Cost & Information:
When: 2010
Montisi, May 22 - May 29: Couples and Singles (One double room remaining, book now at a special discount!)
Trequanda, May 29 - June 5: Couples and Singles - We are very excited to be locating this week in a newly restored villa in Trequanda, five minutes from Montisi. You can read about the villa in this website: www.ifiordalisi.com. The restoration is in the furnishing phase now, so there are no interior shots on the site, but they are soon to come.
There are four double bedrooms, each with private bathroom (including your own clothes washer!), wifi access in the main living room, a gorgeous garden with pool and views, and the house is located on the village street. There is also a private one bedroom apartment connected to the main part of the house - first come, first served!
Cost and activities are the same as listed below for the villa in Montisi, though there is no ground floor bedroom.
We hope you'll join us for this special week!
Where:
Montisi and Trequanda, Italy. Located southeast of Siena, north of Montepulciano, not far from Sinalunga on your map. Day trips are possible to Florence, Cortona, Siena, Deruta for pottery, and other places of interest.
Accommodations and Cost for 2010:
First Floor in Montisi:
One bedroom with private bath, no steps, direct access door to the living room and a French door to the garden - $1700 per person, double occupancy
Second Floor in Montisi (8 bedrooms):
Four bedrooms, each with private bath - $1800 per person, double occupancy
Three larger bedrooms with private baths, overlooking garden and valley - $1900 per person, double occupancy. One with a private loggia/balcony (still available at a special discount).
There is another bedroom on the second floor with twin daybeds. If one of the other bedrooms shares their bathroom with this room, the cost for each person (4) would be $1600.
Please note: each bedroom has a queen-sized bed and bath (except for the twin daybed room). All bedrooms have ceiling fans.
What's Included:
This includes 7 nights in the villa, all breakfasts and lunches at the villa, three dinners, local wine, Art With Elizabeth, Pino’s Tour with van transportation, and our daily guidance and direction on where to go and what to do.
Cost Does Not Include:
Airfare, transportation from your airport to Montisi, day trips, lunch while you're on a daytrip or tour, ballooning, cooking classes, four dinners, car rental, trip insurance.
Payment Details:
A $400 per person deposit is required at the time of booking. The balance is due 90 days before the beginning of your week with us.
Cancellations: We know that sometimes life changes and events intervene in the planning of a trip, but plans do have to be made far in advance these days. We want to be as flexible as possible, but we have deposits and costs that will not change in the event of your cancellation with us. We strongly recommend that you purchase trip insurance.
Cancellations received 90 days or more before the beginning of your week with us will receive a refund of half of your deposit.
Cancellations received after the balance due date (90 days before the start of your week), will receive a refund of monies paid if a replacement can be found.
Food (the important stuff !):
Included are three terrific Tuscan dinners, local wine, and plenty of food in the kitchen for do-it-yourself breakfasts, lunches, and snacks whenever you're ready for them! Some nights you may choose to dine in local restaurants, or share a pizza with others at the villa.
Art with Elizabeth:
We will visit Liz Cochrane's studio in Montisi, and she will give us a few informal art lessons in the garden of the villa. She teaches all ages and levels of experience and is simply great fun, as well as being a very successful artist. www.elizabethcochrane.com.
She's also a terrific singer, and she and our tour guide Pino are the highlights of our Thursday night party, Under the Tuscan Stars.
Pino's Tour:
Included on Monday of each week is a fabulous tour with our friend, Pino Teresi. He will drive you through the countryside where " The English Patient" was filmed to a Vino Nobile winery and a copper artisan's workshop in Montepulciano, and to charming Pienza for a pecorino cheese tasting. Pino taught in an agricultural school for many years, grows his own vines, and is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the Italian land and culture.
Pino sings and plays the guitar for us at our Thursday night party - wait till you hear him sing those Italian love songs....and Elvis with an Italian accent.
Under the Tuscan Stars
Each week we have a buffet dinner party for our guests. We invite our friends from Montisi, expats nearby, and other travelers in the area to join us. Liz and Pino entertain with songs from all musical eras, and we sing-a-long, too. It's great fun and an evening you won't forget!
Transportation:
As public transportation in the Montisi and Trequanda area is minimal, it is necessary for you to have a car. It's really very easy to drive in this area of Tuscany, and you’ll enjoy taking daytrips to Cortona, Siena, Deruta for pottery, and other places of interest. I only recommend Auto Europe, an umbrella company for Hertz, Avis, Budget, etc., as they have the best customer service on the planet!
http://www.autoeurope.com/index.cfm?aff=ggescapes.
A Favorite Option:
Ballooning in Tuscany at dawn with champagne at the completion of your flight. It is an amazing experience to see Tuscany from the sky. Reserve your flight at pilot Robert Etherington's website. Remember our tour with Pino is on Monday, so please book on another day: www.ballooningintuscany.com.
More Options:
Cooking Class with Alessandra Federici in her Cortona kitchen (45 minutes from Montisi) - 130 euros per person. This includes shopping the local markets for the ingredients of your meal, cooking lessons, and enjoying the fruits of your labor. Alessandra can only accommodate 6 people at a time in her kitchen, so let me know if you would like to participate in this special class.
Walking tours, additional cooking classes and wine tastings may be arranged locally. There is also the possibility of yoga classes and massage.
What to Do in the Area (minutes away!):
This website, www.cinquesorelle.com, about the five sister villages in our area, touches on the many things to see and do, restaurants and shops to visit. Only minutes away!
Activity Level:
We have hosted guests of all ages during the past 7 years. Those who have enjoyed their week with us the most are fit and active. The Italian tile floors and stone staircase in the villa are worn and uneven. The charming hill towns in the area are, well...hilly! We do a lot of walking to justify consuming lots of the wonderful pasta and gelato (ice cream)! But of course your time is your own. If you decide to sit by the pool all week and enjoy the beautiful views and the singing of the birds, with a glass of wine in one hand and a book in the other, that's fine!
***************************************************************************
So...this is it. This is the Italy I love. A timeless village in the beautiful countryside with a picture-perfect view at every turn. History, art, and inspiration a part of daily life. The villa will be your home and you will have the experience you choose. For those who have toured Italy before, it may be a respite from the frenzy of the cities; and for others, a gentle introduction.
What I wish for you is to make a little piece of Italy your own. Its luminous energy, its sounds, tastes, and vistas - so much has remained the same for centuries. There is heart-restoring tranquility here and a peaceful spirit.
I hope you'll join us.
Gail Hecko
Email me for details: gailhecko@att.net
or call: 770-992-4429...
|
 |
