Paradise for Mum and babies in Tuscany. This is what one of our mums wrote on her blog see Flora's comments on arealholiday.wordpress.com/ I have just got back from 2 very different mum and baby breaks in Italy, the first was a fitness break where all 5 mums lost between 1 and half and 2 and half kilos. Alessia de Magistris is our personal trainer and gives a 1 to 1 session on arrival, taking weight and measurements and does 4 fun fitness classes outdoors in a stunning setting with Lake and hill views. Makes Exercise so much easier! We started the mornings with fresh juice followed by circuit training by the pool. There is something beautiful about exercising outdoors with beautiful views and fresh air. At 10 am I prepare a healthy breakfast of muesli and yogurt and herbal tea. Some mornings we have freshly laid eggs from our neighbour's farm or porridge with nuts and seeds to see us through our mid-morning exercise class. Lunch, served on the terrace,is a healthy salad or something like spinach, lentils and buckwheat and all mums said they did not feel hungry in between meals , but gladly welcomed a mid afternoon snack of fruit before the 2 late afternoon classes of fighting fit and fusion (a mixture of pilates, tai chi and yoga)Babies and toddlers are looked after while Mums exercise in the well equipped garden. Afternoons are spent at leisure , chatting to other mums , or swimming and sunbathing or even having a well deserved siesta. Dinners are healthy soups such as minestrone or spelt soup, a local speciality and salads such as fennel and orange, all organic and local produce. Mums commented on how tasty all the meals, and although the portion sizes were controlled how much more healthy and energetic they were. The yoga and cooking breaks are a more relaxed pace with lots of eating and drinking (wine is included), We have 2 yoga classes by the pool,conducted by Jessica st clair, one in the morning and one in the evening. An afternoon cooking lesson is given by Fernanda or Giovanna and dinner is what has been cooked. On the last evening we learn to make pizza in our outdoor oven and all the mums said it was the best pizza they had eaten (the ones Giovanna made, not their efforts!). The mums and toddlers also had a go at making pasta and one of the mums has e-mailed me to say she has tried at home since getting back.We also made tiramisu, panna cotta, risotto with funghi porcini and spelt soup. On the Wednesday we visited the local market at the medieval town of Anghiari and then had a local lunch at the olive mill. The mums said this was a definite highlight.We arrived at 1pm and left at 5! We tried all the local oils, including truffle oil and orange oil and Francesco's home made wine. Mums also had a chance to buy the local olive oil, wine and olive oil cosmetics. The walk back to the cars through the olive and cherry trees was our exercise for the day as after ll the wine the mums decided to give yoga a miss for that evening (Jessica made up for it the next day with a double session) By the Friday morning, when the mini bus came to take the Mums and little ones back to Perugia airport all the Mums and babies and toddlers looked relaxed, tanned and happy and swapped e-mails and hopefully made some lasting friendships as well as having a relaxed and happy holiday with the added bonus of loosing weight on the fitness breaks. The next breaks are in September, but the family friendly villa can be hired out on a self catering basis throughout the summer with cook, babysitter and cooking lessons on request. |
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