Beyond the Yalla Dog

My girlfriend and I don’t often go the organised tour route, thinking ourselves more the independent and intrepid type. However, we are so grateful that we took a friend’s good advice and booked a tour with Penny. It was one of the highlights of our trip to Italy.

Penny is a delightful host. She also has an incredible knowledge of, and passion for, Florence. Our visit simply wouldn’t have been as enjoyable or enlightening (and stress-free!) had we opted to rely on the travel book. It was all very organised and well thought out – accommodations, sights, dining recommendations and everything in between. As we only had 24 hours in Florence, Penny managed to pack a lot in, giving us a good appreciation of the city.

The tour was very fluid and Penny catered a city walkabout to our interests. We visited the main landmarks and museums, as well as some backstreets and less trodden spots. We especially enjoyed Penny’s historic anecdotes along the way; they added a layer of info and interest, and really brought life to the cityscape.

We’d happily recommend.

October 2011

If you are a follower of Penny's blogs you will see one back in September for a restaurant in Pisa. We were those guests mentioned.
We were with Penny for four days and we can tell you if you want to see Florence culture with an extremely knowledgable guide then Penny delivers that service in spades. Pisa was a diversion we specifically requested, so in fact we learnt a massive amount about Florence in three days. We even took in an opera arranged and attended by Penny.
Best of all Penny speaks Italian so all those potentially awkward moments of trying to understand the written form and making verbal requests were expertly handled.
Using the services of Beyondtheyalladog is thoroughly recommended.

We have just returned from Florence having spent a delightful day with Penny Howard and Katie Campbell on an all day garden tour of villas near Lucca. Between Penny's organizational skills and Katie's expertise on gardens it was a memorable experience. Since it was a small compatible group we never felt rushed and it provided a nice break from the crowds and noise of Florence. Later, when we visited the Boboli Gardens on our own we were able to more fully appreciate them, recalling information we had gained from Katie. When one of the visitors was disappointed that "there aren't any flowers this time of year" - we remembered that gardens aren't just about flowers!
Thanks for a great time (and the photos).

My recent holiday to Florence was fantastic made so by the great help of Penny Howard.She arranged excellent accommodation at a very reasonable price, was a most informative guide always with a fund of anecdotal stories relating to the many art treasures viewed.
Penny organizes cooking and painting holidays also tours of the local gardens and wine tasting at the local Tuscan wineries.
She was always very friendly and most helpfull-----
CHE BELLA VACANZA!

PS will be in touch soon ref 2012!

Penny

I wrote quite a long message that unfortunately you have not received and probably because hit 1st submit not 2nd one. I thanked you for a wonderful afternoon with Lisa teaching who is delightful and great to learn more about Italian cuisine and have lots of new recipes. Lovely to meet the other ladies in the surroundings of your beautiful home, and great that John and Lisa's partner could share the gastronomic experience with us at the end. The tasters I brought home were extremely well received so I am under pressure to replicate!! A truly memorable experience all round. My taste buds are still a tingle! Thanks for all your hard work and adding your own personal touch of being a thoughtful generous and warm hostess whilst also making it lots of fun.

Helenax