my address: well ... i will not tell you.
... at least not now. (unless you already know it)
Most of the days, at the time I ask guests to arrive, I could be in one of
three other places; these places are all within three minutes from my home,
so
in case I need to go there I may call the arriving guest and tell them
either to meet in that place, or just when arriving at a place 500 meter
from my home call me so I can go back home just in time.
To accomplish this of course the guest must have a working phone.
Unfortunately sometimes I have had guests that did something that annoyed
me and the other guests: that is, they deliberately gave me a phone number
of some other people, so when I called them to ask why they were late
replied a person that could speak only chinese, some 90 yr old ladies, and
so on (including in one case someone living 8 timezones east), or gave me
a phone that effectively was their one, but had not active roaming on the
day they arrive in Firenze or was out of credit, leaving me
and other guests unable to know if wait or start cooking, or forcing me
to go back home to wait for them at arranged time, leaving another job,
and then waiting sometimes for more than 40 minutes.
In october 2014 this happened two days in a row, so I came to a decisone
to give my address in two parts.
One, the most significant is described here, until point "X", at junction
of via del Guarlone and Via della Loggetta: that one is a point very close
to my home; the second part, the real address, that is less than 200 meters
from that place, will be told you by phone, i will call you at random time
some hours before arrival to the number from whom you will have sent me the
confirmation SMS [my phone number is in the signature of all email messages]
or called me. Please no excuses telling that someone stole your phone the
day before. A phone with a new sim can be get for little money
So for now print the map (landscape and complete) and these istruction, and
answer my call when I will give you the last indication.
Please check anyway to have my address when you are arriving ... sometime
happen that for some reason is lost, so feel free to send me a sms asking to
resend it ... but remember that using GPS batterie get depleted quickly, so
make an hardcopy of the map.
Also I have to tell you that after 1900 the day of arrival I do not promise
quick reply to email messages and SMS so ask only with voice calls, and when
arriving ring directly the doorbell.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT:
I have had many people that arrived late, up to
2 hours, since they asked people the way to come here, and due to
miscommunication or ignorance of the people asked, get rerouted throu much
longer itineraries. if you ride from Pisa-Empoli read the specific
section
If you are late due a wrong information it will be due to YOUR fault.
Same if you do not answer my phone call in case I am going to suggest an
alternate route in case I got aware of last minute diversion, or traffic
problem. Feel free to call me (voice) if you are even just a bit lost.
From the center:
Arrive to the river and follow it upstream on the right bank (that is the
northern one) going toward east until you arrive to via De Nicola. You can
easily spot it since it is in a place where the road part a few meters
from the river, there is a theater on the right [ask for Tuscanyhall] and more
evident a roundabout [with a fountain in the middle].
There turn left into via della Casaccia, at next roundabout continue straight
into the underpass under the railway, and at next very oblongated roundabout
get the second right, via del Guarlone, you will arrive at point X;
the last 200 meter will be given when you send the confirmation SMS.
From Pontassieve (SS67)
Arriving at city border, after il Girone, just before the railway
overpass there is on the right a ramp passing under the railway from
Pontassieve, get it and turn left along the railway, the road become very,
very narrow, follow it and continue for about 900 m
turning on the second road on the right, via della Loggetta (green line)(it
is against the flow, so be careful, but you save almost 2km)
From Bagno a Ripoli/Candeli
go toward "Nave a Rovezzano" then get the lower level of
the "ponte di Varlungo" stay on the pedestrian lane, since after the river it
goes lower and you can access the road along the river, go there toward west
(downstream) until you arrive to via de André follow it until the
roundabout with the fountain, then go ahead in via della Casaccia and follow
in the same way as described for coming from the center.
From via Chiantigiana (SR 222)
follow via Chiantigiana until Badia a Ripoli, the go ahead
into via Cimitero del Pino, then left on viale Europa, right via Olanda,
then right via Austria and on lower level of Varlungo bridge, as described above
From Faenza/Borgo San Lorenzo (SR302)
when you arrive at Vetta le Croci turn left on SP54 direction
Fièsole until km 1,200, Baccano, where you turn left into SP55,
following signs to Montebeni-Vincigliata. Keep right on the next two junction
always following signs to Vincigliata until at the end of the road you arrive
at Ponte a Mensola, where you turn right into via d'Annunzio and after about
200 m turn on the third left, via del Gignoro, at first junction turn right,
passing between the football fields turn right at the next one, until you arrive at big roundabout in piazza San Bartolomeo,
where you turn toward left in the roundabout, following via del Gignoro;
at the third roundabout turn left into via Pasquali, between the houses,
keep going left and turn left into via del Guarlone. note that if you
want get a long downhill you could follow indications to Montebeni and there
to Compiobbi (then SS67)
From Vaglia (SR65)
When you arrive at Pratolino, on top of the pass, you have two options:
one more scenic to go left to Vetta le Croci and follow same indications as
if coming from from SR302, else go straight down until il Cionfo where you
may turn left into via Salviati and go further down until the crossing with
via Faentina, then go right until piazza delle Cure,
then viale dei Mille and at the 4th light right into via Marconi, then left
via del Pratellino and right via del Campo d'Arrigo. at the end left and
immediately right in via Tito Speri, continue into via Andrea del Sarto, and
right via del Mezzetta until the end, where you will do three quarters of the
roundabout to continue in via del Guarlone.
From Pisa-Empoli-Montelupo (SS67)
I have to make this specific section since many people followed navigator
suggestion and got very timeconsuming roads. The suggestion i give you is
the one quickest and at same time with less traffic one.
Until Montelupo you may keep road 67, do not abandon it (and crossing
Montelupo take the detour in the two short tunnels, you escape some
cobblestone parts and a short but steep climb).
keep SS67 until Ponte a signa, in this part the rod run along the river and
has very little traffic since most traffic take the highway.
At Ponte a Signa cross the river and follow the indication to parco dei
renai. (you can set in the navigator 43.78, 11.11) then follow the bicycle
road between the railway and the river until you arrive in Firenze, when
you are there set the navigator for "car mode", following viale Rosselli,
viale strozzi, following signs to "Fiesole", then following via Lorenzo il
magnifico, piazza Libertà , viale Minzoni, Via Luca Giordano, Ponte del
pino, via del pratellino, via del campo d'arrigo, via Tito Speri, via andrea
del sarto, via del mezzetta, via del Guarlone.
From Siena (SR2)
Until "due strade" follow SR2, then turn right into via del gelsomino, ahead
in viale Torricelli, then viale Galilei, viale Michelangelo, ponte san
Niccolò and right along river upstream
from Prato-Calenzano-Sesto:
arrive from via sestese, via Giuliani, via
corridoni, via del romito. At the roundabout at end of via del Romito turn
left on right bank of Mugnone until Ponterosso, then follow signs to Fiesole
until you cross the bridge on the railway and from there (piazza delle cure)
follow the indications as from Vaglia (SR65)
from other directions
go toward the river, then as described from the city center
maybe
If you use a navigator in the city I recommend to set if for "Cars", so it
will avoid pedestrian areas wher bicycle even if allowed cannot go more than
7-8 km/h.
