I'll be in Tuscany for a week this September, and the rental agency sent a bunch of documents to help foreigners prepare for their trip to Italy.
I found one of the documents rather amusing, as it seemed like a "now that we've got your money, here are all the downsides of self-catering holidays." Reading it gave me the impression that we should expect to arrive to a coal-hole where the lights will be so dim we can't see the food we're cooking, the tractors will buzz the front door every morning at 5, the water will shut off after 2 minutes in the shower, and we will be charged hundreds of euros if we leave a light on too long.
I'm sure the reality is none of these things! Maybe the rental agency is just trying to lower our expectations so they'll be easier to exceed.
However, the packet did mention scorpions and the need to shake out one's shoes before putting them on.
That part was a bit scary -- if I saw a scorpion I'd probably scream loud enough to bring everyone within a kilometer to my aid!
So, for all you Italian rental owners... how common is a scorpion sighting in Tuscany?
Strange... tarantulas don't scare me at all, but all bets are off for scorpions.
Italian Critters, Doom & Gloom
I don't know about Tuscany, but we do have them here (Piemonte). They aren't big (about an inch -1.5 inches long), and whilst they will give you a nip, they aren't harmful - they actually look quite cute!
I think shaking shoes out is just a sensible precaution - and not just for scorpions! I currently have a rogue lizzard on the lose in the house - I can't catch him, but I keep finding him (taking a shower with me, in a pair of shoes etc) when I least expect it!
I'm sure someone from further south can confirm whether you need to be concerned about Tuscan scorpions, but I'm sure it's like everything else in the countryside - you just need to be aware they are there.
I think shaking shoes out is just a sensible precaution - and not just for scorpions! I currently have a rogue lizzard on the lose in the house - I can't catch him, but I keep finding him (taking a shower with me, in a pair of shoes etc) when I least expect it!
I'm sure someone from further south can confirm whether you need to be concerned about Tuscan scorpions, but I'm sure it's like everything else in the countryside - you just need to be aware they are there.
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Alan Knighting
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Brooke,
Scorpions, spider and snakes. Some are dangerous to man, many are not. Hardly any of them found in Europe are of any danger whatever. They are all pussy cats compared with tarantulas and taratulas don't pose much of a threat either, not that they are found naturally in Europe.
Look out for the "wide-boys" and petty thieves - they do pose a threat.
Regards
Alan
Scorpions, spider and snakes. Some are dangerous to man, many are not. Hardly any of them found in Europe are of any danger whatever. They are all pussy cats compared with tarantulas and taratulas don't pose much of a threat either, not that they are found naturally in Europe.
Look out for the "wide-boys" and petty thieves - they do pose a threat.
Regards
Alan
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livinginitaly
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Hey look ...... I can talk about something other than websites!!
Yes, shake your shoes!
We've only actually had two scorpions inside the house, but have seen many (though not lately, strange) in the garden.
As mentioned earlier, they're are really nothing to be worried about .... just know they exist.
Snakes too, though i'm 99% sure they arn't a danger here in Tuscany. We often go on 'snake hunts' through our woods (anything to amuse the kids!)
Spiders ...... you don't actually see many of them. Well at least not of a 'decent' size, which is fortunate because our daughter is petrified of them ..... scorpions and snakes she can handle.
My real worry was how our two cats would cope with the change in wildlife. They've 'sniffed' around a couple of scorpions with no 'ill effects' and managed to take the change in diet from 'mice' to 'lizards' pretty well
Yes, shake your shoes!
We've only actually had two scorpions inside the house, but have seen many (though not lately, strange) in the garden.
As mentioned earlier, they're are really nothing to be worried about .... just know they exist.
Snakes too, though i'm 99% sure they arn't a danger here in Tuscany. We often go on 'snake hunts' through our woods (anything to amuse the kids!)
Spiders ...... you don't actually see many of them. Well at least not of a 'decent' size, which is fortunate because our daughter is petrified of them ..... scorpions and snakes she can handle.
My real worry was how our two cats would cope with the change in wildlife. They've 'sniffed' around a couple of scorpions with no 'ill effects' and managed to take the change in diet from 'mice' to 'lizards' pretty well
Alan..watch out those Burmese don't know the word fear... Oh No Nannette (my brown burmese cat)(edit as per request !) used to bring me in loads of snakes...I think they were mainly grass snakes...once I was convinced one was an adder...that was in Sunningdale!
Some of our repeat guests were telling us their Jack Russell was bitten on the face by an adder the other month...they didn't know but the vet recognised it in time & saved Milo's life...that was in the New Forest!
So it's not just Italy & South of France - it's everywhere...
these big hornet/king sized wasps worry me more that a scorpion or snake.
So far in 4 years all we have had bought in is unfortunate shrews & mice of varying breeds and sizes! Oh and 1 tiny lizard on a very hot day!
Some of our repeat guests were telling us their Jack Russell was bitten on the face by an adder the other month...they didn't know but the vet recognised it in time & saved Milo's life...that was in the New Forest!
So it's not just Italy & South of France - it's everywhere...
these big hornet/king sized wasps worry me more that a scorpion or snake.
So far in 4 years all we have had bought in is unfortunate shrews & mice of varying breeds and sizes! Oh and 1 tiny lizard on a very hot day!
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Alan Knighting
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It's funny, I grew up near the desert and have been there several times; our neighbors over the hill had a baby rattlesnake sleeping in their garage one day... another neighbor thought it would be fun to trap a tarantula in a fast food cup, take it home, and then let it crawl all over her... she had a thing for centipedes, too, and let one run all over her hand until I told her their bite is poisonous and really hurts. We had all these things around me when I was growing up, but I never saw a scorpion.
I guess it's something about their shape and size that evokes terror.
In any case, I'm glad to hear the critters are not dangerous! I'll provide a full report when I get back on how many insects I saw.
I guess it's something about their shape and size that evokes terror.
In any case, I'm glad to hear the critters are not dangerous! I'll provide a full report when I get back on how many insects I saw.
Brooke
Brooke - you saying that made me remember my distant childhood...in Singapore in 1959 - 63..before Lee Kwan Yew cleaned it all up - when there were attap huts etc...our school was a thatched roof with tin sides - open to the elements - if it rained we all had to sit under our desks!
We had a banana cobra lived in the broom in our back yard.
I remember spending hours in the monsoon drains finding creatures - caterpillars what seemed a foot long, snakes to include a black mamba, you name it...after a monsoon it was brilliant we would find all sorts...I remember my mother standing on the sofa screaming at a spider the size of a dinner plate...I loved it... mind you I still don't like things that fly, buzz and sting though!
Can't remember finding scorpions..gerald Durrell did in My Family and Other Animals on Corfu!
We had a banana cobra lived in the broom in our back yard.
I remember spending hours in the monsoon drains finding creatures - caterpillars what seemed a foot long, snakes to include a black mamba, you name it...after a monsoon it was brilliant we would find all sorts...I remember my mother standing on the sofa screaming at a spider the size of a dinner plate...I loved it... mind you I still don't like things that fly, buzz and sting though!
Can't remember finding scorpions..gerald Durrell did in My Family and Other Animals on Corfu!
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mindadowling
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Yes, we do have scorpions in Tuscany but I wouldn't worry too much about them. As suggested just shake your shoes out before putting them on. Something to watch out for are vipers. Brown coloured snakes that are very poisonous. I would hesitate walking in long grass barefoot and wearing shorts, best to cover up.
As you are visiting Tuscany in September something to be aware of is "hunting season"! Italians love to go hunting. You can see them dressed in the most fashionable hunting gear with the most beautiful hunting dogs in tow. Hunting season starts around the second week of September and trust me you will know exactly when it starts because if where you are staying is located in the countryside near a forest you will awake from your sleep thinking that you have been transported to the battle fields of W.W.II. From the amount of gunfire going off, it is hard to imagine that anything is left alive in the woods. Which brings me to say that often hunters are wounded or killed during the months of September through December. I would resist the urge to take a long walk in the woods during this season!
As you are visiting Tuscany in September something to be aware of is "hunting season"! Italians love to go hunting. You can see them dressed in the most fashionable hunting gear with the most beautiful hunting dogs in tow. Hunting season starts around the second week of September and trust me you will know exactly when it starts because if where you are staying is located in the countryside near a forest you will awake from your sleep thinking that you have been transported to the battle fields of W.W.II. From the amount of gunfire going off, it is hard to imagine that anything is left alive in the woods. Which brings me to say that often hunters are wounded or killed during the months of September through December. I would resist the urge to take a long walk in the woods during this season!
Ah yes, hunters... we have terrible problems with them. The local carabinieri have told us to call them if they come too close - last year I opened the bathroom window to be confronted with one chasing down a wild boar in my back garden.
They are a menace, and very trigger happy. We have to keep out dog in during hunting season (he is a blue Great Dane, and could easily be 'mistaken' for something edible) - our neighbour's dog was shot last year.
As Minda says, they very often end up shooting one another - I shouldn't smile!!
They are a menace, and very trigger happy. We have to keep out dog in during hunting season (he is a blue Great Dane, and could easily be 'mistaken' for something edible) - our neighbour's dog was shot last year.
As Minda says, they very often end up shooting one another - I shouldn't smile!!
The latest joke on French TV
Q. what is the difference for hunters between a wild boar and their hunting dog....
A. 12 Pastis!
It breaks my heart when they are on Utah Beach blasting the seabirds out the sky...I just happen to take lots of walks and such a shame I have blow the whistle so loudly to get our dogs to pay attention to me! Works everytime - a lot of them have given up with this mad English woman on the beach!
Q. what is the difference for hunters between a wild boar and their hunting dog....
A. 12 Pastis!
It breaks my heart when they are on Utah Beach blasting the seabirds out the sky...I just happen to take lots of walks and such a shame I have blow the whistle so loudly to get our dogs to pay attention to me! Works everytime - a lot of them have given up with this mad English woman on the beach!
Goodness -- it would be a shame if there was a burst of gunfire at an important moment in my cousin's wedding ceremony. I'll give them a heads-up so they can ask if it's likely to happen.
On a somewhat unrelated topic, does anyone have a preferred book, CD set, or computer program that I can use to learn a few words of Italian before I go? I don't know whether Italians are more likely to speak French or English, but either way I'd be more comfortable if I could say hello, goodbye, and use numbers in their native language!
On a somewhat unrelated topic, does anyone have a preferred book, CD set, or computer program that I can use to learn a few words of Italian before I go? I don't know whether Italians are more likely to speak French or English, but either way I'd be more comfortable if I could say hello, goodbye, and use numbers in their native language!
Brooke
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livinginitaly
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French used to be the 2nd language taught in all schools, however this has recently (not sure when) changed to English.
Plus all 'Officials', police, traffic wardens etc, are sent on English language courses and from our experience, they speak it very well. Our Italian is 'coming along' now though, so we do at least begin conversations in Italian!
Also, due to the amount of tourism in Tuscany, many people are well used to dealing in a 'foreign' language .... depends on where you are heading, but you 'could' get by without any Italian ......... always nice to have a bit of the language though isn't it?
Our books and CD's were part of the BBC's educational series, so are probably only available in UK. Though another book i'd certainly recommend is the "Dorling Kindersley - Eyewitness Travel Guide" for Italy, though you can get one just for Tuscany I believe.
Great information on the areas, along with places of interest, places to stay and places to eat. The back section has 'Useful phrases' too.
Plus all 'Officials', police, traffic wardens etc, are sent on English language courses and from our experience, they speak it very well. Our Italian is 'coming along' now though, so we do at least begin conversations in Italian!
Also, due to the amount of tourism in Tuscany, many people are well used to dealing in a 'foreign' language .... depends on where you are heading, but you 'could' get by without any Italian ......... always nice to have a bit of the language though isn't it?
Our books and CD's were part of the BBC's educational series, so are probably only available in UK. Though another book i'd certainly recommend is the "Dorling Kindersley - Eyewitness Travel Guide" for Italy, though you can get one just for Tuscany I believe.
Great information on the areas, along with places of interest, places to stay and places to eat. The back section has 'Useful phrases' too.