Piacere: Getting to Know Dave

Name: Dave Smurthwaite

Age: Younger than most people think

Profession: Creative Director (i.e. professional doodler), and father/referee to three young boys (Noah 5, Sam 3, Oliver 1)

Dave Likes: Wood-fire oven pizzas, writing, art of every age, tickling my boys to the point of bladder malfunction, the BBC show Top Gear, my wife's cooking, learning new languages, meeting new people, Italian hot chocolate, Italian chocolate in general, road biking, Orzo, Chinotto

Dave Dislikes: Beef stroganoff, styrofoam, close-minded people, and the scratchy sound one makes with balloons

Piacere: Getting to Know Marisa

Name: Marisa Smurthwaite

Age: Younger (and more beautiful) with every trip she takes

Profession: Full-time mother/wrestler of three small boys (Noah 5, Sam 3, Oliver 1), part-time French professor

Marisa Likes: Everything about Italy, traveling with (and without) her boys, yogurt gelato, focaccia, good Italian leather boots, cooking, cuddling with her boys, reading, sweets of every kind, vampires in Volterra (i.e. the Twilight Series), and her husband

Marisa Dislikes: Nothing--she's the most positive person you'll ever meet. Okay, well she is really not fond of two things: boy fights and boy screams (which occur once every 1.25 minutes during waking hours).

Welcome to la Toscana 2010

Benvenuto tutti! If you're reading this post it's either because you're planning on traveling with us September of next year or you've mistaken this blog for the Official Tourism Site of Tuscany... understandable.

Just a quick reminder on the nuts and bolts of our Roman/Tuscan adventure:

• Dates: September 15-26, 2010
• Hosts: David & Marisa Smurthwaite and Rich & Pam Smurthwaite
• Total Number in Group: 12 adults, plus the hosts (16 total)

As you'll recall reading in your introduction letter, we believe strongly in equipping our fellow travelers with as much historical and cultural background as possible. Hence, this blog will be an attempt at injecting some additional flavor into your travel experience. In the coming weeks/months you can expect to see everything from travel tips to gelato pronunciation guides to fun things to check out before you hit the ground.

Oh, and by the way, to see the Official Tourism Site of Tuscany click here.