Italy is full of wonders and charms. These things are obvious: historic cities, breathtaking art and museums, and of course, the food. But my most vivid memories of Italy are almost invariably tied to an individual person or experience beyond any particular location. As an example of such a person, allow let me introduce Claudia Morace.
About ten years ago, I had planned a family trip to Florence. I was coming from the West Coast and then meeting my brothers and sister in Italy; they were traveling separately from Boston. But fate, in the form of aircraft problems and a hastily cancelled flight, intervened. As a result, my family was unable to meet me in Italy scuttling the trip. To make the situation worse, I only learned this upon landing in Florence! I had booked an apartment through VRBO in the city for our trip. Our host was Claudia Morace. Upon learning what happened, I called Claudia and explained my predicament and that I would be going home early due to the unexpected travel problems. She could not have been more understanding and helpful; she reduced our fee and even booked me a driver to take me to Pisa for my return flight home. (Side note: If you haven’t driven at 75-80 miles per hour on a secondary road at 4:30am from Florence to Pisa, you will want to take your heart medication beforehand.)
A couple of years later, I was planning for a long-term visit to Italy with my wife and two young boys. We had recently gotten our Italian citizenship and wanted to spend an extended period in-country to more fully experience life there. I reached out to Claudia to see if she might know of any long-term accommodations near Florence. She immediately connected me with a friend of hers who had a perfect rental home near Panzano in Tuscany. Again, thanks to her kindness and willingness to reach out, we had an amazing experience. For three months, we felt what it was like to live like locals not merely tourists ... or as close as is possible for *stranieri* (foreigners!)
In addition to the apartments she owns and rents in Florence, Claudia hosts guests at her farm in central Tuscany between Florence and Siena. The Brits call this area “Chianti-shire” because it’s a popular spot for those who want to visit wineries in an area where the Sangiovese grapes and the resulting Chianti varietal is plentiful. Claudia’s farm produces award winning wines and olive oil from fruit grown on the farm. I have purchased oil — much more than I usually need, but I cannot resist — from her annual harvest. Her oil is unlike anything you will find available here in the U.S. even at premium or speciality stores. If you have never experienced fresh, first press olive oil, I urge you to order from Claudia. Olives are typically harvested in October and production time is from late October to November; she typically ships late in November. I can personally attest to the quality of the packing and the timely delivery. Please reach out to me if you’re interested in placing an order for oil or wine! Also, you can get information about visiting or staying at Claudia’s farm Casino di Sala in Panzano via this link: www.stayitalia.com/casino.html.
I will finish this note where we began: Claudia’s in-city Florence apartments. With the huge growth in Italian tourism in recent years, I always recommend that folks avoid the hotels and rentals that are closest to the popular tourist sights. The perceived convenience of being close to the sights will be quickly outweighed by the complete lack of anything close to a genuine experience. Claudia’s rentals are convenient to the city center but far enough away to enable you to feel like you’re part of the city — not part of the crowd. She has two distinct locations which you can rent separately or together if you have a larger group. I urge you to consider them when you’re planning your travel to Florence. The direct links are: www.vrbo.com/165586 & https://www.vrbo.com/92298.