When you arrive:
At the estate you come to the main gates. Press the button and they will open automatically. Go half way up the drive and on the left, behind the main Villa, you will see the cottage which has a small path leading up to its door. Fresh flowers, a bottle of Chianti with a corkscrew and two glasses will be waiting for you for...a good start. You will also find a book giving useful instructions and information, recommending shops, restaurants, and transport. If you need any further help, information or advice please don't hesitate to ask at the Villa where you will be welcomed and where they speak English. They will show you where the separate laundry facilities are with washing machines, driers and clothes lines. On your last morning you can arrange to leave your luggage in the Villa should you wish to spend more time exploring the city or do some last-minute shopping. Arrival time is after 13:30 p.m. and departure by 10:30 a.m.
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Five minutes walk .....:
away you have all the necessary food shops and one of the best, typical Tuscan restaurants in Florence, 'Ruggero,' which is a well-kept Florentine secret. A 10 minute walk takes you to the Belvedere Fort and from there to all the best sites, via the Ponte Vecchio. You can also catch a bus from either end of the street and this will take you directly across the city and on to Fiesole, a charming little Roman hill town much favoured by 19th century English tourists. Or take a 6 minute bus trip to 'Bellosguardo' where Elizabeth Barrett Browning had her villa and gaze at the whole of Florence spread out below you. The seaside, with miles of sandy beaches, is about an hour away, and a day trip is easily possible by train from Florence to Venice or Rome. Be Florentine and buy your train, bus, museum and theatre tickets from travel agencies in the city centre; it saves a lot of time and hassle.
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Don't forget that food shops in Italy....:
Open early at 08:00 in the morning and then shut from 13:00 until between 4 and 5 in the afternoon. They shut at about 20:00. However, there is a supermarket which is open all day. All shops are closed on Sundays, except for cake and ice-cream shops which are only open in the morning. Restaurants serve lunch from 12:00 midday to about 14:00 but not much later (siesta time...), and dinner at night usually between 20:00 and 22:00. Cafes and pizzerias stay open later.
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Other Activities:
museums, cathedral, historic monuments
marks the location of the property in Florence Area
