Little for Tuscany vacation

 Alta Moda: 
There are the most expensive and most beautiful fashion shops in Florenz. Many considerable Modezaren have there
their master houses (Gucci, Coveri, Pucci, Feragamo etc..) Also most other mode designers maintain
here own Business. High price level. Likewise in Florenz and even in smaller cities there is sufficient business,
the mark quality high-quality in middle price situations offer. One recognizes it by the maintained show-
windows. The personnel is usually qualified and strives sincerely. Are generally recommendable also the shoe stores.

Antique and troedelmarcets:
Correct good deals cannot be usually made on all markets (more), but here
and there one can perhaps still purchase an interesting object. Look and rumage is always worthwhile themselves in addition.

Florence: Piazza dei Ciompi: daily and last Sunday in the month
Arezzo: Piazza Grande: 1. Weekend in the month
Lucca: Piazza San Martino: 3. Weekend in the month
Pisa: Via XX Septembre: 2. Weekend in the month
Siena: Piazza del Mercato: 3. Sunday in the month
Massa: 1. Saturday in the month
Viareggio: 4. Weekend in the month
Fiesole (Florenz): 2. Sunday in the month
Greve (chianti): only the Monday of Easter and 10. October 2004
San Miniato: 2. Sunday in the month

 Accommodation designations:
Fattoria or Tenuta: is partly century-old, often rule landfarms, which stand today usually under monument protection.
Podere: part a large of a Fatoria or Tenuta as farmsteads, which "hafe rent" once the farmers according to the kind is inhabited and
            whose country it ordered.
Rustici: are individual country houses.
Castello:ist a fortress or a castle.
Borgo: usually a weiler fortress-like put on is, often with own church and military tower.
Azienda Agricola/Agraria: a agricultural enterprise is after today's designation.
Agriturismo: Holidays on the farmer yard, with/without keeping of domestic cattle, with domestic animals, wine and olive oil production.

Behaviour:
Italians usually attach importance to tidy clothes. If you go visiting the cities, pay attention
not to be generously dressed. Particularly when entering churches and in fine restaurants.
White socks and sandals are considered as very teutonisch. nakebath is expressly forbidden,
whereby brown " without at the top" are more and more waited. Also it is to be disturbed by law decree
forbidden in the time of 13 to 16 o'clock at the beach with radio music or ball play. Alcohol, preferably
in the form of wine, belongs here to the everyday life, but it does not send itself to be drunk.

Banks:
Mon-Fri. of 8.30-13.20 and admission systems electrical of 14.30-15.30 o'clock there all banks have, leave you ask
cameras and things of metall outside in the safe-deposit box.

Business:
Opening times taegl. of 09.00-13.00 h and of 16.30-20.00 h also Saturday (in the winter a half hour
in former times). Sundays nearly all business is closed (expenditure EN newspaper and flower shops in the
morning). Monday in the morning only grocer's shops are openly, then however on Wednesday the afternoon closed
are. Shopping centres are continuous opened from 09.00 h to 21,00 h. in August is many business for several
weeks completely closed (Italy makes vacation).

Commemorative events:
In the months June until Septembers those take place into the whole Toskana different commemorative events,
drag on usually over several weeks. (you pay attention to the fastened posters)

Consulates:
Ital. ambassy in Germany:  Dessaustr. 28/29 D-10963 Berlin, Tel.: +49-30 - 25 44 00, FAX: 25 44-0120
German ambassy in It.: Via San Martino della Battaglia 4 I-00185 Roma Tel.: 06 - 49 21 31, FAX: 49 21-3319
German Consulat in Florence: Corso dei Tintori 3, 50122 Firenze, Italien, Tel: (0039 055) 234 35 43

Elba:
Ferries operate starting from the spring starting from Piombino, a daily trip are nearly
hourly because of the long start however to consider to create but.

Emergency call numbers:
Pronto soccorso - rescue /ambulance 118
Polizia stradale - traffic police 113;
Carabinieri - police 112;
Vigili del fuoco - fire-brigade  115;
ACI - automobile club of Italy: 116 (free of charge) mobilely: 800,116,800;
Soccorso in mare - distress rescue 1530
These numbers can select you free of charge from any telephone. Call your name u.
Telephone no., place of the happening and reason of the employment.
In Italy there is a General German Automobile Association emergency call station with 24h.-Service
which from the accident to autotheft with emergencies abroad helps. Tel. No.: 02,661,591 or in the FRG +49 89 222,222
Check acceptance with loss of:
ec-Karte 01805-021 021;
Eurocard 069-79 331 910;
Visacard 0800-8 149 100, with indication of the acc. no., post code and map NR.

Gas stations:
Credit at the motorways continuous, in localities usually only of 08.00 -12,30 h and of 15.00-19.00 h
opened. With the "Self service" one can refuel with €-notes at the automat and selects by push of a button
between "verde/senza Piombo super " "petrol" lead free  to price € 1.13- 1.14 or "verde/senza Piombo
Super Plus" answer "petrol super" lead free and "Diesel" € 0,93.

Holidays in Italy:
01.01. New Year Capodanno;
06.01. hl. three-kings Epifania;
Easter Pasqua;  Eastermonday/Lunedi di Pasqua;
25.04. Day of release Festa della Liberazione;
01.05. Day of the work Festa del Lavoro;
15.08. Maria Ascension Day Ferragosto;
01.11. All-holy Ognissanti;
08.12. Maria Empfängnis/L'Immacolata Concezione;
25.12. Chrismasday/Natale;
26.12.  2. Chrismasday/Santo Stefano;
friday of passion week, Christi Ascension Day, Fronleichnam and whit-monday are not in Italy lawful Holidays.
Remark: In addition, numerous parties are held to honor of the respective patron saint. Shops remain mostly open:
Bologna: 4. Okt. (St. Petronius),
Bari: 6. Dez. (St. Nikolaus),
Florenz (Firenze)/Genua (Genova)/Turin (Torino): 24. Juni (Johannes der Täufer),
Mailand (Milano): 7. Dez. (St. Ambrosius).
Neapel (Napoli): 19. Sept. (St. Gennaro),
Palermo: 15. Juli (St. Rosalia),
Rom (Roma): 29. Juni (St. Petrus),
Siena: 2. Juli und 16. Aug. (Palio-Pferderennen),
Triest (Trieste): 3. Nov.
Venedig (Venezia): 25. April (St. Markus),

Journey flightor course:
Beside the large airlines Alitalia, Lufthansa, Austrian airlines etc. fly also smaller associating  Eurowings and
Dolomiti air, the larger (Milan) and smaller airports (Pisa and Florenz) on. Cheap  fliers such as Ryanair
"www.ryanair.com" or HAPAG LLOYD EXPRESS  "www.hlx.com" fly starting from € 19,99  to Pisa
other one only to Bologna or Milan also the German course "www.db.de" several night connections
and daily connections after Pisa or Florenz on. When booking also to the Italian IC/EC addition think.
In the summer timetable there are good car train connections Germany to Livorno.
For ital.  timetable also Inglish-language  FS-Trenitalia "www.trenitalia.com"
(For information you click on the societies)
Journey with the car: 
The journey with the car is not necessarily relaxing, offers however the large advantage of the
independence.  Of the north coming one must in each case not only the obstacle of the alps, but briefly
 forwards the goal also still that of the Apennin overcome. Is paradoxically the two highway circuit
roads over Switzerland A2 (Godhard tunnel) and/or by Austria A12, A13 over the burner the A22
to drive problem-free, than "tratto appenninico", circle and tunnel-rich pieces from Austria coming,
between Bologna and Florenz and/or coming from Switzerland over Milan, one can itself for those
A7 to Genova decide and then the coastal motorway take direction Livorno or Milan Bologna and then
before Parma on the A15 after La Spezia drive (20 km more briefly). Escapes the tunnels and the curves
one on both distances however not. As alternatives over the alps: one drives the A7 over that Remote
passport or the A95 (mixing central forest) after Innsbruck burner; the Tauernhighway after Villach Udine.
Motorways avoid and on highways evade, should really only those consider, with those it time-moderately
on a few hours more does not arrive, but however on € 18-20,50 in that vacation cash..... likewise
it is advisable for the car a foreign right protection insurance and/or to lock foreign charter
(ADAC = General German Automobile Association ) "www.adac.de" and carry the green verse map forward.

Motorrace: At the end of May finds the probably most famous Oldtimerrace  of the
world,  the "mille Miglia", exactly through the Toskana leads.

Open-air swimming pool:
Lain a beautifully open-air. Swimming pool with child pool, meadow, own cabs, seats, bar u.
Restaurant is in Castelfalfi approx.. 10 km von Montaione.

Palio:
The Palio (famous horse running) takes place annually on 2 July and on 16 August in Siena .
Since 1981 finds in Fucecchio - at the Autostrada (FI-PI-LI) proximity San Miniato, also in each case on 10. June the
Palio instead of. Here 6 quarters each, against each other in each case 3 first ride a running in
2 starting from 15.30 h come then into the final by la conquista del "Cencio". (to the conquest of the "rag")

Parking:
Do not place your car in the park prohibition, saltet punishments and immediate towing are at that
Agenda.
Post office:
Only the usual post office and money service offers to (no telephone service)
Mon-Sat of 08.00-13.00 o'clock. There are stamps, (Francobolli) also in the tabaccostores (Tabacci).
Postage to England costs for a letter € 0.62 and for a picture postcard € 0,52.

Railway  connections at Florenz:       www.trenitalia.com
For a trip after Florenz or Siena it is worth to drive itself also with the course (no parking lot search,
in Florenz rather with difficulty). Good connection starting from Castelfiorentino (station = Stazione, 9 km of
Montaione).   Parks somewhat with difficulty. They can in addition, if them to Florenz to want, starting from
Empoli with the course drive  (all 20 min.) Multi-storey car park at the station. Nearly all villages and cities are
with public means of transport too  reach: if they are not because of a line, with the bus, not rarely also over
crushed stone routes. Nearly  are always Stadtbusse gelb, the the cross-country penalty blue. Bus and course
tickets belong  to the things,  in Italy are still relatively favorable. Unfortunately the BUS connections are not
always as frequent, as one itself trips would wish (speak: one comes, but not with times further or back). In Italy
bought tickets must be cancelled before entering!

Road map:
To recommend the road map "Toskana Elba" (1:200.000) of Kuemmerly+Frey.

Sea:      
If you would like to spend one day at the sea, then are the nearest sand beaches  Cecina Mare,
(to reach over saltworks di Volterra) is very beautifully convenient the bay of Baratti, below
the Etruskerstadt worth seeing Pupolonia or the beautiful beach of San Vincenzo 40-50 m broad u. 5 km long.
Small beach however comfortably, is Marina di Pisa behind the enormous rocks
at the strandpromenade.
 
Smoking
With Italy has moved just another land in the EU a strict non-smoker law for the catering trade. There are either smoker's
corners which specially must be ventilated or, however, a strict ban. Offense is punished very high. The landlords must
pay  up to 2,200 euros of punishment. Smoking guests must count with up to 275 euros of punishment - pregnant and
children are present, the penalty doubles. This regulation is not quite new. Already up to now a prohibition of smoking
counted to numerous public spaces, however, this was mostly ignored up to now, without bigger consequences were
to be expected. 

Travel documents:
Passport or identity card is completely sufficient, whereby self-tl only still to Swiss borders
and there also only random test method is controlled. For children under 16 years child document of identification
or entry in the passport of parents.

Telephone:
country call number ( to Ital.) 0039 (first 0 of the ital. local preselection No. get remains)
for exemble 0039 0571 .. to Montaione. country call number (Ital. to UK) 0044 . For examble
0044  171 ...... to London. If you liked to telephone in Italy in the local area network, you must
always along-select the local preselection No. (prefisso).

Terracotta:
A good selection been because of the road included behind San Gimigano toward Pogibonsi, or in
Montelupo (direction Florenz), to one the most important Terracotta made in Italy, a View of
manufacturie you find in the own workshop.

Traffic:
Speed limits: Localities 50 km/h, highway/motorways 90 km/h, partly also 110 km/h
(depending upon sign-posting) and motorways 130km/h.
Caduta sassi = falling rocks
Deviazione = bypass
Divieto di Sosta/Sosta vietata = park prohibition,
e.g. at entries Inizio zona tutelata = beginning of the park prohibited area
Rallentare = slow drive to
Sbarrato = closed
Senso unico = one-way street
Sottopassaggio = underpass
Tutte le direzioni = all directions
Zona di silenzio = honking prohibition
in this Flash film see you typical scenes from the Italian traffic: http://www.radarfalle.de/bilder/bdw/23_02.html

Wine:   
In the restaurant one can order without concern "vino della casa " (house wine), which is usually quite good.
Otherwise one always recognizes a good wine by the price and by opening (glass, cork, label). The chianti
classico (e.g. Gallo nero) D.O.C.G. is a good wine, older classes should the print "riserva " carry. Premium
wines are the Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino or the Nobile di Montepulciano as well as the Rosso
di Montepulciano. As withwine "Vernaccia di San Gimignano" is very recommendable. Enotecha = wine action).

Weekly markets: