| | Buongiorno,
Welcome to the start of 2012 and we hope that 2011 ended well for you and that 2012 has started with excitement and enjoyment! To
Tuscany had an exciting end of year with our new website being launched
and our new style photocompetition voting going 'live'. We havent
stopped either, new properties are being added to our property on a
weekly basis and bookings from our clients have stepped up as everyone
is getting their year organised. This
edition reminds everyone about the photocompetition (and explains about
the differences in the votes cast), we also look at a new addition to
the website - winetasting - and our events & festivals page on our
website that you may not have discovered just yet, plus we send another
invite to you to join our Facebook & Twitter communities - we are going to be giving away bottles of olive oil but only to people who have 'liked' us or 'followed' us. As
I have already mentioned, many bookings have been made already,
particularly over the school summer holiday dates, if you havent
already decided on your dates, it may be worth organising them sooner
rather than later. Click here to go to the website As always, please feel free to let me know any suggestions for items you would like us to cover in our newsletters. Dympna
dympna@to-tuscany.com |
| 2011 PHOTOCOMPETITION UPDATE |
 | | Last years winning entry - Giostra Dei Saracino by Jim Hartman |
The
on-line voting system for the 2011 photocompetition opened at the
beginning of January and we have already seen lots of votes being cast
for peoples favourite photos - if you havent already voted, do visit
the website and have a look, it only takes a few minutes: click here
We
have had some queries why the votes do not seem to tally from one
website to another (for example: if you look on the Dutch website and
then look on the English website), the reason for this is simple - that
someone is manually counting the votes from all the websites on a
weekly basis and then making a total across all the websites! The photos are still displayed on a special page on our website (click here)
and voting closes in a few weeks on 6th February 2012 (the photos are
loaded in alphabetical order according to the entrants first name).
At
the end of the day on 6th February, we have the job of looking at all
the voting addresses to make sure there are no 'duplicates' - only one
vote per IP address (internet provider) is allowed; where there are
duplicates or multiple votes, the overall voting total will be adjusted
for that entrant. Once we have completed this process, the top 5 photos
will be decided and prizes will be allocated accordingly.
In case you have forgotten, the prizes are as follows:
First prize wins a top of the range compact digital camera or a voucher for 250 Euros off a 2012 To Tuscany holiday.
Second and Third place will each receive a compact digital camera.
Consolation prizes will be awarded to the 4th and 5th place entries.
(There are no cash alternatives for the prizes awarded)
We are very excited about the 'public vote' and look forward to revealing the winners soon!
Dont forget, entry into the 2012 photocompetition are already open!
You can view all of the competition entries for this year (and every year since we started it in 2007) on the To Tuscany Flickr photo account
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WINETASTING AND WINE DELIVERIES |
For many people, a holiday in Tuscany would not be complete without a
wine-tasting stop and there are many to choose from, especially in the
Chianti area. However,
if the thought of just stopping at a winery is too daunting for you or
if you are not sure which wines you might like, then an introduction to
the Tuscan wines given (formally or informally) in your Villa could be
just what you are looking for. Silvano
Franconi is fluent in Italian (of course!), German and English and has
decades of experience in recommending and choosing wines to people from
his time working within some of Tuscanys top restaurants. His fledgling
company in the Chianti offers wine-tastings for 2-20 people and also a
'Wine Box' delivery service. More information and contact details can be found on our website, click here to go straight to the page. |
EVENTS AND FESTIVALS |
Italy has many festivals throughout the year and some of the best take place in Tuscany and Umbria. If you are wondering when to visit, have a look at our events and festivals page which gives you the main festivals happening each month of the year. If you have already booked your holiday, have a look to see what event or festival you may be able to join in with. Some highlights include: Easter
in Italy - as a Country with a high proportion of people following the
Catholic Faith, Tuscany and Umbria join in celebrations with gusto! In
particular, Florence is famous for the Scoppio del Carro on Easter
Sunday where the Bishop sends a flaming dove (fake) into a cart full of
fireworks!  A
Palio is an event which sees the different areas of a city compete
against each other for honours for the next year. The palios vary from
archery, barrel racing, donkey racing or shooting crossbows to the most
famous Palio in Siena which features horses (which featured at the
start of the Quantum of Solace James Bond film). Palios take place
throughout the year but particularly in the summer months.  From
September onwards you will find wine-festivals particularly in the
Chianti area, one of the biggest is in Greve in Chianti - the Rassegna
del Chianti Classico Whatever your interest, there will be a festival for you! |
FACEBOOK AND TWITTER |
Social media has definitely arrived in the To Tuscany headquarters and we have a very active Twitter and Facebook account! From this month we will be introducing competitions with the prize being a bottle of olive oil. The competitions will not be very difficult BUT
they are only open to people who follow us (Twitter) or like us
(Facebook), so if you havent already joined our communities, make sure
you visit us soon and dont forget to tell your friends too
(particularly if they like Tuscan olive oil!) |
We hope that you have enjoyed reading our newsletter and we look forward to the 2012 season with you.
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