Time out in Tuscany
Malcolm Herdman, freelance journalist and contributor to the Mail on Sunday, and his family took an action-packed summer holiday to Park Albatros in Tuscany, one of Canvas Holidays innovative new FamilyExtra campsites…
The turquoise waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea lapped gently against the sandy Tuscan coastline as we lay reading and soaking up the Italian sunshine. The children had been splashing about happily in the waves for longer than we'd dared hope, as we relaxed, feeling the pressures of life back home begin to lift. A warm beach is always welcome when you spend most of your life near the east coast of England!
As a fairly frequent traveller for the purpose of writing holiday articles, I'm used to dealing with a wide variety of tour operators. And having some knowledge of the industry perhaps makes me more tolerant of any occasional failings. My wife, on the other hand, can be a fierce critic of arrangements that fall below her expectations. That's fair enough really. If you only take a holiday once or twice a year, you want it to be good. So she steps in to organise the annual family break, and it's her view that the company we've chosen to go with again this year, never lets us down.
With two children - twins Eleanor and Daniel are ten - it's not always easy to find a holiday that suits the whole family. We like something that offers a bit of activity - although nothing too extreme - but also the opportunity to relax with some home comforts, plus the option to experience a bit of the local culture and see one or two interesting sights - natural or historical. So, no pressure on the holiday company there, then!
Top of the list, though, where children are concerned, is something that will keep them entertained. If they're happy, then so are Mum and Dad. Canvas astutely spotted that long ago, and they've been addressing it ever since, with extras like their excellent children's club, Hoopi's. The club operates at many Canvas sites in France and at some in Spain and Italy.
In past years, we've often driven to France to stay at one of the Canvas sites in the Dordogne or the Tarn valley. This year though, spotting a low cost airline operating flights to Italy from our local airport, we've decided on a fly and drive holiday to the Tuscan coast. And what a difference it makes not to have a long car journey before we get to our campsite! Arriving at Pisa's Galileo Galilei airport, our promised rental car, arranged through Canvas, proves easy to find, and before we know it we're on our way to the Park Albatros at San Vincenzo. It's about fifty miles down the coast and we've chosen it because this year Canvas are offering a series of activities for the whole family, called FamilyExtra.
It's a bit of a new departure for them. Unlike Hoopi's Club which offers all kinds of intelligent fun for children up to the age of twelve, usually run by their own staff – FamilyExtra is being operated by specialist outdoor activities company In2Action, brought in by Canvas for the job. It promises things such as snorkelling, water-walking, five-a-side football, raft-building, canoe-racing and aeroball. The thought occurs that it might all be a bit strenuous for an old chap like me, but I decide to wait and see!
A friendly welcome awaits us as we arrive to check in at our site. It's never failed to amaze us how many of Canvas's staff were first introduced to the company when they went camping or caravanning with their own families as children. It also says a lot about the quality of the holidays they enjoyed. Siobhan who greets us at Park Albatros is another former customer. She says they've had a busy summer, despite media claims that Britons were staying at home in droves because of the recession. They've also had a lot of guests from Holland – the Dutch being huge fans of tent and caravan holidays.
Our registration completed - the Italian authorities insist on a certain amount of paperwork from foreign visitors - we're off to be shown our accommodation. It's a spacious mobile with a large area of decking, complete with our own chairs and table with umbrella outside. Inside though, there's a big living area and well-equipped kitchen and three bedrooms. The main one has an ensuite toilet and shower room, while there's another bathroom next to the two smaller bedrooms at the opposite end of the mobile. The children love it and bag their rooms straight away. My wife and I sit down under the air conditioning and bask in a few moments of coolness before unpacking.
The FamilyExtra team are keen to see that their activities are well attended, and it's not long before Andy, one of the four organisers, comes to introduce himself. His enthusiasm for the programme is infectious and we soon find ourselves agreeing to go along to most of the events on offer. However, Andy says there's no pressure to take part - if you want, you can just sit and watch. Park Albatros is one of the larger sites we've stayed at with Canvas. Its set in a sparse woodland of umbrella pines which, apart from being very attractive to look at, give off a pleasing fragrance in the evening, as well as providing some welcome shade from the strong midday sun. Pine woodland is a recurrent feature of the Tuscan coast - in many places it stretches right down to the region's sandy beaches. The campsite has its own beach just a short walk along the road.
I'm quite keen to explore the area beyond our site but the children are completely sold on the FamilyExtra team's programme of events. When I say I can't wait to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the reply is "Well you needn't hold your breath Dad, 'cos today we're learning to snorkel!" And that's precisely what we do on our first morning in Tuscany. If you've ever wondered how you stop a snorkelling mask from steaming up so you can't see out of it - the answer is, you spit into it and smear the lens with enzymes that prevent condensation. "Ugh, gross!" said the children, revelling, nevertheless, in an official excuse to do something normally forbidden. After some further instruction with the equipment that places a strong emphasis on safety, and despite the lack of real fish in the campsite pool, we then spend a happy hour - parents and children – playing Sharks and Fishes - a kind of underwater British Bulldogs – with Andy the instructor. So when it's afterwards suggested we might like to try WaterWalkerz later in the week, there's no hesitation from any of us to signing up.
From here on in, as far as the twins are concerned, it's a constant round of FamilyExtra activities - they're loving it - and so are my wife and I! They do mini-Olympics, winning medals for their efforts. They learn a bit about Italy, building models of the Leaning Tower and at a session called 'Aviators' they design, build and fly model gliders. When I ask them if they now know all about aerodynamics, Daniel replies "Dad, Hoopi's don't do "boring!" The promised WaterWalkerz session involves climbing into a large transparent bubble and trying to walk across the swimming pool. Needless to say, it's all rather more difficult than it had looked. When it's my turn, I find myself tumbling about inside the ball like a large drunken hamster. I do, however, succeed in entertaining a considerable number of campers who've gathered round the pool to laugh uproariously at the antics of everyone who performs as badly as me. Nevertheless it's tremendous fun and you don't even get wet! Needless to say, the twins are both much better at it than me.
There's no other word but 'brilliant' for the team running FamilyExtra. Nobody's persuaded to take part in anything if they don't want to, but if you do turn up, you couldn't be made more welcome. Safety equipment and instruction are always given a high priority. One of the striking things about almost all the Canvas activities is the number of people, obviously with other travel firms or holidaying privately, who look on enviously.
Not without some reluctance from the children, we decide to leave Park Albatros for a trip to Pisa. The twins would much rather stay for another Canvas activity, but I argue that we really can't come here and not visit the region's world famous heritage site. That would be like - well - going to Pisa and not seeing the Leaning Tower! So off we head and, more by luck than planning, manage to find somewhere to leave the car not far from our intended destination. Although Pisa's by no means Italy's most beautiful city - large numbers of medieval buildings were destroyed by bombing during World War Two - the Piazza Dei Miracoli is impressive. The Torre Pendente, to give it its Italian name, stands alongside the beautiful Romanesque cathedral and a Baptistry. The buildings are sited in a row across the piazza and, in fact, all three of them lean. Work done ten years ago to stop the lovely, white, marble-clad tower from falling over altogether, is said to have made it safe for the next three hundred years. Despite this, the twins are not entirely convinced and, coupled with the fact that there's a five hour wait if we want to climb the bell tower, we decide simply to enjoy it from the outside. Daniel contents himself with having his photograph taken, as most other tourists seem to be doing, looking as though he's attempting to stop the tower from falling over.
We arrive back at our site in time to take part in a FamilyExtra session of aeroball. It's an intriguing combination of trampoling and basketball in a specially-designed framework. Two players compete to put the ball through a hole while bouncing up and down opposite each other. It's almost as entertaining to watch as to play, and again attracts an envious group of onlookers, unluckily not with Canvas, wanting to try it out. The In2Action team say they're even, occasionally, approached by people offering quite a lot of money to have a go, but, of course, they have to turn them down.
Our stay at Park Albatros flashes by all too quickly. The twins are quite upset at having to say goodbye to the FamilyExtra couriers, Andy, Rachel, Bea and Sophie, whom they've really grown to like. We're sorry to be leaving too. We say our goodbyes after a musical show at the campsite. It's Moulin Rouge, and two of the In2Action team are performing in it - a multi-talented bunch indeed! "So what do you think of the holiday compared with the last ones?" we ask the twins. The answer's unhesitating. "It's the best one we've ever had! Can we come back here next year?"
What more can you ask of a family holiday?