Beldames’ Saloon

La Valle a Polvereto is a large stone farmhouse built in the 1700s which was lovingly and painstakingly renovated in 2004 using only original materials and with the architectural features being kept intact.

The farmhouse is situated on top of a hill in an outstandingly beautiful position, just a short distance from the ancient Via Francigena and inside the Chianti Fiorentino and Chianti Classico, where life goes on in perfect harmony with nature, art, culture and tradition.

The apartments are furnished exclusively with period furniture. All the apartments feature a fireplace and independent heating, satellite television, dishwasher, oven, independent entrance and private outside area with garden furniture.

All bedrooms have their own bathroom with shower. The atmosphere is welcoming and marked by warmth and good taste. The farmhouse is surrounded by 28 hectares of parkland featuring a scenic swimming pool (7mx14m), barbecue, car park and belvedere.

Mountain bikes and a laundry complete with all necessary equipment (washing and drying areas, steam irons, etc) are available for use by all guests.
You can also request to have breakfast (with home-made jams and products) in the farmhouse.
Thanks to a special arrangement, guests at La valle a Polvereto can eat at discounted prices at a new typical restaurant in the farm.
La valle a Polvereto offer you the opportunity for your wedding cerimony and Blessing in the garden,for un maximun of 50 people .
Is possible you stay in 24 people in the farm other guests nearby the farm in another accommodation at 300 metres.

Amenities
La Valle a Polvereto offers you the opportunity to experience an oasis of peace and tranquillity in the heart of Tuscany surrounded by the lush greenery of the Florence and Siena.

The farmhouse is situated 380 metres above sea level and dominates the nearby hills that slope down towards the lowlands. From this position you can enjoy a truly breathtaking view of the surrounding nature, from castle and Pieve. The charm of one of the most picturesque panoramas in Tuscany goes hand in hand with a mild and pleasant climate, favoured by the farmhouse’s sheltered position and the hundred year old oaks and evergreens that grow all around it. The park includes an olive grove, orchard, rose garden, natural terraces edged with aromatic shrubs and wide flower borders.The scenic swimming pool is bordered by a large lawn and is elegantly equipped with gazebo, sun beds and deck chairs and a shower built into the garden.

La valle a Polvereto, the park and its panorama form an ideal and exclusive place to take a break in the paradisiacal Tuscan hills in the province of Florence and Siena.

Other than La Valle a Polvereto, you can browse our offers for other in Montespertoli, pls visit our catalogue of hotels in Montespertoli, from cheap to luxury, togheter with Tours in Italy

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Villa Marelea is an exclusive and elegant 4-star hotel located a short walk from the beach of Ascea- Velia (its crystalline sea was already praised by Virgil, and is today awarded both the prestigious European Blue Flag of the beaches and the Sails, the award granted by the Italian Ecolabel Legambiente and by the Touring Club of Italy), as well as only a short walk from the slopes of the Acropolis of the ancient Elea-Velia (the city of Parmenides, the philosopher of Being, and Zeno, the inventor of dialectics and insoluable paradoxes, centre of an important medical and philosophical school).
Today this archaeological area has been declared a World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO as well as included in the list of the Great Cultural Attractions of the Campania region.
Antiquity and nature triumph at ‘Villa Marelea’.
Thanks to the central location of the hotel, one can quickly reach the main tourist attractions of cultural and environmental interest in the National Park of Cilento, such as Acciaroli, Agropoli, Camerota, Padula, Paestum, Palinuro, Pertosa etc.
The building is located in a scenery of exceptional beauty and is conceived to welcome guests that particularly appreciate maximum comfort.
The hotel is committed to the Legambiente Turismo Ecolabel (one of the 59 Ecolabels for Tourism awarded from the World Tourism Organisation) and is listed among the most accommodating hotels ‘recommended for commitment to environmental protection’ (Ecological Hotels).
Friendliness, the main feature of ‘Villa Marelea’, is evident right upon arrival at the reception.
The spirit of the owners’ hospitality makes your stay a memorable experience.
Punctuality and courtesy distinguish the staff, who performs an extraordinarily professional service.
The rooms are all tastefully appointed and of exceptional comfort, featuring double beds and quality materials, in addition to that particular care for details, that characterizes luxury.
The rooms are not marked by numbers but bear names of mythological figures that are known throughout Cilento.
All rooms have its own balcony, shower and hairdryer, thermostatically controlled air conditioning, telephone, safe, minibar, colour satellite TV, radio RDS, PC plug for direct internet access and fax.
A comfortable hotel completely provisioned with refined elements for a prestigious public, endowed with a pleasant inside bar, tv-area in the lower floor, reading launge, restaurant with a cuisine following the canons of the Mediterranean diet (based on delicious dishes in Cilentian tradition) The hotel fitness center is an authentic ‘temple of pleasure’, an ideal place for the comfort of the mind and the body and for a perfect balance between health and serenity of spirit.
It is equipped with hydromassage tub (for hydrotherapy and aromatic therapy), Finnish sauna, Scottish shower, Turkish bath, biothermic shower, massage-room with couch.
Last, but not least, there is a garden, a swimming pool, an adjoining relaxatioin tub, as well as solarium designed for a healthy sunbath.
For the hosts also spinning and mountain bikes.
Thanks to the limited number of rooms, the Hotel is able to garantee quiet and privacy.

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For those holiday makers that have never tried a safari in Africa will probably find it hard to imagine the phenomenal wildlife you may photograph. The tourists who come to a walking safari are regular people like you and me, some are into taking wildlife photos, some tourists are into African animals but all of them are interested in a new fantastic experience. Safari Holiday, Kaingo is the consumers choice for quick, reliable holidays in Africa.

The breathtaking thing about a wildlife safari is the fact it is so different from a normal holiday to France, there are very little children. Each corporation will give you an English speaking guide to take you through the astonishing areas of Africa. The most popular animals you can see are cheetahs. The aforementioned stunning animals are not tame and of course don?t scare them. If you are interested in taking photos of the wolves you should make sure you turn off the flash as you do not want to scare the wildlife. The terrific wildlife in Africa can often put a huge grin on your face.

If you would enjoy to discover more about spectacular safaris in Southern Africa you will probably use the search engine like Google to behold a safari company that offers safari holidays from the UK, the prices will probably range from 100 pounds to one thousand pounds.

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The thought of an African safari can often probably stir up the thoughts of joys and the location of Africa. South African safaris have been well accepted in Zambia for years and have become popular with the British holiday tourists cause of the great weather and the phenomenal wildlife that might often be explored.

The very best time to investigate Africa for a marvellous walking safari is around May as the weather is fantastic. The number of Irish tourists who travel over to Zambia for a walking safari has significantly increased in the last 9 decades due to the strong pound and also due to the increased attention of South Africa. Visit the South Luangwa National Park through Shenton and see lions upclose.

The wildlife that you will probably find is massive, you might well see lions and eagles all up close. Africa is great for folk who want to come and explore the animals and also wish for a romantic vacation. The walking safaris are not too strenuous that you couldn’t possibly go back to your marvellous hotel in the evening for a romantic evening. That is why safaris in Zambia will probably be perfect for a honeymoon. Zambia has some of the best privately owned lodges and walking safaris in the universe and should be experienced by everyone at least once.

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Public Business & Image

Individuals of the British Royal Family play a part in many tens of hundreds of royal functions every month, all over the UK, as formally recorded in the Court Circular, to admire, encourage and discover the achievements or performances of people societies and businesses in an array of parts of life. As representatives of the sovereign, they regularly connect with the British Nation in celebrating recorded occasions, vacations, celebratory & sad episodes and generally she also sponsors or partakes in many generous, cultural and public activities.

Their tours overseas on behalf of the United Kingdom (also referred to as State Visits when the sovereign legitimately visits other government officials) attracts public attention to good-natured affairs within & between the Commonwealth and other nations, to British cargo and trade, & to Britain as a historical, vacation, and visitor destination. Their current tasks and usual; positions adds up to the height of a current “royal court,” & supply a completely British & historical vision to ceremonies (e.g. Trooping the Colour) & flavour to public demonstrations (For example, Garden Parties, Royal Ascot).

Right the way through their lives they draw immense public attention in the form of photographic, printed and TV commentary on their activities, family contact, rites of passage, personalities, garments, manners, and public roles.

Royal Payment

Money that aid the British Queen in the process of her responsibilities as the head of state of the U.K. comes from the Civil List. This is a return of a miniature piece of the earnings from the Crown Lands that are supplied by the head of state to parliament at the induction of each and every reign; all Crown Land being overseen by The Crown Estates, an institution that is completely answerable to parliament. In the 2003-04 monetary year, the sum surrendered was one-hundred and seventy six million pounds, where the Queen’s overheads was only ?36 million. The Queen’s expenses doesn’t however contain the expenditure of guards. For details about the Royal Family History, visit the Enjoy England website.

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Over the summer my girlfriend and her step-daughter left Baltimore, Maryland and headed for Texas. After Texas they headed to California. From there it was on to Mount Rushmore and home. Well, you get it - she drove all over the country. In fact over 7,000 miles.

What she drove was a 31 foot Coachman RV. She did 99% of the driving; her step-daughter did do a little. But they did work like a team and watch each other when they had to park in the camp sites. We all know how tight some camp sites are, but with a little faness anybody can drive a large RV. Lori is only 5ft 2in tall and weights 110lbs. She has gotten really good driving the RV.

The reason I’m telling you all this is because when we are on the road we always have someone ask if she drives the RV. When they hear that she does the next question is always how well she does.

So we were wondering, what is the deal with driving the RV. For all those not used to driving an RV and think that it is hard to do, we want to share some tips. The trick about driving any size vehicle or towing is the way you set your vehicle up. What I mean by that is getting your head on straight and setting your mirrors properly because that is all you have to work with. Know that when you make a right hand turn you need more room than a car does. Therefore allow for it every time.

Most accidents are caused by not watching how much room you have. One thing you can do to practice how much room you have when you use your mirrors is to have some one drive down the road in the right hand lane and you practice moving to the right. They can use their lights if you do not have enough room to move over. This way you can learn without hurting anything.

You can also do this at night. Practicing at night is a very good thing. A school parking lot is a good place to practice backing up and turning or even parallel parking. Yes you can parallel park a motorhome. My girl had to parallel park the 31 foot RV at a restaurant where they had stopped to eat. You do not have to be afraid of driving a large RV or trailer or even a 5th wheel.

If you take the time to do a little practice, you will be fine. Plus your partner will appreciate this. It is always nice to have that extra driver or second pair of eyes. I have all the faith in the world in my girl when it is her turn to drive. We love to travel a lot and wanted to share a little bit of information on our experiences. I hope this article helps you. Maybe we will see you on the road some where.

Happy RV’ing and Blue Skies

The author and his girlfriend are avid RV’ers who love traveling in their motorhome and seeing the beautiful sights all across the United States.
http://www.1RVdirectory.com

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The Holiday Season. Does time seem to compress, or is it just me? There’s so much going on — the end of autumn, the beginning of winter, and all the holidays that follow. As a child it was an exciting time of year. As an adult, it seems filled with more shopping, baking, parties, and other events than I can squeeze into the available time.

In Aikido, the martial art that I practice and teach, we have something called “randori,” an exercise in which the student stands alone on the practice mat and as many as five opponents attack simultaneously. Sometimes the holidays feel like this — which task, event, or relationship do I take on first?

The first secret of randori is to handle one attack at a time. I can’t let myself become overwhelmed by the enormity of what’s out there. I must stay fully present with what’s right in front of me. It’s hard to do, but it saves time, energy, and wear and tear!

Secret #2 is to engage the attack. Though it sounds counterintuitive, welcoming the attack puts me in charge of it. I decide what I want to handle first and move toward it.

Planning a family dinner, finding places to stay for the relatives, shopping for holiday gifts, getting the budget report done on time, AND hiring a new administrative assistant — each task by itself might be doable, even enjoyable, but taken together they seem overwhelming. How to stay balanced and effective?

In the midst of life’s multiple, simultaneous events:
Know that each can be an attack or a gift — it’s up to you.
Engage one task at a time.
Every time you experience the pressure of “How can I possibly do it all?” — stop and BE where you are, and give your relaxed presence to the task at hand.

Gradually you’ll feel in charge of the only things you can be in charge of — yourself and the present moment.

Happy Holidays!

© 2004 Judy Ringer, Power & Presence Training

You’re welcome to reprint this story. If you do, please include this reference: Judy Ringer is a conflict and communication skills trainer, black belt in aikido, and sole owner of Power & Presence Training. For ideas and inspiration on conflict, communication, and creating the life you want, visit us online at http://www.JudyRinger.com/

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Ireland is a fantastically beautiful country, and is best seen from a car. Renting a car in Dublin or elsewhere in Ireland will give you the flexibility and comfort that will make your trip to Ireland even better than it would have been.

A car rental in Dublin itself can be rather pricey, so it is always best to research deals on the internet before you go. The internet will give you all the options available, if you know where to look. Booking in advance will also give you the peace of mind that you already have a car reserved, and don’t have to worry if whatever car rental location you end up at will have a car for you.

Nova Car Hire, based in Killorglin, County Kerry, Ireland, is an agent for Alamo, Budget, European, and National car rental companies, and can offer greatly discounted rates to renters. They can be found online at http://www.rentacar-ireland.com.

I did a quick comparison of online quotes from Nova Car Hire and Hertz on a compact sedan. What came up on Nova was a Ford Focus and an Open Astra. I did a 20-day rental during high season. The Focus showed a savings of over 58% at Nova as compared to Hertz. That’s a significant savings ($745 over the 20 day period).

However, the Opel Astra was 79% higher at Nova as compared to Hertz. That’s going to cost you an extra $1,150 to rent the car.

There are two major lessons here:
First, do your research and get all the online quotes you can get. Prices vary greatly with availability of inventory, demand, and more. Try renting from different pickup locations, not just the airport. Look for deals and they can still be found.

The second lesson here is that it can be difficult to compare apples to oranges, as we say in the USA. Case in point, one of the reasons the Astra was so much higher at Nova was because that was for an automatic transmission vehicle, compared to a manual transmission Astra without air conditioning at Hertz. Same with the Ford Focus, it was manual at Nova and automatic at Hertz.

Shop around the internet and you will find the right deal for you. Book your reservation in advance to get the best deals, but check again just before you go to see if there are any better short-term deals.

The beauty is this can all be done over the internet. Find your best rental car deal now!

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Tarangire is maybe the most underrated National Park in Tanzania. The park is named after the Tarangire River that runs through the center of the park from south to northwest and drains into Lake Burungi. Tarangire is famed for its many herds of elephant and the huge prolific of baobab trees. The Tarangire is home to many of the African mammals including lion, leopard, African buffalo, and lesser and great kudu; and also boasts a multitude of bird species birds. Many visitors think they know the Tarangire but they only know the busy northern tip of this National Park.

The Tarangire has the highest concentration of wildlife during the dry season, starting in July and depending on the short rains [usually in November] lasting until February. This alone is reason to make this park a top priority for a safari in the dry season. Book into one of the very few camps that are located in the south or the middle of Tarangire’s unspoilt wilderness area. There are only a very few camps and they are ideally placed to access the yearly migrations of wildlife throughout the ecosystem, and to view the impressive concentrations at waterholes for a 6-7 month season each year.

Tarangire wilderness area offers the visitors a rare treat, excursions into the bush on foot. These walking safaris are close to the camps and one tented camp allows longer walking adventures in the endless woodlands and plains habitat. Off road driving is another privilege of this area, something that is not available in any other National Parks in Tanzania.

The Tarangire away from the touristy northern areas offers a unique possibility of walking inside the magnificent Tarangire National Park! The variety of habitats here include open plains, acacia woodlands, tree lined sand rivers, swamps and challenging hill climbs. The walking opportunities in this area range from a gentle stroll near the camp, to a full day out on foot across the Park exploring the recently opened wilderness area.

The migratory herds of wildebeest, buffalo, zebra and elephant offer the visitors to this part of the Tarangire great wildlife viewing every day. The big cats are never far away from the huge herds of grazers in their never ending search for water during the dray season. Few visitors to this part of the park means long game drives undisturbed by other vehicles.

The Tarangire area has distinct seasons - the best times are undoubtedly mid June to February. It is in this period that the concentrations of wildlife in the park reach stunning levels as migratory herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo and elephant move inside the park in search of the park’s water sources, the Tarangire river and the Silale swamp, with lions, leopard and other predators following theirs steps closely.

For more information on Tanzania and the Tarangire look at http://www.tanzania-info.co.uk and for safaris look at http://www.betheladventure.co.uk - Support responsible tourism and change lives.

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Early on in our Mexico experience, we still had not learned much Spanish. In fact, when we arrived, our huge Spanish vocabulary consisted of about two words: si and no.

We were in Villahermosa for about a month before we felt comfortable in most situations and that was only because we were experiencing full immersion learning of the language.

One big encouragement to learning the language is that we ate in the hospital cafeteria three meals a day. Unfortunately, they did not eat at the times that we expected meals. So, for the first couple of days we made it to about one meal a day.

I can tell you that an empty stomach is a strong reason to learn the language.

During that early time, one lady asked my wife if she could use the bao. My wife, knowing that bao means the bath, told her that she could not use the bao until the next day. However, the lady was asking to go to the bathroom. She was not really interested in waiting until the next day!
While the local Mexicans were laughing at that, they told us about a minister that had come over from Florida and had the church service while he was there. He showed up late and told the people that he was muy embarasado for showing up late. Unfortunately the words for embarrassed and pregnant are very close. He had used the wrong one.

We asked a lot of people and nobody could tell us what his sermon was about.

My father in law was driving down in Mexico as a tourist one time when he suddenly was stopped by soldiers at a check point. The soldier came up and forcefully asked him something in Spanish. My father in law was all flustered and blurted out, “No speaka de English!” The soldier laughed and waved him on.

The problems work the other way too.

I had a teacher in high school who was from Germany. He had been taught English from the time he was in grade school. However, some of the subtleties still excaped him.

When he first came to the United States he was asked to introduce a speaker for some meeting. He told us that this lady was quite large. In fact she was very large. She was also fairly important. Her reputation was of being simply tremendous. So, he proceded to introduce here like this: “I want to present to you a lady who is simply enormous.”

You might think that I am trying to tell you not to bother trying to learn or speak a foreign language. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

I am trying to tell you that along the way you may give other people a good laugh. But it is a rare individual who will take offense at you slaughtering their mother tongue.

And, you can take comfort in the fact that when you screw up, you are certainly not alone.

Our family has traveled all over the world on vacations and doing volunteer work. We have been to every continent except Antarctica and hope to go there some day. Find more about our experiences with travel at I Love Travel Vacations

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