It’s been almost four years now since we moved out here to the region of Lunigiana, northern Tuscany, and there is hardly a day goes by that I don’t wonder about how we got here in the first place.

It was 12 years ago that, while looking for a cheap last minute holiday in the travel agents, I spotted on the teletext TV screen suspended on the wall ” Italy, 3* hotel, half board, 69 pounds sterling”. Interrupting the girl, who was reciting the list of cheap Spanish holiday destinations like she did it all day every day – which she probably did, I asked about the Italian offer, was it genuine and if so was it still available? For a moment she looked shocked, and then realized she had something more interesting to do for a change. “You like Italy?” “Don’t know, I’ve never been and never considered it because I presumed it would be very expensive.” She perked up a bit and came out of the screen she must have been permanently asked to scroll through and set off in pursuit of the elusive offer on the screen. Yes, it was genuine, and for the following week to Lido di Jesolo, a destination I had seen as a child on a TV programme on exciting foreign holidays – then a new concept.

We booked and flew out the following week, the resort itself we didn’t much care for, not being used to the little “private beach” concept and there seemed little to do -especially as the entire place seemed to shut down between noon and 4pm! The fact that the deal for flight and hotel was so cheap we “splashed out” on 3 excursions, the first being a combined trip to Verona and then on to Lake Garda and the resort of Sirmioni. The second to Venice for the afternoon and evening, and the third to Florence – which they didn’t say was 5 hours away – where we had a whistle stop walking tour with a Florentine guide, then an hour to find our way back to the coach (which had had to circle the city as they had forgotten to book in advance to enter the city and park up).

We were astounded at the beauty of the architecture and colors of the cities, who wouldn’t be? Who would have guessed that all this was on offer, and for the price of a cheap boozy Spanish destination? We quickly became adjusted to the strange way meals were served bit by bit – the first hotel meal we had we were about to leave after the