My name is Sauro, I was born in Lucca, Tuscany. In 2001, I relocated to the region of Niagara, Ontario, Canada, working for different Travel Agencies as TICO registered Travel Consultant specializing in Tuscany and Cinque Terre. As Tuscan native, I immensely love my homeland and I proudly worked for more than ten years supplying  travelers with only the best of my knowledge and customizing meticulously many different tailor-made itineraries.  

My itineraries feature beautiful villas among the vineyards, dinners in typical Tuscan eateries, cooking classes with my own friends and day tours off-the-beaten-track discovering secluded and unspoiled hidden villages full of beauty, mystery and history.      

Many of my customers that had the opportunity to visit what I love to call “My Own Tuscany” have expressed the desire to return again, even for longer periods of time.  Many of which have sent me thank-you notes of gratitude for their enjoyable vacation with extremely positive feedback. Some have even become good friends. 

Thank you! Grazie!

 Ciao

Sauro

In the last ten years many Tuscan countryside properties have been transformed into comfortable inns and Bed & Breakfasts offering exclusive farm holiday vacations and are  generally called “Agriturism“ despite being  substantially different from countryside farm inns in other countries, or even in other Italian rural areas. In fact  their architecture and their rich history of exclusive residences belonged to prominent medieval families make them often look like small castles.

These properties are usually nestled in amazing hillside settings  featuring  a main villa surrounded by guest-house cottages.They are mostly located in the well-known countryside areas of Florence, Lucca and Siena,  in what I love to call “My Own Tuscany“. This kind of accommodation is ideal for travelers  looking for a rustic but sophisticated environment  in which to return at night after a long day touring.

Lucca is a city of some 90,000 people in Tuscany. Its long history goes back to Etruscan and Ancient Roman times, and the city retains pieces of Ancient architecture. Lucca’s great era was in the Gothic era just before the Renaissance, and the city contains much marvelous architecture from that era. Lucca remained an independent city state until the end of the 18th century.

Lucca is  the hometown of Puccini, and operas are held regularly. Be sure to come by during the summer months, as the area is regularly dotted with Puccini festivals, hosting a variety of young opera singers from across Europe and North America.

Lucca is small enough to easily walk to any site. Within the city walls there is very limited motor vehicle use allowed and one can walk or cycle on top of the ancient city walls. The entire perimeter is approximately 4 km.

During the Summer Festival (usually around July) you can expect big name artists to performing on a stage set up in one of the main squares.