Tuscany on the Med is a fixed-base BAC tour in Marina di Castagneto Carducci, near Donoratico, Italy. It is on the Mediterranean; literally – our hotel has its own beach. The closest airport is Pisa, about an hours drive away.
A fixed-base tour is one in which you stay in the same location for the entire event. So we’ll spend 8 days in Marina di Castagneto Carducci. After the tour we’re spending a couple of days in Florence.
The Hotel I Ginepri, which means Juniper, is quite nice and the staff is outstanding. There are 40 in our group. Brenda and I had requested an upgraded room which wasn’t available until yesterday. But the staff remembered and gave us instructions on how to make the transfer yesterday morning. Our new room has a balcony overlooking the ocean. Or is it a sea?
Like most Italian hotels, the food is wonderful. Breakfast and dinner are included. Dinner includes two courses (last night was lasagna followed by roast beef, plus salad and fruit bar and ice cream (gelato) for dissert.) Wine and water are included.
Our cycling has been severely hampered, first by 3 days of lost luggage and the last two days by rain. Plus Brenda had a sore throat on Friday and laryngitis since Saturday. A little voice today but much coughing. Hopefully another day of rest will be the answer. The forecast is improving. Tomorrow we visit a winery and Thursday we have lunch at an olive grove. Our leaders tell us this will be a highlight of the tour.
The photos show the hotel’s beach, a youngster enjoying ice cream, our leader Stephen discussing the local sites with Brenda and two people in a storm, viewed from our balcony.
Looking forward to your travelogue this week. Rough start though!
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