Ciao!
The days are flying by here in Firenze and I can’t believe I only have 4 more weeks here! This weekend was absolutely incredible in all ways…I can’t stop smiling just thinking about it!
Friday:
My friend Jess and I went to Cinque Terre, a cluster of 5 towns (hence “Cinque” “Terre”) located about 2 hours away from Florence by bus. The best thing to do here is hike and eat food, so I knew I was in for a great time. We were a little bummed because the forecast wasn’t looking so great, but I decided to take on a positive attitude; I’d rather be in Italy rain than Philly rain. Luckily, it only rained for the beginning of the day! We arrived in Manarola where we captured the popular pictures of the colorful stacked houses. We then took a train to Vernazza where we ate pesto pizza and seafood. Cinque Terre is where pesto was founded, so the pesto pizza was a no brainer. It was then time to hike from Vernazza to Monterrso al Mare. It took us 1.5 hours to arrive, and those were the best 1.5 hours of my day! I felt like I was in a jungle, and every once in a while the trees would break and we’d get a beautiful glimpse of the Mediterranean Sea glistening in the sun that was constantly trying to peak out from the clouds. This day was so different from my previous days spent in Florence and I loved every second of it.
Saturday:
I visited Pisa and Lucca through my program! I’m not going to lie, my main motivation to visit Pisa was to get that picture, but I have to say I got a lot more out of this tip than I had originally expected. After mastering the Leaning Tower picture, we visited the Cathedral (Duomo di Pisa), Baptistery (Battistero di San Giovanni), and Cemetery (Camposanto Monumentale). I learned that the Cemetery was “accidentally bombed” during WWII. This bombing wasn’t intentional but occurred because the Cemetery is located right near the railways which was the original target. I could only image if the bomb hit the Leaning Tower! After Pisa we headed to a nearby town called Lucca. It was small, quiet (because we visited during the afternoon when lots of shops close down), and beautiful. The highlight of the day was when we rented bikes and biked around the outskirts of the town, taking in every single view possible.
Sunday:
This was a great day because I met up with my PSU roommate Nicole! We went to Chianti and San Gimignano, two areas located in the countryside of Tuscany. It was a beautiful day outside, and we were ready to explore the peaceful side of Tuscany. Walking into San Gimignano is like walking into the set of movie base in Medievel times, but this was not a set! The entire town has been preserved for centuries, and in every nook and corner there was something unqiue to see. We ate gelato, breathed in the fresh Tuscan air, and enjoyed some local delights afterwards including cheese, olive oil and freshly baked bread.
I absolutely loved traveling outside of Florence this weekend. It’s nice to see what’s beyond the mountains surrounding this city, and it’s also nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of a touristy town. What’s great about this entire experience is that at the end of the day I get to come home to Florence. This city has truly become my home, and it’s only been two weeks!
This coming weekend I will be visiting the Amalfi Coast, and I couldn’t be more excited. I cannot wait to write about it next week!
Ciao for now!
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