Most Inspirational Moment
There were so many inspirational moments. Here are a few: 1. the panoramic views on our walks 2. the Duomo (especially the Piccolomini Library) and the Piazza del Campo in Siena 3. the views of Florence from San Miniato al Monte, plus Giotto's Campanile beside the Duomo in the centre of the city 4. the frescoes in the Collegiata church in San Gimignano
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader, Liz Proctor, was exceptional in every way. Her briefings before each day's outing contained all the information we needed, and her advice was always very sound. She seemed to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of all the Tuscan roads, tracks and paths we travelled on, as well as restaurants and other places of interest when we arrived at our destination. She was an excellent driver, and we always felt in safe hands. She was very patient with those who walked more slowly than others and concerned for everybody's welfare. Her fitness was such that she was able to retrace her steps with apparent ease at the end of a walk in order to retrieve the minibus (while the rest of us were having lunch and looking round the place we'd arrived at!).
Advice for Potential Travellers
Our weather was pretty mixed, so an anorak was an essential piece of clothing, and there were moments on some of the muddier, rockier paths of our walks when we would have been happier wearing walking boots than simply trainers.
Suggestions
The food at Villa Casalta was generally good, but we did feel there was a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables on the occasions when we had supper there.