Be prepared to appreciate the beauty of the rolling fields and hill towns of Tuscany that you can visit on your trip. Why do you think the towns perched on the tops of hills with walls around them?

• Italy: the Hilltowns of Tuscany and
• On The Backroads of Tuscany DVD

Reading List

For kids: Vulca the Etruscan

For the family:

• The photography in this coffee table book drew me to several delightful villages that I marked in my guidebook so when we drove nearby we had a worthwile detour: The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany.
• Another photo book to savor: Tuscany: Inside the Light .
• is, as all his books, lighthearted and informative.
• The Collected Traveler - Central Italy This book is plain delicious. Savor now before you travel and enjoy your trip even more.

Here are stories to put you in a traveling mood:

• Bite sized stories of Tuscan travelers over time: Travelers' Tales Tuscany: True Stories.
• The books that have institutionalized American's love of Tuscany: Bella Tuscany & Under the Tuscan Sun.
• A good, light mystery for your carry-on: The Etruscan Chimera.
• In case you want to dig deeper: Etruscan Civilization: A Cultural History.
• A "chick flick" for watching with the girls: Under the Tuscan Sun - the Movie.

Cerveteri is an Etruscan city that has been excavated to uncover its fascinating necropolis, city of the dead.

Populonia is a beautiful little town on the water near Pisa. It has an Etruscan necropolis that was, at one time, entirely covered by Etruscan slag, the remains from iron smelting. You can still pick up pieces of the slag on the beach which consists of, not sand, but fine iron particles. The Etruscan smelting process in 500BC was not as efficient as today's furnaces, so the slag itself is very high in iron. In fact, it was one of the major sources of iron in Italy in the early 1900s! The ruins of the massive Rocca di Populonia fortress from the 1300s sits above the town and is a good spot for a picnic and clambering about the ancient walls. Populonia is a great place to spend a couple of hours if you are driving from the south towards Pisa.

Etruscan sites like Populonia, Tarquinia, Cerveteri, and many more are somewhat off the beaten tourist path. They get plenty of visitors, but it is unlikely that you will have to wait in the lines that grow around the most popular tourist sites. Etruscan art and culture, that borrowed from the Greeks and lent to the Romans, has unique and charming aspects that are fascinating to explore, even just a little. I am touched by the sarcophagi, stone coffins, that show man and wife cuddled happily together. You never see such scenes in Greek or Roman art. Compare features and expressions with Roman statues and you'll see interesting differences, such as the impish smiles on the faces of the Etruscans.

We like the setup of this "villa" in Tuscany for vacationing families. It is an ancient convent that has been converted into ten holiday apartments. There is an inviting swimming pool set in 30 acres of orchards and fields. At the same time, it is a five minute walk to the medieval town of Colle di Val d'Elsa (between Florence and Siena). Early risers can walk or jog into town for the morning's bread; teenagers can get away and explore the town; and you can walk into the piazza to enjoy the evening's stroll, passegiatta, with the townsfolk.

The apartments are comfortably rustic in style with simple furniture, terracotta floors, and wood-beamed or brick-vaulted ceilings. The kitchenettes are modern and efficient. Furthermore, most of the apartments are air conditioned and also have window screens, so you can enjoy the hottest days in August. Each apartment has its own outside dining area for eating al fresco. The apartments are fresh, clean, and have great amenities including satellite television so you can get the news in English.

They come in one size: one bedroom with sofa bed, so are good for couples, a family of three or four, or a group of several families. The price is reasonable at 115 Euros/night for a family of four (about $160US) and they do take stays of less than a week, minimum four nights.

Holiday Apartments in Tuscany

Pasta with Wild Boar Sauce is a delicious and typical Tuscan dish. Hunting is a popular sport in the hills of Tuscany. Try delicious Pappardelle al Cinghiale (Wide Noodles with Wild Boar), something you won't find in your local Italian restaurant!

Tuscan bread is made without salt so it tastes different than Italian breads you find elsewhere. Without salt, the bread lasts only the day you buy it. No wonder so many Tuscan dishes work with stale bread: panzanella - bread and tomato salad, ribollita - bread and vegetable soup, fettunta or bruschetta - toasted bread with yummy things on top.

The Italy Discovery Journal has a dozen pages devoted to food ideas for kids traveling in Italy. All in all, there are over 500 ideas to enliven family travel in Italy. Learn what customers say about the Italy Discovery Journal.

What customers say about the Italy Discovery Journal

I have just begun representing this villa and thought you would enjoy feasting your eyes on its luxury. It is inside the city limits of Florence, yet in a heavenly verdant garden, inside a park. The interior is sumptuous in every degree. Furthermore, it comes with a full-time domestic to cook and clean.

The Villa Arcangeoli welcomes families and I can imagine a joyous reunion in this lovely setting. Can you?

Villa Arcangioli in Florence

email: pbyrne@kidseurope.com

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