From half past two, guests were invited to participate in all the different activities that were organized at the campsite. Everywhere from the bar to the pool there were decorations in green, white and red and you could hear people having a good time.

First on the programme were water games at the pool, which drew participants of all ages.
First of all, three teams were formed, each in one of the colours on the Italian flag. The goal of the first game was to get a ball as close to your opponent as possible using only your feet. While two teams each sat on opposite sides, one volunteer placed the ball in the center of the pool. From that moment the splashing and paddling began! It became clear that there was a lot of enthusiasm and team-spirit among all the participants!

As the first game slowly came to an end, the second one had already started. People gathered around to see a team of sporting kids playing a game of human table football! With their hands tied to large sticks, which represented the rods of the football table, the teams had to cooperate to move around the field. That turned out to be quite difficult, but still the participants played as if they had done it for years. The game ended up in a fair match which, in the end, actually nobody lost.

After an afternoon of fun games, another great moment commenced: the release of floating wishes! Everyone was invited to write their biggest wish down on a piece of paper and attach it to a green, white or red balloon. After this, everyone had to take a special position, in order to form the colors of the Italian flag. And finally, when everyone stood in the right place, the moment everyone waited for came at last! On the count of three dozens of balloons floated up into the air, creating a beautiful sight that even the people in Figline Valdarno must have seen. Now wait and see if those wishes come true!

But the day wasn’t over yet! There was one more thing everyone was looking forward to: the foam party! As everyone was dancing along with the animators of Your Friends, suddenly the sky was covered with white flakes. For one moment it seemed like it was snowing in July! It didn’t take long for the whole area to be covered in white foam. But not only the floor and sun chairs were packed in a thick layer of the white stuff. Everyone from animators to parents and children were almost unrecognizable because of the amount of foam. Of course this only improved the festivities as boys and girls of all ages lied on the floor making snow angels (or foam-angels, if you prefer) and crazy hairdos.

For the ones who preferred a quieter afternoon, there was a market with all kinds of original and fun small things. From hand made jewellery to traditional Italian products, there was something for everyone. The areas around the restaurants and at the fountain were surrounded with a pleasant atmosphere, which lasted until the late evening.

The concert in the evening of the Eros Ramazzotti tribute band was last, but certainly not least, on the programme. Although the band was off with a difficult start (the electricity went down after two minutes), they completely made it up by providing a wonderful show to their audience.

by Suzanne

It’s a popular topic with dog-owners in Italy, as Fido isn’t always welcomed wholeheartedly and it can be hard to find a place for dogs to play without a leash – in fact, some seaside regions don’t even offer anything like a dog-friendly beach.

The absolute top beach I found in this little research is the Dog-Beach of San Vincenzo in Tuscany, which was voted number one beach for dogs by visitors of Venere.com.

Dog-Beach offers a 200 metre strip of wide beach that is perfectly equipped for men’s best friend and for the dog’s best friend, you! They offer dog toilets, drinking bowls, and mind you, even dogsitters and some sort of fitness trail!

“The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man’s”, said Mark Twain, but if you want to treat both your dog and yourselves to a beach holiday paradise, you should check out Park Albatros, a campsite at just 500 metres from the Dog-Beach, for a weekend break or for your family holidays! The site is not only dog-friendly because of its surroundings, but also boasts “dog bars” with fresh water and dry food.

by Giulia

Some time ago I was visiting a campsite for work when I saw a family of four with exactly this problem. Nosy as I am. I decided to watch them for a while to see how the parents would cope… Well, they didn’t: the parents just sat down with a book, ignoring the kids until they were so bored that they started beating each other up and were sent to their rooms… Everyone angry and stressed – children crying, when some simple activity would have done the deal! Here is my favourite list of things to help keep children from getting bored.

1. Cycling
Get on your bikes and take off with a picnic to explore places you never get to see in the car. Check the bikes are roadworthy beforehand and teach your kids how to sort out simple things by themselves. If you know the route well, prepare a check list of sites and objects the children need to check off.

2.Scrap modelling
There are many fun things to do with empty yoghurt pots, cereal boxes etc. which you should start collecting before the holidays. If you bring enough material and use sticky tape instead of a glue stick, you might even turn it into game, like Creationary!

3.Bubbles!
All you need for this fun activity is a small dish, a plastic drinking straw, washing up liquid and tap water. Place two drops of washing up liquid in the centre of a plate. Carefully run tap water onto plate, pointing the water at the soap to create some foam or bubbles. Carefully place the plate on a flat surface, such as the kitchen table, and have your children point their straws into the water. To create bubbles, blow gently and slowly into the sudsy water. Not too fast, it won’t work (well, it will create a mess)!

4.Indoors Picnic
Pack a basket with paper plates, utensils and cups. Make sandwiches, pack fresh fruit, pretzels, a thermo bottle of juice, and yoghurt for dessert. Spread a blanket on the living room floor and serve a picnic lunch inside! Add to the fun by dressing in summer clothes or swimming gear. Be sure to wear your sunglasses!

5.Collages
Save old magazines and catalogues and store them in a cabinet just for this purpose. Have the kids cut or tear out pictures and paste them onto a piece of cardboard or construction paper.
Keep a bin close by for the scraps and be sure to keep a stock of glue sticks on hand! You can also create stories and books using the pictures created.

by Giulia