Was I just dreaming? Or did all of this Italian beauty truly happen??

It's been almost a month since our return (and almost a month since my last post...oops!), and to be honest it's been wonderful spending time with friends and family, eating our beloved and missed sushi and burritos, and reacquainting ourselves with the wonders of the modern world. But strangely, as more time passes, our amazing five months in Italy seems more and more like it was just a dream. Jim and I agree that when we were there time infinitely slowed down, to the point where at times we forgot that we would have to leave. It felt like our home; like we would be there forever. But now that we're back in the fast-paced suburban world we call home, it feels like our time in Italy was just a hallucination.

Thank goodness for a) pictures b) friends and c) scars that can all attest to the fact that we WERE indeed on a farm in Tuscany for five months! I can't wait to keep posting pictures from the rest of our time in Italy, allowing me to relive it all. After all I need something to prevent me from working too diligently on my job search, right? Right.

So keep reading ragazzi - more of Italy and of course our upcoming adventures to come!

My Friend Firenze

A couple of weeks ago we decided to FINALLY visit Florence, one of my favorite cities in the world! It felt like a long time coming. My amazing 4 months in Florence while I was abroad in college was one of the main reasons I wanted to come here in the first place, so I had been psyched to visit the city since the moment I stepped back into Italy.

We rode the old scoot' to the nearest train station, San Miniato/Fucecchio, and grabbed a quick cappucino while waiting for the next train to Firenze.



We arrived at Florence SMN Station and then started our looong hike around the city at the San Lorenzo Market.

At the market we grabbed some truffle salami and some peppery pecorino, then some dried kiwi, mango and lime for a snack. The market is well known for amazing and unique meats, cheeses, pastas and treats - DO NOT go there on an empty stomach or you'll have no more money for the rest of your day in Florence!

After the snack we walked down through the center of Florence, over the Ponte Vecchio, to my old stomping grounds on the south side of the river (the best side). We visited Piazza Santo Spirito, which includes the most amazing sandwich shop ever (Gustpanino!) as well as the only trees in Florence. Two great reasons to pay Santo Spirito a visit.

After two panini we kept walking through the heat - past the Pitti Palace then down Costa San Giorgio to catch a glimpse of my old apartment. We continued on along the Arno to the Piazza San Michelangelo, which is a bit out of the way compared to other sights in Florence but is always worth the trip. If you walk, you have to climb up a steep hill, but you deserve the sights and available birra/water/gelato all the more for it, and the view is beautiful.

After that we headed back across the Arno to grab some cheap & quick gelato, stop by the Florence leather school, see the duomo up close and grab a quick pizza before the train. It was a full 7 hours of hiking around the city and we saw everything I needed to see - I'd call it un successo!

We've been planning some amazing trips so I'll be back with more soon - la fattoria, the beach, France, Sardinia, and wine country to come!

Ciao raggazzi~