July 8
So sad to be leaving Rome…but excited to see what Florence has to offer! We loaded up on the bus this morning headed to the city known for it’s artistic flair. We checked into the Hotel Meridian, where Jenny & I once again had a room to ourselves (we’re really starting to get spoiled here). We dropped our bags and headed toward the center of town for a walking tour. Entering the square, we were met by several famous statues, including a replica of Michaelangelo’s David, and Perseus slays Medusa. We had time for a quick lunch before the tour, so we headed down one of the many small cobblestone streets for pizza. Our tour guide took us past the apartment where Michaelangelo lived while in Florence, as well as the Piatza el duomo with it’s famous dome. The walking tour also took us across Medici’s bridge, a famous landmark that is lined with fine jewelry shops…don’t worry, we both drooled. And then we moved on. We also visited the Church of the Holy Cross to pay our respects to Michaelangelo and Galileo…two of the great giants of their time. I think it’s interesting that these men were so different in their accomplishments, but are buried together in a place where we can go and appreciate both of their lives.
And then the wine tasting. In Italy. Yes you read that correctly. Can we say major lifetime experience here?! I think so. We went to a little picturesque vineyard just outside Sienna and entered a stone cottage surrounded by vines. No I’m not writing fiction here. We were seated out on the patio and introduced to oh about 6 homemade wines and a dash of heaven! I interrupted Lauren’s post to add my experience…So back to Lauren:
That night we all loaded up and went to Tuscany to a local vineyard for a wine and olive oil tasting. Saying that the scenery was beautiful is the biggest understatement…hopefully the pictures were able to capture this place. Acres and acres of grapes growing on vines…just breathtaking. They had us set up outside on the patio, and we were able to sample 6 different homemade wines as well as homemade olive oil. They fed us bruschetta, salami, and fresh cheese. We felt like queens! It was just amazing to be in Tuscany drinking homemade wine at a vineyard…something I’ll never forget. We both bought too much wine…not really sure at this point how I’m going to pack it seeing as though my suitcase weighted 50.9 pounds coming over here :) Oh well…we can’t turn down homemade Tuscan wine and olive oil. Tomorrow we have a free day in Florence! So much to see!
L&J aka Tuscan wine connoisseurs