So we've all gotten use to charging everything to credit cards these days, but while in Italy, it's always a good idea to keep some Euro cash on you, because every now and then you end up in a small store or restaurant that just doesn't accept credit cards, or a credit card is declined for some random international reason...
Another thing to be aware of, is that often while we're out and about touring a village or city you'll find that there's commonly a charge to use a public restroom... Usually in the neighborhood of 50 Euro cents... Sometimes there's an attendant, and other times there's just a turnstile,.. Whatever... trust us on this, you're gonna want to have coins! In cafes & restaurants of course there's no charge to use the restrooms, but they're very, very strict about the fact that restrooms are for their customers only.
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These are the eight Italian coins... sometimes
in bigger cities, some unscrupulous retailers
will try to pass off old (worthless)Italian Lire
coins on you... keep a sharp eye out for this...
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Parking is another situation where you'll want to have coins... As we've written about here before, many parking lots will have a kiosk to purchase parking time... In bigger more touristy areas, the machines take credit cards, but in the smaller villages, you'll need coins! There are eight different denominations of euro coins: 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, €1 and €2.
We suggest starting from day one, you keep a pocket full of coins wherever you go! Don't be tempted to give a retailer exact change... Every now and then, pay with cash, so that you get coins...
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| Our Grand Tuscan Breakfast Buffet |
Here's the typical day's scenario; You'll get up and have breakfast at the Villa... Our
"Abbondante Tuscan Breakfast Buffets" at the Villa are substantial... This is
not your typical European
"Coffee and a Stale Roll Continental Breakfast..." We have assorted juices, waters, teas, coffees, Prosecco, Mimosas, pastries, assorted granolas, nuts, dried fruits, Tuscan specialty meats, fresh fruits, freshly sliced melons, fresh berries, a Tuscan cheese board, hot scrambled Eggs with pancetta and a Toasting Station with assorted breads & muffins!
You'll surely want to try a glass or two of Italy's amazing Blood Orange, Carrot and Lemon Juice... I know... We don't drink juice at home either, but once you taste this incredible meritage of juice, you'll love it! And we also have Mimosas, so you might like one of those! Then a couple cups of coffee or Espresso... (Italy has the best Coffee Roasters in the world). We get Lavazza, and if you're not familiar, you'll be pleasantly surprised... Let's just say it's somewhat more bold and flavorful than Folgers... And they don't have "half & half", so we get Panna Fresca, (fresh cream) for our coffee bar... all this being said, the coffees and juices are delizioso, so you'll be tempted to have more than you usually have at home...
Now, after breakfast, we head out on the road and it's usually 30 minutes to an hour to get to our first destination... Till we get parked and walk into town, you're gonna want those coins in your pocket... or you're sure to be the one yelling "I've gotta pee... who's got coins!"
