly a pebble beach. There is a small area of sand but from where we were it was a stony walk to the water.
Also the stones were incredibly hot so part of the entertainment was watching people do a funny little dance when a stone or two worked it’s way into their shoes or sandals. From experience I can say – ouch.
Breakfast
Those of you who have stayed at Eden Roc Hotel will know Tony and the experience of breakfast. When we were staying in the hotel, we would stumble down to breakast – usually late – and be met by Tony’s smiling greeting across the restaurant and cups of his famous Cappuccino.
I am not a coffee drinker except for Eden Roc and only because of Tony. My record is 3 cups by which time I was bouncing off the walls.
When we booked the villa we were told we would have full use of all the hotel facilities – including the ability to pop down for breakfast. While this has proved to be the case we were a little nervous as we wandered down the road to the hotel the first morning.
We needn’t have worried. When we arrived Tony was nowhere to be seen but within a minute we heard his traditional greeting “good morning sir and lady” across the restaurant and he arrived at our table with two cups of his famous cappuccino.
He then proceeded to ply us with croissants (the last two kept just for us), watermelon (fresh from the Eden Roc garden), toast (toasted both sides – past guests please note) and slices of breakfast pizza/quiche all prepared especially for us.
We don’t normally eat breakfast so working through the mountain of food that arrived required concentration and complete disregard for the effect on our waistlines.
Girls out and about in Positano
Today the girls got their first taste of Positano with a walk from our villa to Eden Roc Hotel and back.
The stop at the hotel was an excellent chance for a drink and to catch up with Carlo who manages the bar and restaurant. As always he had some great tips for places to eat in and around Positano although tomorrow evening we will be enjoying his hospitality with dinner on the terrace overlooking the bay.
On the way back to the villa Jean and the girls posed for the classic Positano photo.
White Roads
This was a phrase we had not heard before we started motoring around Tuscany. While it sounds quite exotic, it is simply the local name for dirt roads.
In Tuscany there are quite a few.
On a map you will see many roads criss-crossing Tuscany and the distance between places seems small by New Zealand standards. It’s only when you drive that you realise what sort of road it is and the trip time changes accordingly.
Clean me - please.
The road to the cottage is a white road 3kms long. As you can see by the back of the mighty Peugeot (which is a black car, honestly) in summer the roads can get quite dusty. Today, in honour of it’s impending trip to Positano, the Pug is getting it’s first serious clean.
I’ve even bought a sponge and some carwash from the local supermercato.
I’ll just wait until the temperature outside drops below 30 degrees before I start. Ah, that gives me time for a beer.
Visiting Buonconvento and other things
In the last few days summer has really arrived in Tuscany. Temperatures have been around 30 degrees and the pace of life has slowed accordingly. Today we spent the middle of the day beside the pool and only when the temperature had dropped in the early evening did we venture out.
Jean and the girls at a cafe in Buonconvento
About 15 minutes down the road is the town of Buonconvento, a delightful place with an old town centre that has been developed over the years. We stayed in a villa only a couple of minutes from the town in 2004 and remember the town as utilitarian at best. Now it is a thriving tourist and artistic centre and definitely worth visiting if you are in the area.
The trip there and back is through farmland much of which is now planted in Sunflowers which are starting to bloom. When our visitors arrive in mid July, they should be looking great.
The girls
When we arrived back at the cottage the daily display that is the sunset was well underway. Although a camera can never do justice to this spectacle, here’s my best attempt.
Sunset over Siena - June 28
Our photo album
Jean and I have taken hundreds of photographs over the last few months. We’ve put a selection of them into an album on our MobileMe site.
There are some shots we have used in the blog but a lot of new ones. Follow the link and have a look.
We’ve got mail
One thing we pondered when we arrived at Casavacanza Vesta was whether letters, packages or parcels from home could find us. While almost all of our correspondence is by email or text, we thought there may be the need for good old fashioned postage. You know, documents that need signing, letters that need reading and packages that need opening. Could the Italian postal system work it’s magic and deliver mail to our door?
We have mail.
Jean’s Mum helped us out by mailing a test letter a fortnight ago and the good news is it arrived yesterday – lovingly delivered by Mrs Patritzia. She seemed a little surprised to be the final link in the Poste Italian supply chain as I suspect we were the first guests in Casavacanza history to get mail.
So, gentle reader, let’s put Mrs Patrizia to work, feel free to write or, even better, send presents.
