TUSCANY We landed late in Pisa with Emma but we were filled with excitement and anticipated a fun and boozy weekend with all the girls. Soon our chariot arrived and we were whisked away by Patriza and Gundula, for an hour long journey in a cloud of garlic fumes. Gundula thought it wise to consume whole gloves of garlic on her bruschetta before leaving the villa. Yes, we have definitely arrived in Italy. Even though we arrived at the villa in the dead of night, we could still envisage it's rustic charm and beautiful surroundings. After choosing our rooms we toasted our arrival by enjoying a lovely crisp glass of prosecco with Patrizia and Gundula, while savouring some of the delicious salumi of the Tuscan region. It was a perfect start to our holiday and we all felt at once relaxed and content. The next morning we met Stefania and Neroli and spent the entire day relaxing and catching up by the pool. The sky was azure blue, the sun was bright and hot, the landscape was lush and spectacular and the company was superb. Neroli weaved her dj skills and soon there were feet tapping and heads bopping from side to side to the blissful sounds of summer anthems. We had all been transported from our somewhat drab and mundane lives to this magical, verdant oasis and felt liberated and totally at ease. We dined together on the patio, laughing at stories told and experiences shared whilst getting progressively merry. The night ended with us playing hide and seek in the gardens and Stefania, revealing that she had in fact fibbed about her actual date of birth to Neroli. Their once shared birth connection, no longer real. It was quite a revelation. Since Emma, Tanya and I are early risers, we got up and headed straight to the pool to take full advantage of the stunning weather. With coffee and breakfast in hand we ate alfresco once again, having a giggle over the previous day's events and looking forward to what still lay ahead.Words cannot describe how amazing our time so far had been. Once everyone surfaced, we got ready and made our way to the wine tasting, which was a stone's throw away from the villa. Although we were all feeling slightly delicate from last nights antics, we got stuck in and sampled the wines on offer and tucked into the tasty nibbles. Stefania gained an unwanted admirer in the form of the vineyard owner but the poor fool's gaydar was clearly on the blink. He was a bit of a lech and rather creepy so we had no choice but to shoo him away. Once back at the villa, we lounged around the pool and waited for Lindsey and her friends to arrive as well as Patrizia's friends Deborah and Matteo. Right on cue it started to pour so we settled in the farmhouse kitchen for a proper Italian family style dinner. Stefania worked her culinary magic and once again we enjoyed a delicious meal to celebrate Neroli's real birthday and Stefania's fake one. A very rowdy night ensued, fuelled by probably too much prosecco and one too many lemon drops. Saturday morning was rather subdued but Emma, Tanya and I did not break our routine and headed straight to the pool for our quota of sun. It was actually really nice to have some time to ourselves, as everyone was off doing there own thing. Later on we had sun downers on the patio and caught up with everyone's day. Gundula arranged a braai for the evening's meal and specially hired someone to do all the preparations. We did not have to lift a finger and were treated like ladies of the manor. It was fantastic and certainly an experience to relish. We all dined on the patio and had an amazing meal accompanied by the lovely wine from the vineyard next door and finished by a truly decadent baked tiramisu. It was heavenly. After dinner, Neroli spun her tunes and enticed us onto the makeshift dance floor where we enjoyed our own private party in the Tuscan hills. We had such an unforgettable and special time that saying goodbye the next day was slightly bittersweet. We all went our separate ways, vowing to come again and knowing that we will be true to our word. Tuscany is an experience to be shared, loved and re-visited. We had it all, fun, sun, great food, good wine, a bit of drama and lots of laughs and we would do it all again in a heart beat.