by David McGuffin | Aug 8, 2011 | Destinations, Hotel Reviews
Podere Marcampo is a newly constructed agriturismo located on the road towards Pisa, about four miles outside of Volterra. My friend, Genuino del Duca, and his family have labored countless hours to present a first-class lodging opportunity. They rent out three fully-equipped apartments containing a full kitchen, living room, spacious bathroom, and a large bedroom. Additionally, there are three standard-size rooms with a bed and bathroom. All rooms have air-conditioning and heating, as well as Wi-fi. Here is a web link to Podere Marcampo.
Volterra – Podere Marcampo
On the property, Genuino carefully tends a prized vineyard from which he makes his award-winning Merlot wine, Giusto Alle Baltze. Genuino breaks from planting the traditional “sangiovese” grape and works with merlot instead. The result is a well-balanced wine loaded with hints of berries and the unique terroir of Le Baltze.
The grounds are decorated with flowering plants, roses, stone walls, and pathways to match the decor of the surrounding countryside.
Podere Marcampo is located in what we might think of as an unusual landscape of Tuscany. This area, known as Le Baltze, or the sandy cliffs, have been known to slide and swallow up entire buildings, dating back to Etruscan times. Of course, Genuino’s place is safely constructed on solid ground!
Marcampo swimming pool
If you are planning to travel to Tuscany, don’t miss the opportunity to visit Volterra and Podere Marcampo.
by David McGuffin | Jun 21, 2011 | Destinations, Experiencing Europe, Hotel Reviews, Restaurant Reviews
My friends and I stayed in Segovia last night. A small medieval town of about 60,000, it offered a stress-free beginning to my adventures in Spain and Portugal. An added plus is that it is at an elevation of about 3,000 feet so the weather was very cool and pleasant.
My GPS was useless in the narrow cobbled streets, but the signage was pretty good at directing me to the main plaza. I learned a long time ago not to drive into a medieval town without first walking it. So, we parked in the modern underground parking lot and I walked the pedestrian-only streets to my hotel. Then, I got in the car and drove the route which I was instructed by the hotel staff. If you are interested in the mistakes I’ve made and how I learned to first walk, then drive read my blog entry “Too Much Room for the Road.”
Infanta Isabel Hotel proved to be a good find. Located on the pedestrian-only Plaza Major, we found a friendly reception staff, clean and updated rooms, and a perfect location from which to explore the town.
One of the main attractions in Segovia is the Roman aqueduct. At one time, it carried water over nine miles from the Río Frío to the Roman fort in Segovia. Today, it is amazing to see a remaining section of the aqueduct that is 2,500 feet long and 100 feet high. Roman engineers and workers constructed this section 2,000 years ago out of 20,000 precisely cut, granite stones, which were stacked without the aid of any mortar.
The Cathedral sits right on Plaza Major and dominates the skyline. Since construction began in the Renaissance (1525-1768) it contains a variety of architectural styles, mainly Flamboyant Gothic. However, the church is capped with a dome more closely related to late Renaissance and Baroque church buildings.
I took a stroll from the aqueduct to the Alcazar, trying to get a “feel” for the town’s layout. About 8:30 p.m., the place came alive with locals and tourists taking to the streets for the paseo, the nightly stroll and visit time.
This being our first day in Europe, we were hungry and ready for bed by 8:00 p.m. However, people tend to get a late start on the evening in Segovia (and most of Spain). By 9:30 p.m. we could hold out no longer and decided to eat at “Caesars,” the restaurant associated with our hotel. Dinner was delightful, sitting on the main square and watching the “town” go by. I had a fine meal of gazpacho and a local specialty, roasted suckling pig.
by David McGuffin | Aug 6, 2010 | Destinations, Hotel Reviews
I discovered Cinque Terre Residence in March 2005 and have been staying here at least once a year ever since. Normally, I come here with my wife (for our anniversary trip) in August each year. We have come to love the laid-back ambiance of the locale, the patio with an amazing view and the super-clean and air-conditioned rooms. We’ve always reserved the apartment with a kitchen, because I like to cook. This last time here I cooked every night with fresh ingredients purchased in the village. The staff (Carla, Piero and Davide) are wonderful and a pleasure to deal with.
The modern, purpose-built collections of rooms are located high on a hill overlooking the town of Riomaggiore. Getting to the Cinque Terre Residence is a bit of a challenge, but no more so than any other place in town. I suggest taking the green shuttle bus from the bottom of town (at the end of the tunnel from the train station). The shuttle bus can drop you off above the Cinque Terre Residence. From there it is a simple downhill walk to your room.
Getting to the town center takes five minutes and it is all downhill, however, it is all up hill with 132 steps on the return trip. You’ve just to prepare yourself for that (or take the green shuttle bus back up by way of the road).
I am a veteran traveler to the Cinque Terre region and have stayed in other towns and other hotels and rooms in Riomaggiore. If you are up to the challenge of walking around in the five villages of the Cinque Terre, I can recommend no better place to lay your head than the Cinque Terre Residence.
Book your room directly with the Carla at http://cinqueterreresidence.it.
by David McGuffin | Jul 29, 2010 | Experiencing Europe, Hotel Reviews
This week Charlotte and I are exploring new, for us, little niches of Tuscany. Last summer, I met a young couple who told me about an amazing agiturismo in the remote hills of Chianti. Throughout the course of two weeks I ran into Josh and Ramona several times and they continued to rave about where they were staying. So, I tucked that little morsel of information away in hopes that one day I’d get by the area and check it out.
A few weeks ago, when planning our vacation to Italy, I contacted Ramona and after several text messages got the name and location of the agriturismo. So, here we are!
An Agriturismo can broadly be defined as any agriculturally based operation that brings guest/visitors to a farm for a meal or an overnight stay. Many such agriturismi have popped up in Italy in recent years due to a tax break and stipend offered by the Italian government. Over the course of the next three days, we will visit two such farms that cater to guests.
Today we are relaxing at Agriturismo Savernano! This place is a wonderful retreat that makes me want to slow down, relax and do nothing. In fact, that’s what we’ve done all day… simply nothing! The main building is situated on top of a hill commanding a 360-degree vista of the surrounding mountains, fields and little towns. Even now, while writing this, I can hear the 6:00 p.m. bells tolling from the little village of Viaggio in the valley below. The main building contains eight guest’s bedrooms, a dining room, kitchen and private dwelling area for the owners. The architecture is classic Tuscan… red tiled roof, stonewalls with yellow stucco for contrast, exposed timbered trusses, terra cotta tiled wrap-around porches and plenty of shady seating.
The farm is loaded with grape vines and olive trees from which is produced homemade olive oil and Chianti. To top it all off there is an inviting pool with plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas for those wanting to future while away an afternoon.
The rooms are modern and up-to-date. All have heating and air conditioning, refrigerators, impressive private baths complete with bidet and hair dryer. The towels are first class, thick, big, fluffy and absorbent. The beds are typical Italian… low to the floor, no box springs and very firm.
Now for the best part! The family prepares a simple dinner each night for its guests. Each morning the evening’s dinner menu is posted on a chalkboard in the reception area. Guests must tell the staff if they plan to eat here tonight. I would suggest that you skip any other dinner plans and return straight away to Savernano for a truly simple and typical dinner. Right now it is 7:00 p.m.; I am sitting on the patio typing this blog entry and can, every now and then, get a whiff of roasting garlic, fresh herbs and boiling pasta! I can’t wait to eat!
Last night, we enjoyed two bottles of their own Chianti (€3 per bottle) and a full dinner! The primi piatti was homemade (I said that already, right) Lasagna al forno, made with the freshest pasta I’ve ever eaten. Charlotte said it was so fresh she could taste the eggs! The vegetable sauce was light with just a hint of tomato, basil and garlic. After we devoured our first plate in about three minutes the owner brought us two more! The second course was wild boar (cinghale) stewed in herbs and red wine. It was fork tender and falling off the bone! Accompanying this was the best eggplant parmignano I’ve ever tasted… fresh, lightly battered and sprinkled with just a small amount of cheese. This all was capped off with vin santo and cantucci (biscotti)!
Agriturismo Savernano is about 41 Km south of Florence, just off the A1 autostrada. Rooms go for about €100 a night for a double. The ambiance, atmosphere, pool, rooms and dinner all make this a great experience and a real value.
by David McGuffin | Dec 21, 2009 | Hotel Reviews
I am a tour organizer who travels to Rome at least a couple of times a year, but yet it seems to be my most challenging city when it comes to finding a hotel room. I know of several nice four-star hotels out on Via Aurelia that are just up the typical American tourist’s alley (air conditioned rooms, safe environment, pool, grand lobby, hotel bar and restaurant), but they are far away from the historic Roman city. I’ve also stayed at many hotels in central Rome and felt uneasy because of the locale, the shifty hotel staff, poor management and lack of cleanliness. But now, I have found a small hotel that I can recommend with confidence and pride.
I came across the WELROME Hotel as I was exploring the “hotel neighborhood” around Rome’s Teremini train station. Previously, I had three unacceptable hotel experiences in the area and was determined to find a suitable small hotel for a little group I was taking around Italy. I resorted to the internet on my iPhone and found the highly recommended WELROME Hotel just steps away from my location.
WELROME has seven rooms that are well-kept and clean. There is plenty of hot water and the air conditioning will freeze your toes! There is no bar, restaurant or grand lobby; the rooms only provide a clean, safe and quiet place to sleep in busy Rome. However, this is a very unsual combination that I have yet to match in central Rome, at least in my price range. You see, when I travel, I like to attempt to live like the locals. No, not like the winos around the train station, but like a normal Roman scratching out a living in central Rome. I think I found this at WELROME Hotel.
Owners Mary and Carlo are the most amazing hosts I’ve ever encountered. They provide comprehensive customer service and leave nothing to chance when it comes to your stay in Rome. Last summer, during my first visit to WELROME Hotel, I was overwhelmed with Mary’s desire to please my group and me. She was so thorough with room instructions and services. She went out of her way to accomodate us and make our stay pleasant and comfortable.
This is not a 4/5 star hotel, but it is centrally located near the Teremini train station and has the best customer service I ever encountered. If you are looking for a safe hotel in Rome’s historic center try WELROME!
-David
by David McGuffin | Dec 21, 2009 | Destinations, Hotel Reviews
We arrived in ZURICH, SWITZERLAND by way of an overnight flight from Atlanta and were greeted with sub-freezing temperatures and a snow-covered landscape. In less than an hour, we had our rental car and were cruising along the highway to Schwangau, Germany. We encountered heavy snow and slow traffic the entire way. The last 100 kilometers took us along some beautiful rural countryside all covered with a blanket of white. The road was covered with snow as well and made driving rather tedious.
The afternoon was dreary and grey with the snow incessantly falling, but for us Floridians, it was a wonderful experience. Charlotte and I froze as we climbed up to Castle Schwangau, having had to wait thirty minutes before our entrance time. However, the chill was worth it because of the ambiance and vistas. The whole place is just like a “winter wonderland.”
-David
The grounds are decorated with flowering plants, roses, stone walls, and pathways to match the decor of the surrounding countryside.
Podere Marcampo is located in what we might think of as an unusual landscape of Tuscany. This area, known as Le Baltze, or the sandy cliffs, have been known to slide and swallow up entire buildings, dating back to Etruscan times. Of course, Genuino’s place is safely constructed on solid ground!
