Fancy a stroll in Tuscany?

Italy is full of diverse and beautiful landscapes, but there are few places that top the wonderful scenery of Tuscany. While I am a fan of the south, (I live down here in Puglia), Tuscany is one of my favourite parts of Italy. Rolling hills, miles upon miles of olive groves and vineyards, not to mention the many charming little towns and villages, many of which have a long and interesting history.

One of the things that draws people to Tuscany is undoubtedly the choice of walking routes. Exploring the winding roads by car is one thing, but really getting to know the landscape is best done on foot. So in this post, I'm going to be reviewing a helpful little guide to some of the best and most beautiful walks in Tuscany.

Walker's Tuscany In a Box (Duncan Petersen Publishing) comes, unsurprisingly, in a small box, and is made up of individual cards. Each card covers one walk in a particular part of Tuscany. The box itself is a nice size, isn't too heavy, and would easily fit in a small rucksack. If you were keen on just carrying one or two cards, then these would fit comfortably in a larger coat pocket. The box states that the cards are more convenient that a book or hand held device, and if you're on some of the more remote tracks, this is definitely true, particularly for the latter.

There are 35 original walks, and it's claimed that 'no skill is needed' to use the cards. For someone like me who doesn't exactly have the best sense of direction, this fills me with comfort! On each card there is a simple map , detailed directions which include landmarks and exact distances to travel. You are also provided with a green 'introductory' card which also gives you a decent amount of information on practical matters such as what clothing to wear and safety tips. They are also honest in saying that you will also need a larger map as well as the more basic one they provide.

The cards themselves are in a rough geographical order, and are also categorised by 'level', into easy, easy/moderate, moderate and the slightly daunting sounding 'strenuous'. The majority are easy or moderate, so for me they would be perfect, but for someone looking for more challenging walks, this guide may not be exactly what you want. The cards also tell you how long the walk will take, giving you an indication of either a half day or full day. Select your walk by looking at the map key on the green introductory card and finding the corresponding card number. Easy or what?

Each card also has a general overview of the walk, as well as useful information on rest stops or how to get to the starting point. It also tells you of any steeper climbs, which is useful if you, like me, prefer a limited amount of those! The pack also contains a very handy plastic cover that you can use to keep any rain or moisture off the cards, which are fairly durable anyway. It would be nice to have a one which was double the size however, and could cover the whole card once it is opened out (many of the cards open out and have 4 sides to them). The writing is also a little small, so those who may not have the best eyesight may find it a strain on their eyes. However, these cards are designed to be compact, so smaller text is to be expected.

All in all, these cards seem to be very useful indeed. There is a wide choice of walks which cover almost all of the region of Tuscany, and it is evident that they have all been well researched and thought out. Recommended!

Now, where are those walking boots of mine....

A Small Guide to Italy...How Charming!

If you're anything like me, you love a good travel guide. It's all very well going it alone and seeing what little gems you happen to come across, whether it be a hotel, restaurant or cute cafe. But sometimes, you just need that little bit of extra help; a bit of reassurance that yes, you are making the right choice with this B&B/French restaurant/Great big castle that sleeps 20 people.

So, when I received a guide book on hotels in Italy and was very kindly asked to review it, of course I said yes. The guide book in question is this one:

Published by Duncan Petersen Publishing and part of a range entitled Charming Small Hotel Guides (check out their website here), this nifty little book is pretty special in several ways. Firstly, it's an independent printed guide, so you'll find no funny business; some hotels actually pay guides to include them, and this definitely doesn't happen here. Secondly, it's open, honest and sometimes quite frank. As well as including all the good bits, you'll get the not-so-great info too, which other guides can often leave out. These guides have sold hundreds of thousands of copies all over the world and have been translated into 5 languages, which is a sure sign that people like them. If someone wanted to translate my blog into 5 languages I'd be pretty chuffed. (Any takers? No? Then I shall continue...)

Apart from the fact that it's a nice size (have you seen the size of some of the guide books out there? Once you pack it in your suitcase there really isn't room for anything else), it's also very easily laid out, which makes easily confused folk like me a lot less, well, confused. Each chapter tackles a different region, starting with a short area description, a list of 'back up' hotels in case the main choices are full (a useful addition, but it could have been placed at the end of the chapter perhaps), followed by 'full page' properties (the cream of the crop, which also contain a helpful 'quick info' section on the left of the page) and 'half page' entries, which are still charming but don't quite make the cut for a full page review. Each entry contains one or two photos, usually of the property itself and then perhaps a shot of the bedroom. You'll get a load of info on the location of the property, its history, the owners, as well as wonderful little details such as how comfortable the beds are, or what the breakfast actually consists of. Here's one of my favourite examples:

'Bathrooms are...graced with good towels' (property in Lombardia)

While it includes several different types of accommodation (hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses, villas, castles and even a converted abbey) these places all have the same thing in common: they're not your run of the mill accommodation. Charming, full of character and often slightly off the beaten track is what you'll find in this guide, and personally, that's usually the kind of accommodation that I look for. Are the staff helpful and thoughtful? Is it a convenient location? How comfy are the beds? The descriptions are personal without being all gushy, and the reviews positive without forgetting the odd slightly negative detail that may be important to some potential guests.

'From the outside you couldn't call the chalet beautiful, but the rustic interior is welcoming...' (property in the North West)

'Parking is not ideal' (property in Umbria and Marche)

And  even some quotes and feedback from those who have stayed there and sent in their personal reviews (a touch which I quite liked):

'Some visitors have commented that the intimate atmosphere is not family friendly' (property in Tuscany)

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this handy little guidebook and will be referring to it in the future. Even though it is a wonderful city, I did find the number of choices in Venice to be a little too extensive however (around 36 full page entries) and the regions of Puglia and Calabria had been combined into one very small 'heel and toe' section (as a resident of Puglia this was just a little disappointing). However, the section on Tuscany was great, and focused not only on larger places such as Florence, but on properties in the surrounding towns and countryside too, which is where you often find the sweetest little places.The reviews are very honest, straightforward and have just the right amount of useful detail included. In my humble opinion, this seems like a very trustworthy guidebook indeed.