Greetings campers from snowed in Tuscany. It’s that time of year again, just when we were thinking about stowing away the Christmas decorations for another year the best sledging weather in 25 years hit Central Italy last week (we wrote off our new GT sports sledge on the first bend of the Montebenichi version of the Cresta run, €5 down the drain!) “Just like the old days” the wrinklies in the village quipped in their usual devil may care way, nice to know they used to have power cuts and no water in the old days too! Luckily I had just invested in snow chains the day before the weather closed in, unluckily I didn’t have time to read the instructions! How was I to know I have the only car in Tuscany with back wheel traction!
Anyway, talking of being snowed under, we’ve been totally overwhelmed by the traffic on the site recently, you kind folks looked at almost 30,000 pages of our site in Jan. Lots of our most stunning villas are already full for the whole season and most are filling up fast so my advice is “get your skates on” if you’re planning a visit to Tuscany this summer.
This month’s “Frosty” issue of Discover Tuscany is a jam packed, family size, fun pack of bits n stuff - some stunning new properties, where to find great flight deals, info on our new “Thermal Spas” page and remember February is Carnival time in Italy.

So snuggle up in front of a log fire, settle down with a mug of hot cocoa, kick off your Gucci Moonboots and enjoy this month’s Discover Tuscany………..

Intro & Thanks
New Properties – fantastic new villas online soon
0871 number – new UK contact number
Thermal Spas – relax in a mud bath
Flights – where to find the best deals
Carnival – masked balls and parades of floats
Coming Soon – phone camera album, Spas Page and USA flight sites

To “DISCOVER TUSCANY!” the www.rent-a-villa-in-tuscany.com Newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading it and find the information and advice useful when planning your holiday in Tuscany. We have lots of great ideas for the content but if have any ideas, comments or suggestions, please feel free to get in touch. We’d love to hear from you, just email us. Maybe there is something you need to know before you arrive or a great tip you’d like to pass on after your holiday, (when you get home don’t forget to sign our guest book on the site to tell us about your holiday and upload your favourite holiday snaps!).

New Properties
Due to overwhelming demand we’ve been busy checking out some fantastic new properties this month. We’ve got a unique restored 14th Century Hamlet near Siena, which is full of Modern Art and Sculpture. It sleeps 14 and they offer either B&B or you can rent the whole Hamlet. We’re also adding a large restored farmhouse for 14 in Valdarno, with its own amphitheatre where the owners organise concerts in summer. Another two stunning, luxury properties near Lucca sleeping 12 & 14 will also be online soon. We’ve also got a 16th Century Villa in Chianti in the pipeline too. Keep checking our "New Properties" page for details

UK Contact Number
If you’re based in the UK and would like to get in touch with us you can now call our new UK contact number 0871 218 0082. We just doing the final tests on it so it should be up and running and glitch free any second now.

Thermal Spas
In response to numerous enquiring about “taking the waters” whilst on holiday, we are busy working on a “Thermal Spas” page for the site. Tuscany has lots of thermal spas offering a wide range of facilities and relaxing therapies. The page will include information on various Spas and we are organising a number of special packages specially for our guests, including mud baths, olive oil face masks, reiki, shiatsu and hydro massage and of course a dip in a hot thermal pool. It’s the ultimate in relaxation.

Flights
Recently a family who wanted to visit Tuscany on holiday mailed us to say they just couldn’t find flights. Within a few minutes searching a few sites on the net we managed to come up with a few options with good prices. Sometimes it just takes a bit of patience and knowing where to look. We’ve built up a list of sites. Get surfing, there are bargains out there. If you find any other great sites , let us know.

Try these

Skydeals OR call 0500 011 747 and quote Ref VIPS2174 our guests get special prices!!

Travel Jungle - a great site which searches 24 different low cost airlines and 7 online travel agents, (ryanair, easyjet, lastminute, expedia, ebookers etc) they also let you know how much time and money they are saving you, they also have a USA version

Travel Supermarket Another site which searches various options and gives you the best deal.


Dial a Flight site + number to dial, operator finds best flight for you. I’ve tried it, they were v. helpful

Cheapflights - haven’t tried them myself but have look

Ryan air - budget prices, keep an eye on 1 day sale offers.

Easyjet - budget prices, try to book in advance, fly into bigger airports

Flyglobespan Scotland – Rome direct, good prices

Bmi Baby fly out of East Midlands airport

Other budget airlines worth checking out

www.airberlin.com - new kid on the block, alternative to changing in London if your flying from other parts of the UK

www.germanwings.com - again, an alternative to changing in London.

www.buy.volareweb.com - Italian site

www.costameno.com - Italian site

www.basiqair.com

www.scandanavianlight.com

www.aireuropa.com

www.meridiana.it

For information on Flight Auctions see
issue #5 of our “Newsletter Back Issues”

Coming next month - Sites to find flights to Italy from the USA

Carnival
February is carnival time all over Italy and this year Tuscany is host to over 35 Carnival processions. The origins of Carnival go back hundreds of years but today it is a perfect excuse for a mid winter party and a great way to meet, eat and drink (whilst dressed as a chicken or a panda!) Foiano near Arezzo has the oldest Carnival in Italy www.carnevaledifoiano.it (it started in 1539) and on all 4 Sundays in February you can watch the massive papier-mache floats parade through the streets. Viareggio www.carnevalediviareggio.it down on the Tuscan coast has one of the most famous carnival parades, as well as the parade of floats there are various shows, exhibitions, street performers and on the 24th Feb the final day, the parade is in the evening with a spectacular fireworks display to end the show. One of the most elegant Carneval events is held in the Northern Tuscan city of Lucca. www.carnevalelucca.it Various masked balls and events are held in the Grand 17th Century villas, which surround the city. You can enjoy Carnevale in towns and villages all over Tuscany this month. Check local posters and the magazine Toscano Tascabile www.toscanatascabile.it Have Fun!!! If you’d like to learn how the carnival masks are made and even have a go yourself. Prof. Agostino Dessi and his daughter Alice run mask making workshops in Florence.

Alice Masks. Call/fax +39 055287370

Coming Soon
Lots of new stuff in the pipeline. We’re looking into adding a “camera phone” photo album so you can send us your holiday snaps straight from your phone. We’ll be giving you a few suggestions of sites to check out to find flights to Tuscany from N. America. Our new “Thermal Spas” page will be online soon and behind the scenes we’re going wireless.

That’s all folks

Keep Warm

Jim

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