2nd Weekend Abroad

Hey all!

CAUTION: For all those with an extensive vocabulary, be wary. I guarantee I will run out of adjectives as I recount what I just experienced. Today was one of the most incredible days I’ve had since arriving in Italy. I am officially an I Bike Italy champ. Let me start from the beginning:

Last night, Meg and I were planning on spending time with friends over a nice dinner near Centro. Apparently, the bus drivers had gotten together and decided to strike (we’ve been told this is a common occurrence), and as no taxis were available, we were stranded. Instead, we ended up having a 3 hour dinner at an amazing restaurant right around the corner from our house. The food and wine were incredible – it was one of the nicest meals I’ve had since arriving. Getting home later than we expected, we slept through our alarm and woke up when we were planning on leaving in order to make it to Ponte alle Grazie – the bridge where we were to meet our bike guide. In a whirl of frantic dressing/packing for our day adventure, we ran to catch the bus and finally made it, a few minutes early even! Let the recount of the fabulous day begin…

Our bike guide’s name was Per. He was from Sweden and spoke 4 languages. We were in the group with 4 other people – one woman traveling by herself, and a group of three who met in a Yoga class. Out of the 4, the one really worth mentioning is Bob, a super nerdy guy who made me laugh so hard.

We did the whole introduction thing, and then took a bus to the bike garage, located just down the street we live on, Via Gabrielle d’Annunzio. After signing our life away as far as accountability is concerned, we mounted our bikes and took off (and by off I mean a three-mile gruel entirely uphill) into the beautiful countryside of Florence – Fiesole to be exact. At one point, I realized my teeth were clenched so tight and the expression on my face was so fierce that I started laughing and almost had to stop and catch my breath. The first half of the bike ride was mostly uphill, and when we reached the tiny town about 90 minutes into our ride, all of us were pretty darn sweaty. We walked up to a small church on a hill with the most breathtaking view of Florence. I could really get a good idea where certain Piazzas were in relation to others, and where the Stadium is in relation to our home (really close!). We took about an hour break and set off again on the windy roads that wrap around the hills of Fiesole.

Hungry and eager for an energizing lunch, we were almost to the restaurant when it started raining. No, not just raining, pouring. It was the most beautiful rain I had ever seen. I was wearing a tank top and shorts and could have cared less that I was completely soaked. The rain seemed to enhance the colors of everything around us. I fell in love with Fiesole, and the amazing/incredible/beautiful/fabulous scenes on either side of the road. Eventually, we made it to Chianti, were we had a delicious lunch at a local trattoria - Chianti, bruschetta, gnocchi, tortellini, and a macchiato for a bit of a kick.

After lunch, we rode for about a mile and then stopped again at a beautiful Chianti vineyard. There, we experienced the processes of making both wine and olive oil. We also were able to taste the wine and olive-oil produced and bottled by this specific vineyard. Meg and I explored the winery, villa, and orchards surrounding. Bob hung out with us for a bit, and snapped a bit of a photo shoot (we really only wanted one picture) of us frolicking about in the olive groves. This Italian ranch dog, Diego, was seriously so good at soccer – typical Italian dog. There were kittens on the property, antique olive and wine presses, vegetable gardens, fields, meadows, and basically anything else picturesque Italian. It was incredible.

After our stop in Chianti, we headed back down. And by down, I mean completely downhill the entire way back into Firenze. It felt amazing flying down the mountain, passing castles, olive groves, and vineyards on both sides.

I was so sad that our day was over – it had been one of the most amazing days yet. I hope every single person who ever comes to Florence gets to experience this.

That night, we had a really fun dinner at Jess and Eric’s apartment near Piazza San Marco, with Shan, and their roommates Keagan and Maggie. We brought over a Chianti Reserve from the fattoria (farm) we visited during our bike ride. Jess made really good pasta, and Eric made a fab salad. Since we don’t eat with the Hardoy’s on the weekends, Friday and Saturday are the perfect nights to explore local restaurants and have dinner with friends.
All in all, I’d say this weekend was really great.

Here are possible plans in the works for this upcoming week: Fiorintina soccer game Wednesday night at the Stadium, art history on-site visit on Thursday, and Nice, France for the weekend with Meg, Alex, and Whitney. I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

All my love,

Gen