Tales From Tuscany

It's about time I blogged properly about my Italian holiday as it's been over 2 months since we returned. How slack am I?

I know a few photos have featured in a Gallery post and some Silent Sunday posts (here, here and here) back in June but it definitely deserves it's own post as I want a record of it (also, I know a few of you have asked me about it).

Our accomodation

Having never been to Italy before I was so excited to go. I'd heard so much about it and how I'd fall in love with it.

I did.

We booked to stay on an agriturismo in the hills of Tuscany - about a 30-40 minute drive from Pisa airport - called Bramasole e Ginestra. We also booked one night in Pisa in the lovely 4 star Hotel Bologna near the centre for our last night.

View from the pool

It was perfect.

The accommodation was lovely and spacious, the owners were so amazingly friendly and helpful and the facilities were fab.  They had lots of animals which Mini Cheddar loved - dogs, cats, chickens, chicks, roosters, sheep, goats and donkeys which she got to feed every day. They had play equipment, a barn with toys and a big swimming pool. She also got to spend the day with a large group of Italian school children and they all made and baked their own bread in the outdoor oven.

Baking fresh bread

It was just so relaxing.

With the Italians

There were only 3 apartments at the farm. Not perfect for us as we do prefer our own space on holiday especially after the amazing family friendly villa we stayed in last year but we immediately hit it off with an American couple (who live in Germany).  They had a 2 girls - a 3 year old and a 14 month old - so we also spent some time with them as the kids loved playing together too.

Om nom nom

On our holiday we relaxed, we read, we slept, we ate (boy, did we eat!), we explored the area visiting the gorgeous city of Lucca. We also visited Florence and Pisa. We visited small villages in the hills and saw                                                 some truly beautiful places.

Lovely Lucca

But what have I taken from my holiday? What does Tuscany mean to me? What are my most treasured memories?






In no particular order:

• Tuscany is beautiful. Fact.
• Fireflies are truly stunning at night and looking across the valley from our apartment seeing the hills twinkling with them is something I'll never forget.
• It's fun catching fireflies and seeing them light up in your hands.
• The food in Italy is amazing. 
• I'll never be happy in an Italian restaurant in the UK again.
• Mini Cheddar can give a HUGE Italian pizza a run for it's money.
• The wine is also amazing. 
• Apart from when mixed with a few limoncellos and a large B52 and especially not the night before you are due to fly home.
• Hangovers and heat are not a good combination.  
• Nor are hangovers and flights.
• Having chicks and cats on the same farm isn't a good idea sometimes.
• My husband is a great chick rescuer.
• My iPhone translator app is rubbish up in the Tuscan hills. 
• Or maybe it's my rubbish Italian pronunciation.
• Italians are very friendly and welcoming - even when you struggle to speak to their language sometimes.
• I now want to learn to speak Italian as well as Spanish.
• Eating take out pizza al fresco at the farm with new friends is very relaxing.
• Mini Cheddar can actually live without watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for 10 nights.
• Il Tigli Restaurant in Colleoli serves amazing pizza and pasta (and wine).
• It is totally worth eating in a restaurant you love 3 times in 10 nights - even if it was a good 20 minute drive up some scary hillside roads.
• Italy isn't expensive like I was lead to believe.
• Italians love children.
• Roosters are very randy.
• Sheep love crisps. 

See, sheep do love crisps!

So, there you have it. I think it sums up our holiday perfectly. Here's to our next Italian adventure.

A presto!

The Gallery - 3 Word Gallery

That Tara over at Sticky Fingers has come up with a gem this week (not that she doesn't always, obviously).  She's pinching using the idea from Simon Mayo's radio show - he does a 3 Word Thursday where listeners give 3 words which sum up their day/week/life. That's it, just 3 words.  So Tara is having a 3 Word Wednesday today.

Simple for me.  Please don't hate me but my 3 words are:

Want Another Holiday

I know, I know... I've only been home a week!  I'm not a greedy person but I need to say it as it's how I'm feeling.

The only downside to going on holiday is coming home. Obviously I love seeing my family and friends but I always suffer badly with 'holiday blues' after a great trip abroad.

The thing is though, I'm not the only one with holiday blues.

Mini Cheddar keeps saying to us "Go back to Italy".  Here's why...

Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

How To Keep Your Kids Content & Calm When Travelling

Having blogged about a great child-friendly holiday already, I know that a lot of people out there can struggle travelling with the kids.

It comes from trying to keep them entertained in cars, at the airport, on flights and so on.  Last year when we went away Mini Cheddar was only 13 months old but fast forward just over a year and I felt a bit jittery about our recent holiday to Italy.  How was I going to keep a 2 year old entertained on the plane?

I wanted some new fun hand luggage for Mini Cheddar. I went out with the intention of purchasing something like a Trunki but they looked quite bulky for hand luggage (sadly we were travelling on a budget airline with limited space) when I saw them in the shop. Then I saw a product called the TrayKit.

It looked just what we needed - something small and practical.  I hadn't heard of it before so I did some research and found out the product had appeared on Dragons Den and secured the financial backing of Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden.  I was intrigued so I contacted them explaining that I was surprised I had never heard of the product and they very kindly sent me one for Mini Cheddar to trial on her holidays!

The TrayKit is designed to be a carry-on backpack which you can use by strapping it trays in trains and planes and you can also attach to the back of the front seat in the car.  It provides an extendable play surface with raised tray sides so the toys don't fall out on the floor.

I bought a couple of new books, a doodle pad, some new crayons and pencils and a couple of new cheap toys to keep Mini Cheddar entertained.  I added a few of her old favourites like Bobsie Rabbit and her Minnie Mouse sunglasses for when we arrived in the sunshine!

To use it as a backpack was a bit difficult for Mini Cheddar as she's only 2 (the TrayKit is recommended for 3+ years) but she was able to carry it with the handle on the top.  So I would say the backpack element would be more appropriate for slightly older children.  The size of it (27cm x 8cm x 34cm) is perfect for travelling but it holds a lot.

Once onboard the plane Mini Cheddar was eager to trial her new TrayKit and it was a great hit.  The fact the tray had sides meant her crayons and pencils didn't roll onto the floor which would have been a nightmare on the plane.  Unfortunately we didn't get to extend the tray on the plane as we flew with Ryanair and they aren't renowned for their leg room!

The toys and books in the TrayKit kept Mini Cheddar entertained the whole flight and she loved it.  We would heartily recommend this product to anyone who travels.  Even if you don't travel abroad it's great to use in the car (there is a strap included to attach to the seat in front) - we even used it in the car in Italy.  I should imagine it would be great on trains too.  We've also used it to take to other places where Mini Cheddar can use it on the floor.

You can purchase them for £26.97 from the Content & Calm website and I know they also stock them now in Sainsburys and Boots as I've seen them there since.

Finally a short clip of Mini Cheddar enjoying her TrayKit:

This is not a sponsored post.  

We were sent a TrayKit but all views, opinions, photographs and videos are entirely my own.

Silent Sunday #23

It's Bumpy!

Everyone in Italy loved Mini Cheddar.

She would get so much attention from waiters, from hotel staff, from general public - from everyone.

On our last full day we were in Pisa and had some lunch at a pizzeria right next to the leaning tower. Mini Cheddar caught the eye of one of the waiters so much so that, before we left, he ran to the market stall next door and bought her a little Pinocchio* keyring.

Mini Cheddar was delighted.

As she danced Pinocchio from her fingers on the walk back to the hotel she was in her buggy ready for an afternoon nap. My husband pushed her through the cobbled streets.

Later on, nap done with (for all of us!) we were ready to head back out.

"Where my Bumpy gone?"

"Where's what sweetie?" I said in reply to Mini Cheddars question.

"Find Bumpy please Mummy"

Cue confused looks between my husband and I until eventually it dawned on us.

As my husband had pushed the buggy with Mini Cheddar and a dancing Pinocchio through the cobbled streets of Pisa he'd said something...

"Ooooh it's bumpy" were the words from his mouth, trying to have a laugh with our daughter about the cobbles.

"Bumpy!" squealed Mini Cheddar as she continued to dance Pinocchio.

We still haven't the heart to tell her his name is actually Pinocchio so he's still called Bumpy and always will be.




*The Adventures of Pinocchio was written by Carlo Collodi (Lorenzini) from Tuscany, Italy.

Silent Sunday #22