Italy Part Two: Under the Tuscan Sun
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Cinque Terre isn't techincally in Tuscany but the sun was blazing and not a cloud was in the sky for the three days we were there. Most of you may not have heard of the Cinque Terre and it is an absolute hidden gem!! It is 5 small villages sitting about 1-2km from each other on the cliffs of the Mediterranian coast. My eyes have never seen anything more beautiful than the scenery of the Cinque Terre. We stayed in the fourth town, Vernazza, which came out onto a small cove and the water was crystal clear. We sat on the rocks that jutted out from the cove as the sun set and just couldn't believe my eyes at the beauty of this place. It was truly amazing.
We also hiked between the towns, which at times was a little difficult as it was along the cliffs, but the sweating and the tiredness were completely irrelevant when I turned my head toward the sea and saw the most gorgeous views of the cliffs, the towns and the water. Definately a highlight of the trip.
Off to Florence next, what some may consider the capital of Tuscany and what I have heard many say one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. Unfortunately I didn't share this enthusiasm. It could have been the dreary weather we had, the millions of tourists due to an Italian long weekend, or the fact that we waited in lines for everything. In fact thats all I seemed to do in Florence! It took us 3 hours to see Michalangelo's David! 3 hours! We skipped the famous Uffizi Gallery cos the rumous suggested it would be an even longer wait. The two highlights of Florence were the excellent Trattoria we found by the nqme of Mario's. It had the best homemade Italian cooking I have tasted all trip set in a rameshackle restaurant with a great vibe and it was super cheap. The other highlight was an excellent view of Florence from Michalangelo's square and the surrounds of Tuscany.
Another town worth mentioning in Tuscany was Siena, which we went to on a day trip from Florence. It is a gorgeous medieval style town with beautiful scenery and a huge public square where everyone chilled out. It had an amazing church with famous artist's works and very intricate details. It was lovely to stroll around Siena, particularly for its old style and the amazing Tuscan scenery surrounding the walls of the town.
Stay tuned for stories of me relaxing in a delux chalet amongst the mountains in Switzerland!
Click here for Italy Photos
We also hiked between the towns, which at times was a little difficult as it was along the cliffs, but the sweating and the tiredness were completely irrelevant when I turned my head toward the sea and saw the most gorgeous views of the cliffs, the towns and the water. Definately a highlight of the trip.
Off to Florence next, what some may consider the capital of Tuscany and what I have heard many say one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. Unfortunately I didn't share this enthusiasm. It could have been the dreary weather we had, the millions of tourists due to an Italian long weekend, or the fact that we waited in lines for everything. In fact thats all I seemed to do in Florence! It took us 3 hours to see Michalangelo's David! 3 hours! We skipped the famous Uffizi Gallery cos the rumous suggested it would be an even longer wait. The two highlights of Florence were the excellent Trattoria we found by the nqme of Mario's. It had the best homemade Italian cooking I have tasted all trip set in a rameshackle restaurant with a great vibe and it was super cheap. The other highlight was an excellent view of Florence from Michalangelo's square and the surrounds of Tuscany.
Another town worth mentioning in Tuscany was Siena, which we went to on a day trip from Florence. It is a gorgeous medieval style town with beautiful scenery and a huge public square where everyone chilled out. It had an amazing church with famous artist's works and very intricate details. It was lovely to stroll around Siena, particularly for its old style and the amazing Tuscan scenery surrounding the walls of the town.
Stay tuned for stories of me relaxing in a delux chalet amongst the mountains in Switzerland!
Click here for Italy Photos
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at 6:35 AM.
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May 14, 2007 at 9:17 PM
hey Amanda, when I think about travelling I love reading your blog for a lil' inspiration! Keep uploading those photos too... I love checking those out.
Keep having fun!
J