Tuscany

20 years ago - #Tuscany

When people talk about travel, Italy comes up a lot. I always mention Rome which still stands out in my mind as a place I could see myself happily trapped in. A standard response I get is "Have you been to Florence? You haven't seen nothing yet."

David and I were trying to plan our big trip for that year. We looked at several options but either the timing didn't work out, or the flights getting there and back were too difficult, or the whole thing would have been too expensive. Then, all of a sudden, we over looked the obvious. Why don't we just go to Florence and spend a week driving around Tuscany? It was the perfect plan and ended up being one of the most perfect vacations I have ever been on.

Next: Last Day in Florence

We just couldn't get enough of Florence, so we changed our plans somewhat to spend our last day in Florence before getting on the train home. We did a little sightseeing, had gelato at one of the world famous gelato places, and then went to our respective shopping excursions. On our earlier visits, one of the churches, Snata Croce, was closed. We went back and it was open. There are several famous Florentines buried here.

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Garfagnana

As we came out of the mountains, we settled into an area called the Garfagnana. This is where I want my Italian home. It was serene, luscious, the homes were beautiful, and we were close to Lucca for shopping.

Sienna

Although I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite city in Tuscany, a couple of people told me that they thought Sienna to be one of the most beautiful cities they've ever been to. It certainly ranks quite high. We set today to be almost exclusively dedicated to Sienna. There's a breathtaking cathedral, wonderul shops, local cuisine, and great history.

San Gemignano

After two days of touring Florence, we were ready to hit the road and see more of Tuscany. In general, I found the Tuscans drove quickly, but fairly. Of course, we wouldn't dare driving in the actual towns. Usually, the goal was to park just outside the medieval walls and walk in. San Gemignano is built on a hill and looks like a small mideival Manhattan with towering spires. They had one main church with incredible murals, but one is not allowed to take photographs.