Concluding the trip report from our wonderful visit to Italy, this final chapter is all about what may have been the most enchanting part of our trip – Florence and Tuscany – where we spent several wonderful days before making our way back to Rome at the end of our tour. (If you’ve missed the two previous chapters, you can read about our time in Rome here, and our experiences in Venice here.)
When we left Venice on our way to Florence, our tour first stopped in Pisa because, well, there’s this tower that leans here. I had to chuckle as our guide wasn’t a huge fan of Pisa (“it’s touristy” – and he wasn’t wrong!), but it’s a “must do” for many, so we stopped. And yes, the Leaning Tower of Pisa IS pretty cool – but truthfully I was far more entertained by watching everyone line up and try to strike the perfect pose for the obligatory photo of them “holding up” the tower. We were boring and just took a normal picture, had some gelato, and then our tour continued on to Florence.
Ah Florence! What a perfectly lovely city you are! I could have easily spent a week just here, exploring both the city and surrounding countryside. On our first night Nicholas, our tour guide, took us up on a hill overlooking Florence – and with the sun beginning to set, it was a pretty magical view. As the story goes, this was the view that Michelangelo often lovingly spoke of when describing his home town of Florence – and it was easy to see why!
The next day was our big tour day of Florence, which began at the Academy of Fine Arts, home to some of the most amazing art from Florentine masters – including Michelangelo’s famous David. And yes, David IS magnificent – but so were many of the Renaissance masterpieces! Our tour included some pretty amazing sites around the city, including the famous Piazza del Duomo and Giotto’s Bell Tower as well as exploring some of the charming side streets. With the Arno River flowing through the city, Florence is just a lovely city in every way.
That afternoon we headed into the Tuscan hills to the town of San Gimignano, part of which is encircled by 13th century walls that were initially built to protect the town from invaders. Many of the walls still stand and can be viewed from quite a distance – almost looking like skyscrapers on the horizon. Now filled with quaint shops, we loved exploring San Gimignano, before heading off to a local winery for a fabulous Tuscan meal – with wine of course. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.
Sadly, we left Florence the next day, to head back to Rome, but had one last stop along the way, in the town of Siena. This little town in Tuscany is quite famous in its own right as the home of the Palio Horse Race, held twice every year, in July and August – and we were intrigued by the stories of just how big of a deal this race is to the residents of Siena. Apparently, it is so competitive that generational family feuds have sprung up as a result. Taking place in the piazza del Campo in the center of town, they have to bring in dirt for the horses to race on, and with the riders who are bareback representing different sections of the town (each represented by their own animal), it’s pretty much the Super Bowl of Tuscany. We enjoyed a lovely late-morning cappuccino in the piazza where the race is held, and it was fun picturing how exciting it all must be!
After Siena, we were on our way back to Rome and the last couple of days of our trip. I had looked forward to this trip for over a year (and honestly, for decades) and in the blink of an eye, it was over! But my goodness, the memories that we made were truly priceless and will be ones that we treasure for the rest of our lives.
Until we meet again – arrivederci bella Italia!
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