• 402-913-0630
  • totaltuscany@gmail.com
Total Tuscany
  • HOme
  • POdcast
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Current Episodes
    • Podcast Archives
  • Home
  • Current Episodes
    • Podcast Archives

Total Tuscany Podcast

Episode 72: Patiently They Sit and Wait

3/29/2020

1 Comment

 
Love 4 Wine
Becca and Anthony Frevelleti
I​taly is under lockdown. Many friends and the people you've heard on this podcast are directly affected by the Coronavirus outbreak in Italy.   

When we visited Florence just five months ago, we spent time with Anthony Frevelleti and his wife, Becca. We ate a fantastic meal together at Ristorante Accademia. Drank several bottles of amazing wine, and then walked the streets, enjoying all the Christmas lights and decorations.  Good times!

Today the Freveletti's are confined to their home outside of Florence. They are homeschooling their daughter, having their groceries delivered, with little to no contact with the outside world and adding to their stress, worrying about their son, who is in Florida. The good news is Anthony can still ship wine all over the world.  So he LOVES it when the delivery driver shows up to pick up a shipment for one of his clients.  You can support Anthony and Becca by visiting their website and order some of the most fantastic juice Tuscany as to offer.
Visit LOVE 4 Wine!
In the first half of this edition of the Total Tuscany Podcast, we talk to Anthony and Becca about what they are going through. 

The second half is a conversation with Anna Madaffari, who owns and operatesCool Tours. We also spent a day with her in the Tuscan countryside when we visited last December. A day to remember that ended with a conversation we featured inepisode 67. 
​Anna is a private driver and relies 100% on tourism. She hasn't worked or had a source of income for over a month. Anna is someone who during the busy time of the year and works 45 to 50 days in-a-row. Even during the slow months, she has three to four tours a week. 

Today the cancellations far outnumber the bookings. Anna is worried and for a good reason. 

Anthony, Becca, and Anna are open and honest about what they are experiencing right now.  Their vulnerability tears at the heartstrings and is a reminder that COVID-19 is having a devastating effect on lives, whether you have the virus or not. 
Visit Cool Tours

Get The Latest From Total Tuscany

Submit
Picture
Anna Madaffari
More Total Tuscany Podcasts
1 Comment

Episode 48: mary Shea from Querceto Di Castellina

6/18/2016

2 Comments

 
PictureAerial View of Querceto Di Castallina
When it comes to tourism in Tuscany, Querceto Di Castellina has what I call the holy trinity for visitors.
  • Great Location
  • Fantastic Food & Wine
  • Affordability
We stayed on the estate a couple of years ago for a full week; the picturesque setting remains embedded in our memories, and when we are drinking a bottle of Chianti Classico it's easy to imagine ourselves on the estates large terrace overlooking the vineyard.

​If you are a regular listener to the Total Tuscany Podcast, you know that we've talked about Querceto before, way back on Episode #3 with Jacopo di Battista. While traveling to the United States to promote the wines of Querceto, Jacopo met the love this life, Mary Shea. Having done consulting work in the food and wine industry, Mary knew a good wine when she tasted it. However, we aren't quite sure if that was prerequisite to getting the first date but I'm sure it didn't hurt.

After a long distance courtship, Mary has moved to Tuscany to be the Marketing Director for Querceto. She manages the brand from a social and visual aspect, but Mary also makes sure the hospitality and service you get when visiting Querceto are second to none. It's no secret that tourism in Tuscany is very competitive and visitors looking for a unique and memorable experience. 
PictureVintages of Querceto
Querceto is a family owned Agriturismo and the wines produced on the estate are certified organic. Currently, there are five different vintages produced at the farm that dates back to the 14th century.
  • L' aura Chianti Classico 
  • Furtivo Igt Toscana Rosato 
  • Sei Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
  • Podalirio Igt Toscana
  • Livia Igt Toscana (White)

The estate also produces olive oil and Grappa di Chianti Classico
affinata in Barriques. 

​For us, the best part about Querceto is not the wine. Don't get me wrong they taste amazing! But as you can tell from our podcast, we LOVE Tuscany, and it was Querceto that made it feel like home. There are ten apartments on location that sleep anywhere from two people up to six. You can stay here a night, a week, a month, or even longer. If we had our way, we would have never left. 

Enjoy this podcast and when you are planning your next trip to Tuscany make sure to visit Querceto Di Castellina. Until then, follow them on social media by clicking the following links. 

Social Querceto

Picture
Picture
Picture
2 Comments

Episode 45: Tuscany By Ferrari: Florencetown Tours

2/28/2016

0 Comments

 
PictureFlorencetown Tours
Is there anything cooler than a Ferrari? When you think of superb Italian design, speed, sophistication, and something you just want to experience; owning or even driving a Ferrari is on the list.

A brand new Ferrari can cost upwards of $400,000, maybe even more! When sitting down to write this post I started doing some basic research on Ferrari's and I think a post on Truecar.com sums it up much better than I can.
​
Ferrari models are built with speed and performance thanks to the company's racing background. Today's Ferrari cars are lauded as "supercars" and use the famous prancing horse symbol and signature "race red" color. Ferrari car prices are notoriously expensive as Ferrari caters to the upper echelon of consumers.

PictureTuscany by Ferrari
For the majority of us, the closest we will ever get to a Ferrari is at a car show where we are allowed to look, but not touch. Well, that is about to change. We've hadUrbano Brini on the Total Tuscany podcast several times talking about his company, Florencetown Tours.  We have experienced several of the companies outings have given all of them 5-stars. Urbano is a brilliant marketer who listens to the wants and needs of his customers and is constantly looking for new ways to provide tourists an authentic experience in Tuscany.
​
Tuscany by Ferrari. A tour new in 2016 to the Florencetown line-up for travelers and tourists. Here's how the experience is described on the Florencetown website.

Picture
​Strap in and start your engine! You’re in control; it’s time to hit the road along vineyards and olive groves. After the adrenaline subsides, relax and unwind in the heart of Chianti Classico wine region. Stop in a local medieval village for some pictures, and then enjoy the guided visit to a fascinating winery with its ancient cellars to learn the secrets of wine and olive oil production. At the end of the exciting drive, a traditional Tuscan lunch will be served with wine tasting at our boutique winery.

We have enjoyed the Tuscan lunch and wine tasting on the Florencetown Vespa Tour of Chianti, it's amazing!

A Ferrari driving experience isn't the only new tour for 2016; as I mentioned earlier, Urbano is listening to customers, and the feedback he keeps getting is from more thrill seekers.  That's you can now go "off-roading" on previous off-limits areas of Tuscany or how about a helicopter ride from Florence to Siena to check out an aerial view the Tuscan landscape? 

What started ten years ago as a couple of guys offering bike tours around Florence has grown into a company that prides itself on offering exceptional excursions in Florence and around Tuscany that focus on the customer experience and the service and attention each client gets. There's a Rick Steeves has recommended Florencetown in his travel guide five straight years.

Enjoy this podcast and get ready to start your engine as you begin to plan your first or next trip to Tuscany! 

Coming soon! The first ever Total Tuscany tour, spend a week with Travis and Pat in pure paradise, sign up for our email newsletter and get more information when we officially announce details. 

We like to hear from you as well; please leave your comments or thoughts in the box below.

0 Comments

    Total Tuscany

    Travis Justice & Pat Campagna have been traveling to Tuscany since 2009. They produce the Total Tuscany Podcast and all the content on this website.

    Podcast Archives

    Categories

    All
    Agriturismo
    Airbnb
    Alabaster
    Alberto Bassilichi
    Amazon
    Andrew Cotto
    Anna Madaffari
    Anna Madafferi
    Annie Ojile
    Anthony Freveletti
    Arianna Cini
    Author
    Barberino Val D'Elsa
    Becca Freveletti
    Bistecca Fiorentia
    Book
    Buon Natale
    Butcher
    Calabria
    Camino De Santiago
    Chianti
    Chris Sobolev
    Christmas
    Claudio Bisanzio
    Cooking Class
    Cool Tours
    Coronavirus
    Cortona
    Couples Trip
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Cucina Tipica
    Dario Cecchini
    Dinner
    Etruscans
    Extreme Adventures In Tuscany
    Federico Bonechi
    Ferrari
    Find Yourself In Tuscany
    Florence
    Florence American Cemetery
    Florencetown Tours
    Food
    Foodie
    Foodie Tour
    Franciegna
    Francigenaways.com
    Gift Box
    Harvest
    Huffington Post
    I Balzini
    I Found Myself In Tuscany
    Italian Adventure
    Italian Villa Rental
    Italy
    Italy Customized
    Jacopo Di Battista
    Jeweler
    KM Zero Tours
    La Chiusa
    Laura Morelli
    Linda Sorgiovanni
    Lisa Condie
    Lost In Florence
    Love 4 Win
    Lucrezia Cannito
    Mario Scalzi
    Mary Shea
    Meat
    M.E. Evans
    Memoir
    Mid-evil
    Naked In Italy
    Nardia Plumridge
    Opera
    Opera In The Kitchen
    Organic
    Palazzo Belfiore
    Palazzo Del Moro
    Palazzo San Niccolo
    Panzano In Chianti
    Parker Villas
    Pat Campagna
    Personalized Italiy
    Podcast
    Querceto Di Castellina
    Real Estate
    Rent A Ferrari In Tuscany
    Roland Monsegu
    Rome
    San Gimignano
    Super Savvy Travelers
    The David
    The Giant
    Total Tuscany
    Total Tuscany Experience
    Tourism
    Tourist
    Tours
    Travel
    Travel Rental
    Travis Justice
    Tuscan Women Cook
    Tuscany
    Tuscany Private Home
    Tuscany Women's Tour
    Unique Experience
    Urban Adventures Florence
    Urbano Brini
    Vacation Rentals In Italy
    Villa In Tuscany
    Villas
    Villas For Rent In Italy
    Vineyard
    Vineyards
    Volterra
    VRBO
    Wayne Dyer
    Way Of St. Francis
    Wine
    Wine Tasting
    Wine Tours
    Your Place In Florence

    RSS Feed

    Tweets by @TotalTuscany
© Total Tuscany LLC 2020