We started our weekend with an extremely early wake up call to meet our group in front of our school at 7am. We then had a three hour bus ride to the city of Pisa. There we had a tour of the city which ended with taking a million pictures at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, getting lunch, and shopping. The weather was not the best, but at least the rain held off until we were on the way back to the hotel. That night after checking in, our group was served a delicious 5 course Tuscan meal. The meal included a Tuscan style soup, salad, salmon pasta, sea bass filet with Mediterranean style potatoes, and tiramisu. After dinner, the group was quick to disperse to our rooms and get sleep.
The second day consisted of yet another early wake up call, and a 40 minute bus ride to the city of Florence. Upon arriving to the city of Florence, we had another group tour of the city. It took us to the most beautiful parts of the city. After the tour, it was a free day to spend around Florence. Financially this was not the best idea because of the leather shops. You guessed it, a leather jacket and pair of boots were bought in the midst of the excitement. My roommates and I also decided to try a Tuscan lunch delicacy called Lompredotto. Lompredotto is the fourth stomach of a cow boiled in water with tomatoes, onion, celery, and parsley. It was a bit unsettling, but it was definitely tasty. After another long day, we were greated with another 5 course Tuscan meal. This time, we had a classic Italian antipasto dish, another Tuscan soup, and pork and beans. Instead of spending the night out on town, we all went to bed early due to the earliest wake up call of the weekend.
We started our final day in Tuscany with a 6am wakeup call. We needed to get on the road in order to get to the city of Trequanda. We were a bit skeptical because not many people have heard of this town. It is a small wine town next to the city of Sienna. We knew we were close to our destination because of the numerous amounts of olive trees in sight. After a three hour bus ride, we made it to our destination. This day consisted of a tour of vineyard, a wine tasting, and a lunch. It was probably the most beautiful place I have been to since being abroad.
After a long exciting weekend it is always nice to come back home to Rome. The traveling is exciting, but being back to my apartment and seeing my friends always makes this study abroad experience one to remember.
