About travel in general:

• Slow Travelers , an independent site about travel in Italy and other countries. Lots of practical information, sources for trip planning, reviews, message board.
• JoeSentMe , an independent site for business traveler, covers many useful topics for all travelers, sign up for interesting news letters, good links.

          Italy in general:

• Current Weather in Italy, you can select regions and cities for 3 day forecast
• goItaly , Italy for Visitors: news, stories, travel information
• Italian tourist Web Guide , an extensive site with great information, in English
• Driving in Italy excellent practical advice on driving in Italy

          Internet access:

• Free dial-up Internet access in Italy, you need to download software first.
• FreedomList , links to free Internet access providers in Italy, so you can bring your own computer. These are slow dial-up numbers, good enough for e-mail.
• List for Tuscany , a good list of local Internet cafes, also in other regions.
• Italy Internet Point  list of Internet cafes in local towns and regions

         Museums:

• Museums in Italy , excellent site for links and ticket info to all museums
• Museums In Florence , in English
• Uffizi Gallery in Florence, advance ticket reservation info
• The Borghese Gallery in Rome. If you can only see one museum, this is it!
• Vatican Museums , the Vatican official site for information

          Trains:

• Trains in Italy official site in English for schedules and ticket sales on-line
• Trains in Europe trains schedules in all of Europe

          Car-service and airport pick-up:

• Airport transfer specialist all over Italy, at Lucca Limo , contact Valter by e-mail valter@luccalimo.com tel/fax +(39) 0583 971464 - Cell: +(39) 348 4406367
• Airport transfers from Rome to Tuscany and tours in Rome, contact Giovanni Musella, his website has all the details: www.allroadsleadtorome.com
• Siena Province local car & driver, airport pick-up, guided tours in English, contact Michael Aprile by e-mail mikaprile@katamail.com,
• Lucca area Autonoleggio Giglio, car & driver, airport pick-up, local rental, tours, www.autonoleggiogiglio.it

          Walking tours, bicycles:

• Walking Tours  in Tuscany, other regions of Italy & Europe. "Piccolo" organizes guided walking tours for small groups, ask Gillian for all the details.
• abc-rent.com cars, bikes, scooters, 2 locations: Buonconvento, Colle Val d'Elsa
• Cicloposse in Pienza for bicycle and walking tours in Tuscany & Umbria

          Chefs and cooking classes, local and in Florence:

• TuscanFlavours , Chef Oliva is an energetic young Italian chef who speaks fluent English, her area is southern Tuscany and Umbria. She worked in New York restaurants, now she cooks delicious food at your villa! Ask her to make a tasting menu of multiple smaller courses, and match wines with the food. She also offers cooking classes & vineyard tours. Contact Chef Oliva by e-mail: olivastra@libero.it
• Belaria Catering, based near La Foce and Pienza, Chef Jeannine can prepare delicious dinners at your villa, or lunch at her own villa under the wisteria covered pergola with panoramic views, also cooking classes, wine tasting, please contact her by email: j.e.solomons@tiscali.it  or tel: +39.0578.755.206
• Divina Cucina , "Discover the art of eating and cooking with your own custom culinary program in Florence. Come and enjoy hands-on cooking lessons in small groups, never more than 6 students. Let Judy be your Italian life coach and give you a real taste of living in Tuscany..."  E-mail: info@divinacucina.com
• Cook with Passion , an Italian Cooking School with an emphasis on Italian culture and relationships. Fun half-day cooking classes in Florence, Italy.

          Rome:

• InfoRoma , personalized expert tours of Rome, good information
• Guided English speaking touring for private groups with vans or a minibus,
  contact Angelo: tel. (011-39) 06-868-02159, fax 06-868-00223

          Florence:

• Pauline Priore, expert private tours of Florence & Tuscany, wedding planning, shopping and culinary tours, fresco painting, etc. paulinep@tin.it
• Mia Antonia, professional wedding planning, info@tuscaniaevents.com
  Tel/Fax: +39-055-5357881 (Italy) - Tel: 916-273-3652 (USA)
• Firenze.Net, commercial tourist information about Florence, in English

          Siena:

• Tours by Roberto he offers a group of travelers, however large or small, a customized tour of Tuscany. Roberto offers both exclusive, full-service customized tours, and also single day and half-day tours that can be joined by those traveling independently,  www.toursbyroberto.com
• ExclusiveTuscany expert tours in English, wide selections of programs. Contact Michael by e-mail mikaprile@katamail.com
• Comune di Siena, the official site of the City of Siena, in English and Italian