Ciao! Yes, I went to Tuscany in Italy the first week in April! I still can't believe I went... The Holms were taking their own vacation to Thailand for 2 weeks, which they had planned before I came in the picture, so I was free to make the best of that time. I chose Italy, well, because it's Italy! I've been here a few months already, and made some great friends. But most are in school or work, and didn't have that amount of time off. So, I took the plunge and traveled alone...here's my story.
I left Sweden on March 31st, and flew into Milan in northern Italy. After many questions, and confused moments, I found my bus that would take me to my first hostel. I had to have the driver of the bus flag me down, when it was my stop, thank God he did. The hostel was nice, and I stayed in a female dorm with 2 other girls who were traveling together. Nice, and normal enough to share the room. Didn't do too much this night, as my focus was Tuscany and the week to come. I walked around the neighborhood, just to allow myself to realize I was in Italy, and found a restaurant closeby. Of course, I order a pizza and a glass of wine. First night, on my own in Italy, I was smiling.
The next morning, I found my way back to the trainstation and bought a ticket for Siena, which was about a 2 hour train ride. Trains are the way to go in Italy. Immediately, I loved Siena. My hotel was extremely easy to find, and it was a great location to everything. I dropped my bags in my own single room, and took off. This city is so old, and the building structures are just part of Italian history. The roads were all cobble stone, and in most areas, cars weren't allowed. I walked around in awe of the beauty and old buildings from the middle ages. I walked to the Piazza del Campo, which is a huge open square with a ton of shops, and restaurants. Being on my own, it was easy just to walk around and explore different streets. Soon, it started to rain, then pour. I was soaked, but knew nothing could stop me from having fun. I found a small "pizza joint" as my cousin Ben would say, and got a Calozone and 2 Birra Morenas (beer) and went back to my room. I thought, okay, one night in with rain outside... Woke up to a beautiful sunny day and was stoked! Went back to the Piazza del Campo, took some pictures, did some shopping, etc. I stumbled upon a Medieval Torture Museum, which I thought I'd give it a shot. I know it sounds gross and scary, but it just caught my attention and tickets were cheap. Lets just say, the Chasity Belt did exist, and I'm glad to be living here and now. Moving on. I bought a ticket to walk up the tower in the Piazza, and that was so cool! It was very high, and you could see the whole city and the countryside past that. I got some great shots of myself :P I continues on, and bought a Chianti bottle of wine and tasted cheese and meats at a random store. Everyone (well most everyone) in the city was very helpful, and interested in talking to me. Most knew about Napa Valley, but no idea about Santa Barbara. I got a lot of "God Bless America," and "Go USA" cheered to me from people passing, or people in stores I talked to. That nigh, I was went to a recommended restaurant and had a pretty good meal. Had some spagetti and a bottle of wine. Ha, I though eh, by myself, we all know it now, everyone here sees me sitting alone, and I could care less. Soon after I sat down, two separate couples sat next to me, and they were all speaking english. We all started talking, and it really was a fun dinner. I got up to use the restroom, and the waiter slipped me his business card. I thanked him, and laughed to myself, because he hardly spoke english, but it was nice. The couple next to me were actually brother and sister from New Zealand, and were living and working in London. We decided to go to the Irish Pub after dinner. I know, Irish Pubs are everywhere!! We had a really good time, and it was just nice to hang out with a nice, normal, english speaking guy and have a few drinks. I kept thinking of Carrie Underwood's song, "It started off hey cutie, where you from...and I don't even know his last name..." A little tired the next morning, I had to find out how to get to Panzano in Chianti....
After a train up to Florence, I took a bus to the smallest town I've ever seen...Panzano in Chianti. If anyone goes to Tuscany, this is a must see town. Very similar to home, and the real deal of Italy. I heard about a butcher, Dario Cecchini, who is supposed to be the one of the best in the world. As soon as I got off the bus, there he was and we said hello. I felt like I had just seen a celebrity. Anthony Bourdain, also a famous chef, did a show here with Dario. I had a hotel reservation, but needed direction. I went into the only bakery, really the only thing open, and I asked the servers. The girl, about my age, said "I'll walk you there, it's my uncles hotel." One minute down the street, and we were there. I had a huge room to myself, and right outside was a beautiful view of the rolling hills of Tuscany. I left my luggage, and went again to explore. All there is in this town, besides "Da Dario," was a small church, the bakery, a coffee shop, and a small school. It was literally just 3 streets that met up, and everything else led off into where people lived. Homes had small wineries in their backyard even. You want Italy, this is it. The first thing I did, was go to the butcher shop of course. The moment I walk in, Dario greets me with a glass of Chianti, and has bread and olive oil on the table. Immediately, you feel the passion and love he has not only for meat, but his life and life is great in Italy. He doesn't speak much english, but I told him I heard about him from a friend, and also from Anthony Bourdain. To this he said, "Nooooo Reservations." Which is the slogan for Bourdain. I felt so honored to be talking to this famous man, a was excited to be having dinner at his restaurant, called Solociccia, that night. After watching the sun go down on this incredible scenery, I joined a party of about 15 locals at a family style dinner. I sat at a large table, and they served you their menu and of course more chianti. The people I sat with were all about 20 years old, and hardly spoke english. We made it work though, and they were very nice. Loved that I was from CA. Dinner was amazing, mostly meat of course, and it was everything I'd hoped for. The next morning, I went back to Dario's Antica Macelleria Cecchini it's called, and thanked him for the delicious meal. He'd remembered my name, and introduced me to his wife, who is originally from Walnut Creek, CA. They have been married for 23 years, and she was so nice and we talked for a while. Everything just felt so personal and real. I then went back to Sarah in the Bakery, bought some pastry, and waited for the next bus down the street. Panzano in Chianti is real Italy, and I loved it. Probably the highlight of my trip.
I arrived in Florence that afternoon. Found my hostel, which again was a great location, and great staff. I was settling in my room, when I heard 2 girls across the hall speaking english, and sounded nice. I knocked on their door, and basically said, I'm by myself, I'm not crazy, have plans for dinner? I'm so glad I did! Cailyn and Brigit are students at St. Andrews in Scotland, originally from the states. The three of us met up with one of their other friends, and had a great dinner. To get to dinner, we crossed the Old Bridge, which is one of the most beautiful and famous bridges in the world. It's actually called Ponte Vecchio. We then went to a club, but that didn't last long. The drinks were outrageously expensive, and we were all being hit on by older Italian men, and it felt like Night at the Roxberry where you had to scream over the techno music just to have a conversation. The three of us girls left, found a bar on the way home, had a glass of wine, and went back to the hostel. The next day, my new friends and I walked 2 blocks away to the Galleria dell Accademia. This is where Michelangelo's sculpture of the "David" is. I am not that interested in art, but the David is absolutely amazing! He's about 17 feet tall, and every minor detail is there. Couldn't take any pics, but trust me, it was outstanding! After this, we grabbed some lunch and sat outside for a bit. Good thing we ate, because we then went to climb the town next to the Duomo which has over 400 steps. Another great view of the city, and really showing off where you were in Florence. The Duomo, which is a cathedral, was also known as the Santa Maria del Fiore. Very cool. We then went back to get ready for dinner. We went to a restaurant closeby, as it was Sunday night, most were closed. After dinner, what did we find...an Irish Pub. I know it sounds crazy, being in these Irish Pubs while in Italy, but I did the Italian things too of course. As you know me though, it was actually comforting being in a familiar pub, just hanging out with new friends and having fun. The next day, I woke up to the news on an earthquake in Italy. It hit a small town about 3 hours south of where I was, but still just very sad. All those lives and ancient structures lost. Here I leave CA, earthquake central, and it still happens where I am. My friends and I had breakfast and said our goodbyes. I even convinced them to take the vespas (motorcycles) to Panzano in Chianti. I later on got an email from them saying that they crashed their vespa on the way, but they were okay, and they were so glad they chose to go there. Florence was beautiful, with a lot of shopping and sightseeing.
I arrived back in Milan on Monday April 6th, since my flight was leaving the next morning. Found a hostel for the night, and once again, went walking around the neighborhood. There was another Duomo closeby, and it was amazing. Didn't research this at all, but really happened on a beautiful church. It was so gothic looking on the outside, and on the inside, had beautiful stained glass, and was just huge and so religious. I sat down, said a prayer and realized how lucky I am. To enjoy my last night in Italy, I ordered pesto gnocci and some wine for dinner and took my time.
Wow, I did it. A week in Tuscany was everything I wanted and more. Siena was my favorite city, and Panzano in Chianti was my favorite scenery, food, butcher, and authenticity. But then, I met 2 great new friend in Florence. Italy was absolutely amazing, but it reconfirmed how awesome we have it home in CA. North Beach in San Francisco also comes close to being similar to Italy. Everything from the food, wine, people and location, I enjoyed every second. This was my treat to myself, since my birthday the following weekend. I could go on and on about Italy, but I think I have already. So, after endulging myself in gelato, carbs, and vino everyday, I eventually returned back to Sweden, ready to be in a home with clean sheets, clean showers, and just back to reality. I was supposed to join a friend to Norway for the next few days, but it fell throught last minute. Disappointed, but kind of nice just to relax on my own for a few days before my family came home. So, what did I do, as my mom says, I cleaned like a mad woman...
Now I'm back to reality. The Holms returned from Thailand, and the boys look and seem older. 2 weeks apart, and I notice them growing. We had a great time comparing our stories, but were all happy to be back home. My journey continues... Few updates as well. I'm planning a trip to go meet my grandma Irelan's cousins in Borlange, which is about 2 hours north of Kumla, next weekend. This will be a special trip for me! Since moving across the world, I'm connecting with more of my distant family. Pretty cool. Great news! My mom, aunts Karen and Emily, and my sister Katie are coming to Sweden in July! 2 weeks of blissful craziness with some of the best women I know :D Can't wait!
