We are a group of girls, English and Italian, all enjoying
life to the full in Tuscany, with its simple pleasures,
excellent food and friendly locals.
Our aim is also simple, to show others what a truly beautiful
part of the world Tuscany really is, seen from the inside.
We strive to be reliable, knowledgeable and well organised,
with an over-riding sense of informality. Our visitors
come with independent minds and a quest for adventure,
we will not compete with the 'coach tours' and rigid and
restrictive guides.
We pride ourselves on a very personalized service so
don't hesitate to ask if you have any special requests.
It's more fun and varied for us too!
Arrive here without our help and knowledge and you will
probably miss 90% of what Tuscany and the Tuscan people
really have to offer. Remember we live here! When you
live somewhere you benefit from a knowledge and intimacy
denied to normal visitors. Join us and you will experience
the real Tuscany.
Our cooks for the Cooking Lessons are all Italian, local
to the area and very experienced and knowledgeable about
the Tuscan Traditional cuisine. You'll learn a lot under
their skilled guidance.
We specialise in small groups usually, as some of the
places we will take you require four-wheel drives. You
will see, feel and taste so much more with us. If you
can book in advance then we can give you more options
but we're also happy to take last minute requests and
it's not uncommon for us to put a tour together with less
than 24 hours notice. We work all year round and in all
weathers but some of the nicest periods here are May and
June and September and October when it's not quite so
hot and so more comfortable to see what we have to show
you.
Our homes are near Montalcino and Buonconvento (south
of Siena) and that is where we are based; we collect and
deliver you to your accommodation as part of our service.
In addition we will treat you like a friend, advising
on local restaurants, shops, facilities, translating for
you, negotiating purchases and smoothing out any concerns
you may have, whilst with us.
Lastly between us we speak English, Italian and French,
so unless you have just arrived from Mars, communication
should pose no problem.
"My family had the pleasure of experiencing Tuscany's
charms with Tina and Lesley as our guides. During our
two-week stay in the area, we called upon their expertise
more than once times to help us in our mission to experience
the true tastes and sights of this wonderful and unique
destination.
Over the course of 4 days, these two resourceful ladies
steered our family into some truly unique and surprising
adventures. The real Tuscany revealed its secrets as we
sipped wine next to giant barrels on a quaint little winery,
learned the secrets of organic pasta from the pasta maetro
himself, wandered through sheep pastureland on the hunt
for homemade "Pecorino" cheese....
Our appreciation of historical Italy deepened as we
lost ourselves in the piazzas and sidestreets its towns
and villages. We spent wonderful days exploring classic
Tuscan places Florence, Siena, Arezzo and Montepulciano.
Some of us preferred the sights and others preferred the
shopping, but we all loved the gelato!
Thanks to Lesley and Tina for showing us the real
taste of Tuscany!"
Rob & Izabela J & kids
