We first started walking around the city center called the Duomo. There are Duomo's all over Europe but are mainly the focal point of the city. The main area Florence was centered around the Florence Cathedral or also called Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Mary of the Flower).
I remember two years when I went to Madrid, Spain for World Youth Day with Holy Family, I came to the realization of how awesome Catholicism is around the world. I had that same epiphany when I went to mass with MaryClare. We were celebrating mass, in Florence, just like how I would back in Palatine at Holy Family. The Catholic religion is so universal and it is amazing how I can be 3,500 miles away from home and still go to mass and feel like nothing has changed. The only problem, most of the mass was in Italian but I could follow along with the program we had received when we walked in.
We had a long day of traveling so we decided to get some naps in before we got dinner. While the girls were out doing a little bit of shopping, Hannah and I decided to act like children and build a fort in our hostel! This hostel was unique because it was like the seven of us girls had our own separate apartment from the actual hostel. Unfortunately the fort came crashing down on Hannah as we were trying to fit seven girls underneath. But it was fun while it lasted!
The next morning, we decided we wanted to do something out of the ordinary. When sitting in the lobby of our hostel, we looked at a few options of the things we could do; a vespa tour around Florence, a Italian cooking class, or a Chianti wine tour. I have always wanted to drive around a European city on a vespa! But after walking around the city, Italian drivers are crazy and I like my life so we decided to do the Chianti wine tour!
We got on the bus at the train station and headed an hour south to the city of San Gimignano! San Gimignano is a medieval walled city in the provence of Sienna, Tuscany! The city is most famous for the medieval architecture.
We did most of our shopping here because the shops were so cute and interesting!
One of the plazas!
One thing we could not get over: the pigeons. They are everywhere and fly all around you looking for food. In this picture, we weren't prepared for the stupid thing to come near us!
Here was where I had my favorite gelato, nutella. I think it was better than the spread itself!
Once we were done shopping and stuffing our faces full of gelato, we headed southeast towards Chianti in Tuscany. Since we are of the legal drinking age, going to a wine tasting was new and interesting to us. I remember my parents taking me to Ravenswood in California one Spring Break when I was in Elementary School. It was one of the most boring things they have ever put me through, but of course they loved it! Besides Ravenswood, this was my first time being at a winery where I could actually taste the wine and enjoy it! We had a taste of four different wines, three red and one white. They were all quite tasty Now I am not the complete wine expert so I'm really not that sure about the different wines I tasted but I have the list so if anyone wants some recommendations, I've got ya!
We had absolutely beautiful weather!!
It was a wonderful day in Tuscany with some of the best girlfriends ever!
As we have traveled from city to city, we have LOVED going up bell towers to get a whole view of the city. It puts things into perspective and let's you see the city in a different light. Some of us went up the bell tower right next to the church. The view was absolutely beautiful! I am a little chicken and afraid of heights so I stayed towards the wall and was always holding either the railing or the wall. But since the view was so beautiful, I leaned over and took in the beauty of Florence.
Next stop, the eternal city ROME!
Sláinte!
Libby
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