Tuscany with Children

Hi, Everyone!

Today I want to discuss a Topic which many people have been writing to me about. Families are interested in traveling to Tuscany with their children, but never seem to make up their minds and get going because they consider it a destiny more suitable for adults. However, even though Tuscany offers the most varied activities, especially cultural ones for adults, it can also be a fun place for children as it�s a region which bustles with popular festivals and celebrations and with many points of interest for the little ones.

Most of the families who travel to Tuscany organize their holidays in a �democratic way�, trying to strike the perfect balance between the vast cultural offer and entertainment and fun for the little ones.

Most of the rural houses, villas and hotels in the region have a swimming pool and, therefore, on many occasions the whole morning or part of the day is spent in visiting the area, while a couple of hours in the afternoon are allowed for enjoying a refreshing bath in the pool, a true gift for all the family. Likewise, the fields and gardens surrounding the accommodation are ideal for children to have fun in a fantastic natural landscape.

Besides the cultural visits in the city, we can mention, for example, Pinocchio Park, a place which will awaken the curiosity and fascination of both kids and adults. The park is located in Collodi, 10 km away from the famous Montecatini Terme, 15 km away from Lucca and 32 km away from Pisa.

The fantastic Parco di Pinnochio was built in the town where the author of the story, Carlo Lorenzini (better known as Carlo Collodi) spent his early childhood. The park is not the typical fun fair, but a suggestive and fantastic trip through the famous story by means of the most varied works of different artists, who express, in their own language, the most personal vision of this classic story.

From March 1 to October 31 the park offers the most varied activities both for kids and adults� entertainment: puppet shows, story telling, magic, pictures taken in Gepetto�s workshop as well as a wonderful exhibition of the attractions of the time, which have been carefully restored with artisan precision.

The excursion to this beautiful park and the visit to the neighboring towns can provide a perfect opportunity for plunging into the world of fantasy we have so many times enjoyed thanks to this famous wooden toy.

Besides this proposal, in Pistoia we can find one of the best zoos in the region, famous for being a center devoted to the conservation of the lynx and the Apennine wolf.

For those traveling to Florence �Il parco delle Cascine� is one of the main parks in the city, which is full of families with children during the week end and happens to be the true lung of Florence.

To obtain updated information about traveling funfair attractions and shows for children you should consult the newspaper La Nazione or the information section on Tuscany of La Republica paper, as they have the most complete information as regards these kinds of proposals.

I�m sure that surrounded by such a wonderful landscape like that of Tuscany, ideal for any sport or outdoor activity, and with the wide variety of options the region offers, there won�t be single child who will not enjoy his Tuscan holidays to the utmost!

I hope this information has been useful for the moms and dads that follow us!

Regards,

Beatriz.

Piancastagnaio and el Amiata and a meal at Saxa Cuntaria

Last Saturday I decided to pay a visit to my friend Marco and to go to one of the regions in Tuscany I hadn�t visited yet, i.e. Piancastagnaio.

Piancastagnaio is located at 800 meters high and it dominates the Valdorcia, the Rocca di Radicofani and the old Via Francigena, which used to join Rome with France. Piancastagnaio, as all the towns which appeared near the Francigena, is a town with an interesting historical, cultural and artistic patrimony. The town has a boundary wall and it still preserves its medieval buildings, its noble palaces and its narrow roads, which wind among small squares and viewpoints that look out on three regions: Umbria, Lazio and Abruzzo.

The town is also famous in Italy for its mercury mines and for a statue at the entrance of the wall, which is a reminder of the fact that the whole town lived on mining.

For ski lovers, the pistes are just a few kilometers away as the station of Mount Amiata (the highest peak in Tuscany) is just a few minutes� away by car.

Marco, native of that town, resolved that to fight off the cold this season he had to eat well and he decided to take me out to the best restaurant in town.

The restaurant is called Saxa Cuntaria and it is certainly one of the restaurants where I have better eaten in the whole of Tuscany. The place is small, it�s got just a few tables, and it�s really intimate. The owner is a peculiar character who personally waits the tables and assists all customers.

As it was my first time at the restaurant I left Marco order my food and so we both ate the same, which I highly recommend, of course:

Starter: zuppa di farro alle castagne
Main course: taglaita con Lardo di Colonatta.


Both dishes are delicious; I specially recommend the main course which is a Chianina steak cooked in lard with a side order of superb black baked beans.

The restaurant has one of the best wine cellars I have ever tasted in Tuscany; it also offers many noble wines from other regions in Italy. For a change, Marco and I drank an excellent Sicilian wine.

The restaurant is a bit expensive, 45 euros per person, but the food and the wines are worthy it.

So, dear friends, as everything we recommend in this Blog, this place is also one of the sanctuaries of good Tuscan food. If you visit La Valdorcia or Mount Amiata, you can�t miss it!

I�m attaching a few pictures, as usual. On this opportunity, I�m including one of Marco, to whom I am dedicating the article.

Regards,

Giovanni.