Finding time to write blogs that I feel proud of and publishable has been tough. Traveling is a school within itself. I often find myself with a brain full of new information to sort through and levels of exhaustion that have become second nature due to navigating cultures and lifestyles that are unfamiliar and constantly moving from place to place. It is simultaneously extremely enthralling and makes me feel like the luckiest person in the world and on the other hand exhausting. I fully know that when this trip is over I will be sleeping for probably a week to catch up.
Tuscany brought so many unexpected joys and connections to life. Our home point was in a sweet lock-off from a farmhouse in Siena, Italy. It was a slice of heaven away from the cities we had visited over the last two weeks. The hosts were this wonderful older couple, the lady was full of joy and her laugh was contagious. We could hear her laughing with her friends often, the jay radiated. The Tuscan region is made up of many medieval towns that all feel like a fairytale and a life that feels so familiar yet entirely different from my own. Traveling is very interesting for many reasons, but one is that at many points during this trip we have stumbled upon places that look similar to places back in the States. It makes you realize that even though this world is very vast and unique, it is also all connected inextricably.
Our place was outside of Siena in the country, but visiting the medieval town of Siena was a drive away. We rented a car in Florence to drive during our stay in Tuscany because it is very spread out and people rave about the beautiful drives. Siena is a medieval town, a lot of towns in Italy have walls around them as that was a sign of an official town. It was a wonderfully alive little town. One thing I love about Italy is how old everything is and how there is not a big bother to ever renovate or change it, only to maintain it. So all the buildings around you were full of personality and just authenticity, it feels like the town around you isn’t trying to be something that it’s not. Sometimes back in the States, especially in my hometown, many neighborhoods feel like they are trying to portray or “be” something. I have always had a distaste for this which probably has inspired my want for a bright colored house one day whose personality shines through and allows for distinction. I love that personality in whatever way that is, is welcomed here. It doesn’t feel like people are trying to put on a face for others, being themselves feels enough. Everywhere you look this is embodied. We ate at this little family-run restaurant that we stumbled upon in Siena, the tables were set up probably a little bit before and it was just in a little divot off the road. I had some of the best brown butter and sage ravioli.
We drove to Greve in Chianti, a small town in the Tuscan region, to meet up with my mom’s high school friend Leslie and her husband Ron. Before this trip, my mom had her 40th high school reunion and they were able to bond over being in Italy during the same time. It’s funny how the littlest conversations or decisions can impact time in the future. We spent hours at lunch talking about everything under the sun, meaningful and nourishing conversation.
The next day we went to Cortana, Italy which is the location where “Under the Tuscan Sun” was filmed. It is a sweet and simple town up on a large mountain that overlooks the Tuscan region. We were sitting having coffee and pastries when all of a sudden I felt someone behind me. My eyes got big and I was not sure what to anticipate next. The thoughts in my head were, “Who the hell could know me well enough in the middle of Italy to be standing behind me?”. Good news, it was Leslie and Ron. The odds of running into them were not a low percentage, but still a big surprise. After the initial shock, we all laughed about it and ended up spending the day together. We walked all over the small town of Cortana and checked out the Duomo there.
In the many towns I’ve been to so far in Italy, it doesn’t matter how small it is, it has a Duomo. These Duomos are usually always absolute works of art. I am not a religious person, but I can feel a universal force of inspiration within these places. The intricacies of woodwork, art, and sculpting. All the time and effort that was put into these places, inspired by the story of Christ is mind-boggling. Back when architecture and life revolved more around a sense of inspiration and simplicity, there was more of an understanding of the importance of art just for art’s sake. As Ron, Leslie, and I discussed. I feel very lucky to be able to witness all the forms of art here, it’s everywhere and in everything. It’s making me feel many different emotions toward the world around me and inspiring new tastes and fresh eyes that I can feel sprouting within me. We then stayed in Civita di Bagnoregio, a hilltop village in central Italy. You have to access it through a bridge, walking up this steep hill with suitcases was less than ideal, but it led to a wonderful reward. Civita was full of memories we were not expecting to make, but I think that’s where you sometimes find the best ones. The next stop was Roma!