Day 4: Under the Tuscan Sun

Today was my birthday! I started out the day with a chocolate croissant for breakfast! We then journeyed out to do some shopping. Florence is known for art and fashion, as well as their vendors. It reminded me of New York City, except the quality of the stuff on the street is a little nicer. I bought some artwork from a local painter. I also got two new scarves to add to my collection. We did some leather shopping around the handbag vendors. I had a great time!

We stopped in a small cafe for lunch. I got a chicken salad with grilled peppers in it. It was yummy and a little on the lighter side after eating so many heavy meals. We walked around a bit longer, and then it was time to check in for our Vespa tour. We quickly made friends with some women who were also on the tour.

Our tour guide arrived and led us through the streets of Florence to meet our bus. About 25 minutes later we arrived in the Tuscan countryside. Along the way, we had several picturesque views of Tuscany. When we got there, we began prepping for our Vespa experience. Each of us had to complete a little training before we got started with the tour. Unfortunately, as soon as I got on the Vespa I became terrified and was unable to do it. Allie and mom were not much better off. Dad did great! The Vespas took off in a line, and Allie, mom, and I brought up the rear in a tuk tuk. We had fun though because we were able to enjoy the views, while everyone else had to worry about driving their vespas. Our first stop was a winery where our tour guide shared with us the way that chianti Classico is made. We were able to see the grapes on the vine. It was very pretty!

At this stop, I was able to be a passenger on our tour guide's Vespa so that I could still get the experience without needing to drive myself! As we sped along the Tuscan countryside, I couldn't believe where I was. It was incredible. Our second stop was an olive oil mill, where they make olive oil. We were first taken to see the olive trees. The Mill we were at had 8,000 trees. We learned many facts about the process of making olive oil. All of the olives are hand picked, it goes through a long process before the olive becomes olive oil. We also learned the difference between extra virgin olive oil and regular olive oil. The difference is that extra virgin olive oil is only pressed once vs. regular olive oil that is pressed twice.

Our third stop is known as "the eye of chianti" which was a huge terra-cotta circle that overlooked the countryside. It was beautiful! After several scenic shots, we hopped back on the Vespas and returned to our starting point. We then walked to dinner.

Our dinner included several glasses of wine, both chianti and chianti Classico. We also had different appetizers: meats and cheeses, bruschetta, a bread and tomato salad, and a caprese salad. This was all followed by amazing pasta. It is incredible how they get the pasta to be the perfect al dente. As our meal came to a close, it was time to leave the Tuscan countryside and head back to Florence. We learned today that Tuscany is a region, and Florence is the capital of the Tuscan region. As we motored back on the bus, we asked to be dropped at the Piazza de Michaelangelo, which overlooks the entire city of Florence. It was gorgeous! We arrived right around sunset, so every few minutes the lighting changed, which changed the view. It was spectacular!

After "drinking in" as much of the view as we could, we started walking back into town. We made all the way back without asking for directions or consulting a map!! As we rounded the corner near the palazzo de vechio, we stopped to listen to a large band that was playing on the front steps. They even played the Italian National Anthem. Tears welled in my eyes as I realized how lucky I was to be standing in that moment. In order to congratulate ourselves on a job well done, we stopped for gelato!

I had an amazing birthday! Definitely a great start to 24!

Ciao!