In 2001, Tanya Falcioni bought a new home called Casa Falcioni along with 570 olive trees in Cavriglia, a small town in the heart of Tuscany. Situated atop a rolling hillside surrounded by cypress and chestnut trees, the olive groves of Casa Falcioni afford spectacular views of the Valdarno (Valley of the Arno). In June that year, her son Lorenzo was born. By November, Tanya was picking olives during the harvest season with her newborn son in a cradle beside her in the groves. She remembers the peaceful outdoors and fresh air enabling him to sleep as she worked.
A couple years later, my husband and I traveled with our 7-year old son Dante from San Jose, California to help the Falcioni’s pick olives during the harvest. I’d been traveling to Italy for over 25 years and couldn’t wait to take Dante so that he could enjoy the sights and sounds of this magical country.
Olive picking is very easy, for people of any age. We start off by laying down a square-shaped net, with a slit in it, around the trunk of the tree. Everyone gets outfitted with a pair of special gloves and small plastic rakes. We then start picking from all sides and climb ladders to reach the top. We either use gloved hands to comb through the soft branches or use mini hand-held rakes to remove the olives from the tree. “We want to collect the olives off every branch and be sure to watch our footing, so we don’t crush them once they’ve fallen to the ground,” reminds Tanya.
Typically the 12 o’clock chimes from the neighboring church remind us that it’s time to finish up before our lunch break. We take a break for a warm homemade lunch of pasta that has been tossed with the Falcioni’s own oil, of course. It is already a perfect travel day and it is only 12 noon! After our tummies are full, we go back to work until about 4:30pm as it starts to get dark soon after.
As children age, they become more helpful during the harvest. Olive collecting is not strenuous and each child is able to work on a section of the tree either together or independently. Although small children under the age of 5 may forget and step on olives in the net, their little hands are helpful with taking out extra branches or excess leaves that fall into the net. Picking olives atop a ladder tends to be the highlight, but for safety reasons that job is usually reserved for older children or an experienced adult.
Kids just love the whole olive oil collecting experience! (The optimal age for “serious” olive picking is age 9, but young children can also enjoy many aspects of this outdoor experience.) Olive picking is relaxing and affords a fun way to enjoy quality time with family and friends in a natural setting. Not only can the children pick olives, but the spacious Falcioni property is perfect for outdoor play. Our son, Dante found the start-to-finish process of collecting olives followed by seeing them pressed into oil fascinating. Each Harvest Italia guest will be able to take home a bottle of olive oil made from their hand-picked olives which makes the experience even more rewarding.
Casa Falcioni is also located in the heart of Tuscany where families can easily enjoy short hikes and trips to the local towns and cities to explore museums, churches and outdoor markets and enjoy the slower pace of Italian life and the beautiful Tuscan landscape during the fall. Food is never a problem for kids in Italy as there is pizza, pasta, bread, cheese and gelato – kids’ dream foods!!
Florence (only 30 minutes away) offers a myriad of fun activities for children of all ages. Art and science is on every corner. Kids can climb to the top of the Duomo (the old church) to see incredible views of the city that was the capital of the Renaissance and to this day blends centuries old architecture with the hustle and bustle of a modern city. There’s the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) with street performers, food and wonderful jewelry, and the Palazzo Vecchio where guided tours with actors in costume take you through the palace and recount history in fascinating ways geared to childrens’ level of understanding – and much more.
Experience Harvest Italia 2010 first-hand
The “Harvest Italia 2010” tour is a seven night/eight day tour to Tuscany, Italy, November 1 – 8, 2010 and is a once in a lifetime family vacation experience designed to coincide with the annual olive harvest which occurs each year during this time period. Tour guests will learn how to pick olives and see their self-picked olives turned into olive oil at a local olive pressing facility. The tour is offered by Spirit of Italy Tours, a boutique travel company offering small groups of travelers’ intimate, lower-paced journeys to Tuscany. On the Spirit of Italy Tours website, you’ll find more details about the Harvest Italia 2010 including our background, itinerary, pricing and registration. An informational event will take place on Sunday, March 21st at Ristorante Da Mario in Saratoga.
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This article was written by Vicky Gray-Clark, founder and tour operator of Spirit of Italy Tours. Vicky is an Italophile (one who loves all things Italian) and one day found herself organizing a tour to Tuscany, her favorite region in the country.
Happy New Year! Whether you want to get away for Martin Luther King, President’s Weekend or a Winter Getaway, book now and save up to 30% in snowy or sunny destinations. Book by February 1, 2010, travel by February 28, 2010. Remember, we guarantee lowest pricing!
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(Photo credit: Warner Canyon)
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Save even more with the Exclusive Trekaroo/Hotels.com rebate when you stay 3+ nights!
For more deals, go to www.trekaroo.com/bookings.
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Trekaroo is a reviews site 100% dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids. It is where travel-savvy parents share their inside scoop about hotels, activities and restaurants. Trekaroo is an affiliate partner of Expedia.com/Hotels.com, so we make a commission for all travel booked on Trekaroo.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA | WA
Here are some of hotels that Trekaroo families are recommending for our next visit to New York City with the kids.
Best Family-Friendly Hotel in NYC (Editor’s Choice) – Hotel Beacon
For our last vacation hooray this summer, we stayed at the Hotel Beacon on the Upper West Side. I was blown away! I’ve got a 2 year old son, so I wanted to stay in the Upper West Side to make it easy to get to the Children’s Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park and more. The Hotel Beacon was within easy walking distance to all the mentioned attractions and the price just made it all the better.
What’s to love
- Location, location, location (top NYC family attraction within walking distance, easy subway access, grocery store across the street, yummy restaurants all around)
- Newly renovated large suites (bathrooms are separate and not attached to bedrooms)
- Fully equipped kitchens in all rooms (standard and suites)
- Price ($245 for a one-bedroom suite Sun/Mon, $295/night Tue-Sat)
- Service
What’s not to love
- The fact that it was sold out when we wanted to extend our stay. Bummer!
For my full review, go to Hotel Beacon. To check on availability and current rates at the Hotel Beacon.
Other kid-friendly hotels
WooGo Central Park – Tempo Apartments
Also on the Upper West Side, the Tempo Apartments has a collection of studios and one-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens and hard-wood floors. Book now and save 30% on travel through October 31st. Rates start at $192/night. To check on availability and current rates at Tempo Apartments.
The Pod Hotel New York
A hip, new hotel in midtown New York has got the normal rooms and bunkbed rooms! Perfect for familes with teens and tweens. Book now and save 25% off their average nightly rate of $229.
On The Ave Hotel
Another Upper West side hotel (can you tell that I like the UWS?). Book now and receive 30% off their average nightly rates ($282/night for a regular room)
Hotels with pools
Gramercy Park Hotel (Gramercy Park, Rates start at $595/night)
Empire Hotel (Newly renovated Midtown hotel, Rates start at $350/night)
Hotel Gansevoort (Located in the West village – Rates start at $465/night)
Travel Inn Hotel (Located in Midtown West, outdoor pool, Rates start at $142/night). Only hotel with free parking in NYC.
- For more hotels for kids in New York City
- For nearby activities for kids in New York City
- Hot List of Best Places to take Kids in New York City (NYC)
- Where Families Should Go in NYC when the Weather’s Bad
- 13 Things I Learned Visiting NYC with 2 Young Kids
- Must-See New York City attractions
Esther Lee is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | FL | HI | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA
The Trekaroo KidsMobile has a full tank of gas and we’re off to find the best activities for families to take their kids to in cities and destinations all across the US.
Our first stop… New York City!!!!
With the help of our entire Trekaroo community and a group of mommy and daddy bloggers, we’ve pulled together a slew of tips and lists on what to do when traveling in New York with Kids.
According to the thousands of reviews from Trekaroo parents, here’s Trekaroo’s Hot List of Best Places to take Kids in New York City (NYC) and Best Kid-friendly Hotels in New York City.
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Next, Meryl Pearlstein, the author of Fodor’s Families: New York City with Kids Guidebook tells us Where Families Should Go in NYC when the Weather’s Bad. Check out her blog – Travel Food Notes. That’s where I found out about a new foodtruck in New York that’s selling my favorite… Cupcakes!
Next, if you’re looking for tips on traveling to NYC, Tony Chen’s got you covered with 13 Things I Learned Visiting NYC with 2 Young Kids. Tony’s a blogging dad extraordinaire at SavvyDaddy, a content-rich website and online community for dads. His mantra… my kids rock my world.
Lastly, local mommy expert Carol Cain, the fabulous woman behind her blog NYCityMama shares her Must-See New York City attractions and reviews of various places around town with Trekaroo. I’m a rookie behind the camera lens, but you should definitely check out her pictures at NYCityMama.
More Resources for New York City:
Next week, we’ll be heading to the Left Coast to the fine city of Los Angeles.
The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist. It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while
1) expressing their unique point of view
2) getting a web of link exchanges.
Join us for one of our next stopovers.
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Esther Lee is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | FL | HI | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA
