August 2026

Our Family vacation to italy​

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Every year our family goes on a vacation together.
We've been to Cape Cod, Woodloch Pines  and Mohonk Mountain House just to name a few.
This year we wanted to try something different....

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So, we decided to travel to Italy. Spending months planning this trip of a lifetime, we decided to hire a travel agent to help us with all of the details. After all, when you're traveling with 9 people it can be a daunting job. Our first meeting was to discuss what area of Italy would be best for us as a group and to put one point person in charge of the particulars. We all thought that Andrea would be the most experienced in this area. And boy, oh boy, did she have quite a job ahead of her.  

We decided to travel to Tuscany and Rome. 

From the Villa Viesca Toscana in Reggello where we stayed in Tuscany to the bustling streets of Rome, Andrea planned every step of the way. In just ten days we truffle hunted with dogs, took a cooking class in Tuscany, visited and toured the Duomo and Academia in Florence, shopped in the most luxurious mall in Tuscany, visited the Vatican, the Coliseum and the crypts in Roma. But beyond all of the excursions, the villa was one of the most opulent of our vacation...

Our villa had a private infinity pool with 8 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms and had a fully stocked kitchen. We had breakfast served daily with two private chef dinners served to us in the formal dining room.. Our villa is owned by the Ferragamo Family and the one we stayed at was where Ferragamo spent his summer vacations it was magnificent. The pool area was equipped with a staff that made sure the pool was clean and heated with towels and all of the amenities. The villa has its own organic farm and everyday we enjoyed seasonal produce and dairy from their farm. The food in Italy is amazing.  

One of our favorite places to eat in Florence is Vini E Vecchi Sapori. It's owned by our friend Tomas Mazzanti and his parents. We had two absolutely delicious dinners at Tomas' place with our server Lorenzo. From the capresse salad to the Florentine steak the food was scrumptious. They couldn't do enough for us. In Roma our favorite place  was Emma's Pizzeria. The pizza was your typical thin crusted style made with all organic ingredients from nearby farms. The olive oil was drizzled on every pie and the caponata tasted just like my grandmother's. I can honestly say that we ate our way through Italy! We tried to have gelato everyday! I think the Dagger Jr. Family won that challenge.

Back to reality! Now that we are home, we keep looking back at our photos in awe. Was that not the most incredible trip of a lifetime? Or what!!

Arrivederci Roma!!
Happy Tales to you,
​xoxo Yvonne

PS: Many thanks to our drivers, Nicholas (Nico)
and Francesco for showing us all of Tuscany
​and for getting us safetly to our destinations. 

Our drivers Nickolas (Nico) & Francesco