Scale, Scale, Scale!!!

That translates to "stairs, stairs, stairs!!!"

The last three days have been full of stairs. Stairs in the bell tower, stairs in the duomo, and stairs in the tower.  1,270 steps in the last three days - just going up - and not counting the miles walked or the steps taken throughout the city. Let's start at the beginning...

Tuesday we decided to climb the bell tower of the duomo. 413 steps up. Twisty, winding steps. But absolutely worth the view:

I couldn't find a haystack, though....

Alas, it was an excellent reason for more gelato. As if the bell tower weren't enough, we decided to follow that with a morning climb up the cupola of the dome (463 steps!!). Again, the views were absolutely worth it.

It was also amazing to be face to face with frescoes of ancient artists. And speaking of ancient, did you know there was an ancient Roman church buried under the cathedral? Yeah. There is. The ruins of the cathedral Santa Reparata are buried underneath the famous church. But that's not important. What is important is that you can buy rosaries with the pope's face on them!!

And of course, because the pope approved all manners of excess in holy buildings...the Baptistry of St. John has gold all over the ceiling!

At this point (which I believe was yesterday) we paused to venture through the Uffizi (i.e. uber famous museum number one). Unfortunately, nobody told us there were 100 steps to get TO the gallery. Luckily, the treats waiting at the top were divine. Unfortunately, I couldn't take take pictures inside, but they were the likes of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Botticelli (The Birth of Venus is EPIC!). And one of the most beautiful moments of the Uffizi was the cappuccino on the terrace overlooking plazzo Vecchio.

After all of these adventures, we felt that we had not climbed enough stairs. So today we ventured tho the incredible Pisa!! Yes. The tower leans. Yes. It. Is. Awesome.

After holding the tower up for a bit, we climbed it. 294 stairs. And it was so cool!!!! It twisted, it turned, and it leaned so hard in some places that you were leaving against the wall while climbing the stairs. And for you history nerds like me, the current lean of the tower (5 degrees / 15 feet to the north) is roughly the same angle it was leaning when Galileo performed his gravity experiments from the tower. COOL!!!

And, of course, because we needed to feel just a bit more Italian...we had a picnic lunch (meats, cheeses, breads, wines, and fruits) on the Field of Miracles in front of the tower and cathedral.

A very Italian and a very exhausting few days!! And now...I shall have to leave you...for I am about to learn the Italian way of making fresh pasta!! Nom nomz. 

Until we meet again!

Bellissima Città

Three days have been spent in this beautiful city, and it is chocked full of history, architecture, and stories. We spent the first day being shown around the city center by the theatre director. Every piazza is impressively packed with art and old. Here is Ponte Vecchio, the old center of government. For you history buffs, this is also the place where the Bonfire of the Vanities took place and where they eventually burned Savonarola.

Here is some of the unbelievable fresco work inside:

The rapid are hiding restoration scaffolding, but still show what is behind them.

 An equally beautiful, but less bloody piazza is Santa Maria Novella.

And of course, the crowning jewel of Firenze...the duomo of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore and Giotto's bell tower:

In conjunction with the duomo is the baptistry of San Giovanni (St. John) whose doors of paradise are said to have inspired Michelangelo.

Since my first days here included a Sunday and a national government holiday, I haven't been able to go inside any of the cathedrals or nursing yet. That's what the rest of the week is for! But, I've taken the opportunity to explore some of the scrumptious food!

A mini blackberry pie with macchiato.

Lunchtime! A prosciutto, goat cheese, and arugula sandwich (on fresh bread!) with glass of wine.  4 Euro!

Chocolate croissant! (It had nutella inside!!!!!)

As I sit writing this, there is a beautiful thunderstorm happening. We have all discovered that even the thunderstorms are more artistic here. The thunder sounds like massive tympani drums. Still, I look forward to it passing because there is a massive, traditional fireworks show this evening. And I have been invited to watch it from the rooftop patio of the US Consulate! Unbelievable pictures are sure to come!

So now I leave you, but promise to give more stories soon!

Buon giorno!

Oh....the jetlag. Now, I had really planned on doing everything possible to avoid wicked jetlag. But, funny little thing about summertime overnight flights from Seattle to Frankfurt: the sun never sets. Who knew! And, as if the constant sunshine and cramped economy seating want enough to prevent decent sleep, the two teenage girls behind me who talked for SIX of the ten hours were (four straight hours at the beginning and two art the end). Still, all in all, not a bad journey. And the plane to Florence was kind enough to give me a beautiful first glimpse of Italy.

After it all, I have safely made it to the land of wine and pasta! And, accordingly, my first meal in Florence was pasta, bread, and wine! (And salad...but that doesn't count...) Now, I've only been in Florence less than 24 hours, but here is what I can tell you so far:

1. Lanes on the roads here are really just suggestions. Loose suggestions.
2. Mosquitoes don't hesitate for a second.
3. Just about everything looks exactly the way you think an Italian city that has been around since just after Rome should look.

Glancing around the city, you can feel the modern hustle and bustle merging with the quaint, quiet, and often bloody history. Clothes dangle from clothes lines, sheets blow in the breeze, cars whiz by, and everything just feels...you know...Italian. It's also the only the only place I've ever been where this statement has been said without sarcasm: "There's a young Prince behind you."

Yes. No joke. My Italian boss, Shaun, lives in the old grain house on the Corsini property. The Corsini family trace their nobility back to the Medici family. The back of Shaun's house faces the main garden of the Corsini Palace. So, while standing in her kitchen last evening, not one, but two young Corsini princes passed by in the gardens below. I'm walking with royalty, y'all! Plus, PLUS...our Shakespeare camp will take place in the gardens on the palace grounds. Here's a glimpse of those gardens through the kitchen window:

As if that weren't epic enough for my first evening in Florence, one of our dinner guests last night was the US Consul General in Florence, Sarah C. Morrison. I sipped wine with a US dignitary on royal property. I'm cool.

Needless to say, my first hours in Florence have been eventful! Now I'll be exploring the city and immersing myself in Italian culture. But before I leave you...meet some of my newest friends!

(PS Sorry for sideways pictures...the program on my kindle doesn't have a rotate option. Just tilt your head...)

La Bella Vita

Confession: I'm a horrible blogger.  I constantly forget to keep up with any blog I start and I am guilty of letting good blogs sit abandoned for years.  But, as I sit here at Seattle International Airport awaiting the first leg of my journey to Italy, I vow to do my best at keeping up with this blog!  I've been unbelievably blessed to have this opportunity to travel the world, and I want to share it with as many friends as possible.

The Adventure Begins

In case you weren't sure, the title of this blog (Avventure Toscana) translates into Tuscan Adventure.  I hope that is exactly what this will be.  Five weeks spent in the heart of Tuscany...the seat of the Italian Renaissance...and the heartbeat of Italy.  Okay, I embellished that last part a bit.  But I'm really excited!

After procrastinating for weeks on the details of my Italy trip, I finally kicked it into high gear last weekend and made things happen.  We're talking travel folders, copies of important documents, meticulous packing, etc.  All the things that make a slightly OCD traveler like me giddy.  In the spirit of being uber prepared, I even printed out my travel itinerary in both Italian and English!

As a self-professed OCD packer, I'm also astoundingly great at packing in as few bags as possible.  Here I go for 5 weeks in Italy (a female!), and these are my bags:

I should win a medal.  Although, it could also have to do with the unbelievably strict bag guidelines on Condor Airlines...but Ishould still win a prize. But enough about bags and OCD packing.  That's boring!  Unless you're OCD.

And, so.  After fighting the droll  masses of the TSA Security line, I sit here waiting to bored what is going to be the longest flight of my life to date.  Ten hours to Frankfurt International Airport. And then an hour and a half skip over to Florence.

It is here I shall leave you for now.  My posts from here on out will be all about my experiences of the sights, sounds, and adventures of Italy.  I'll endeavor to bring you on my adventure and help you explore Tuscany from the comfort of your bottom.

Next stop: Florence by way of Frankfurt! (But first the duty free shop they do conveniently placed next to my gate...)