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" Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things - air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it."
-- Cesare Pavese
Host profile: Sammie Daniels

Host: Sammie Daniels

Location: Italy: Tuscany

Profession: Property manager; Wine consultant

Specialty: Culinary/Cooking, Wine, Music, Local Culture

Sammie Daniels spends less than half the year in California; the rest of the time she's hanging out in Tuscany, midway between Florence and Siena, based at a winery called Fontodi in the hill town of Panzano-in-Chianti.

Here she welcomes a stream of visitors: people hoping to rent a villa, people who've already rented a villa, people who want to import Tuscan wine, and people who just want someone to help them navigate the treasures of Tuscany.

See if Sammie Daniels is available
About Sammie Daniels

Sammie was born in the Midwest, went to school in Denver and in San Francisco, and was smitten by Italy from her earliest traveling days. For the last 20 years, she's spent over half the year under the Tuscan sun, in the heart of the Chianti Classico wine region.

Sammie's work as a professional caterer and interior designer led to the creation and opening of the villa Vignamaggio where the movie Much Ado About Nothing was filmed at the nearby Vignamaggio estate. Sammie also works in the import wine business acting as the liaison for an Oregon based company for 11 years now. She works closely with the producers in many aspects of the business.

But Sammie is no snob. "I'm particularly interested in visitors who can appreciate the finer things of the Italian culture. Not self-styled sophisticates looking for some 'ultimate' food or wine experience, but folks who can be happy to look a little closer at daily life and see the really high standard of living offered...not just in expensive hotels and restaurants but by getting to know the local people and seeing how they live."

Which is pretty much the InTouch Travel philosophy, too.

One footnote: Italians in almost all parts of the country are very fashion-conscious; it's part of their quality of life. Dressing decently is a must.

Sammie Daniels Suggests:

Sammie admits that, while she's knowledgeable about most things and customs Italian, she'd rather not be responsible for lectures on art history.

Rather, she says, "My interests include bicycling in the Tuscan countryside, going to the local jazz club, and, of course, cooking and eating dinner with friends. I was once a professional caterer in the US and Italy so cooking is always enjoyable. Wine is part of my life and living in a vineyard and watching the growing year is such a pleasure!"

There's no set itinerary in Tuscany; everything is scenic, mouthwatering and delicious. Your best bet, we think: just let Sammie know you'd like to visit for a couple of days. She'll put you up at a friend's romantic villa and treat you like family. By all means, tell her if you have any special interests. We promise you won't be bored, hungry or thirsty.

Comments from Sammie's Guests

"Sammie's a class act, perfectly fluent, knows everybody, and a heck of a lot of fun to be around."

— Carl J., Des Moines, IA

"I wasn't sure what to expect at our rented villa way out in the hills, but Sammie was right there, by phone and fax and email and made the whole business as pleasant as could be. And when we finally arrived, everything was exactly what she promised."

— Maggie G., San Francisco, CA

"Sammie's connections made it possible for us to visit several of the best-known wineries in Tuscany. And we ate like kings!"

— Larry & Florence McTeague, Chicago, IL
See if Sammie Daniels is available
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