How much does travelling to Tuscany cost?

Hello friends,

Today I have prepared an article to help you work out the cost of a trip to Tuscany.

Currency and Exchange rate
All those readers of this weblog who are not Europeans have to know that in Tuscany the currency is the Euro, whose present exchange rate for USD is not favourable as it is 1 Euro = 1,50 USD. Anyway as exchange rates are variable I recommend that you visit this page in Yahoo to know the exact rate of exchange.

Restaurants
Dining in a restaurant is about �25-30, although prices can lower substantially depending on whether you drink wine or not. Eating at a pizzeria can turn out somewhat cheaper as cost ranges from �20-25.

Bars
A coffee is about �1 and full breakfast is about �5. Bars and pizzerias are the places where it is possible to have lunch for about less than �6.

Public means of transport
A bus ticket tends to cost about �1 and a train ticket Rome-Florence (3 hours of train journey) tends to cost �30 depending on the type of train. Important: tickets cannot be purchased on buses or trains but in the tobacconist�s or in some specific places devoted to selling them and then have to be validated on the bus or, in the case of the train, in the yellow machines that there are on the platforms.

Getting on a train without a ticket may cost dearly� therefore, watch out�

Lastly, taxis are generally extremely expensive. There are a few and they have to be phoned, therefore you should avoid them as a journey of about 10 minutes can cost you about �20.

Sleeping- Hotels
The offer of Hotels in Italy in general is quite old and hotels tend to be of low quality, mainly, in cities where the strong measures to keep the artistic heritage prevent important restructuring.
A 3-star hotel in low season in the centre of Florence can easily cost about �120 per double room/night. If you can enjoy a trip of several days or have a car, I recommend that you stay at a country hotel in the surroundings of cities where it is possible to find accommodation of excellent quality at lower prices.

Parking
All towns are very ancient are were founded when there were no cars, therefore they are not equipped with parking area and more often than not it is hard to find it.
Street parking, in the Blue Area, tend to cost around �1.50 an hour (depending on the town you are staying), while private parking generally costs about �2 an hour.

Certainly, I hope you might find this information useful in preparing your trip,


Best regards,

Giovanni

Il Bacco Felice and its incredible Oste (Foligno, Umbria)

Dear Readers,

Today I am going to tell you about another place that you cannot leave out at all in a visit to Umbria (region situated next to Tuscany). What I have in mind is the osteria �Il Bacco Felice� in the enchanting town of Foligno , a few kilometres from the capital, Perugia.

Salvatore, the owner, soul and heart of this restaurant, is quite a character who passionately devotes himself to his work and prepares by hand most of the dishes that can be eaten in his spectacular eatery. As in all best restaurants Salvatore has no fixed menu but he keeps changing it daily depending on the seasonal products he has managed to get. What is a certain in his cuisine, and you have to savour inevitably, is the exquisite ham made from pork that Salvatore breeds in his farm.

Salvatore is also a wine worshipper and you will always see him walking around his restaurant with a glass of wine in his hand. I think Salvatore easily drinks a bottle of wine a night.

Besides Salvatore is a really singular character, of great charisma and personality, that will certainly come to your table to chat...but watch out!! do not refuse to try any of his dishes, otherwise Il Bacco Felice will stop smiling at you.

Il Bacco Felice is a small Osteria, therefore I recommend that you book, especially if you want to dine in this place full of happiness and good food at the weekend.

Besides this osteria, Foligno is an enchanting town deserving a visit where it is also possible to go shopping as there are loads of clothes shops.

Dear friends for more information about this restaurant you should not leave out in a trip to Umbria and Tuscany, visit Salvatore�s web, which is as colourful as he is: www.ilbaccofelice.it


Best regards,

Giovanni