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So, leaving Firenze we headed, by rental car, an hour and a half into the Tuscan Hills and the hamlet of Iano. There we, and five couples from our neighbourhood (we called ourselves the Tuscan Twelve), had secured a week in what we hoped would be a beautiful villa.

The vacation was planned as a once-in-a-lifetime event to celebrate special wedding anniversaries, birthdays and life. The idea was that each couple would plan their own vacation ~ some started in Rome and toured the Amalfi; another couple started in Venizia and drove through the mountains; we started in Firenze ~ and that we’d all gather for a week at the villa and then go our separate ways to get home.

It took several meetings and a year of planning to bring it all together. We found the villa through a luxury villa rental site and identified all the important amenities we wanted to define our search. Rooms with ensuites, a swimming pool, a view, an indoor and outdoor dining area that would accommodate all 12 of us, laundry facilities, etc. helped us come to a final decision.

I can clearly remember the afternoon we converged on Colle Sereno, and how awestruck we were by the beauty of the area. We could hardly believe our good fortune. The villa and location exceeded our expectations in every way.

For dinner the first evening (which we had arranged in advance ~ we fed ourselves for the rest of the stay except for our final meal) the housekeeper served an incredible multi-course extravaganza so delicious that even the pickiest eater among us couldn’t get enough.

Between courses we congregated on the balcony to absorb the incredible sunset as it boldly painted the horizon.

All the hours spent planning had been worth it. We knew we were going to have an amazing week.

Thanks for visiting …

Dorothy 🙂

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©Dorothy Chiotti … Aimwell CreativeWorks 2015