When we first arrived at the Villa I felt so relieved to be out of a city no matter how cool it was. The drive in certainly lived up to expectations, it looked like we were driving through a well photographed postcard. I loved how we got to stay out a house where breakfast was made every morning by an italian grandma, had a very homey feel to it. The tour of the place helped make since of the funky layout which I enjoyed; I never would of guessed the living room was originally a barn. However my favorite part of Tuscany was running the dirt road next to the vineyards every morning and exploring the sight along the way. My most interesting discovery was a massive structure in ruins, complete with a closed off tunnel leading into the ground.
Florence was also a trip, my favorite experiences being seeing the David, Birth of Venus, and the dynamics of shopping in Italy. The David was something I thought would not really be worth seeing, but after getting there was worth the drive. I had no idea how detailed the statue was; you could see everything to defined muscles, tendons and even veins. This piece of art alone was worth giving up a free day back at the Villa. After seeing the David we went ran over to the Uffizi and saw the Birth of Venus which was equally amazing. I was surprised how overcome I felt seeing these famous works, I've never really been an emotional person or art appreciator.
Once we saw the painting, we made our way for the exit which turned into an adventure all on it's own. We soon realized the museum was a maze and you had to go through everything to make it to the exit, which would have been just fine if we hadn't been in a time crunch. Lastly, I was amazed at the culture of bartering in Italy. I had definitely heard of it happening before I came but had no idea to what extent. I couldn't imagine going into a store in The U.S. and negotiating a price, I feel like that would get security called on you. But in Italy it's completely normal and even expected, which at first I was super uncomfortable but then got use to. Overall Florence was an experience in itself and I'm glad we got to spend a good chunk of time there.
Lastly, there was the cute little city of Lucca we got to ride our bikes around. This city was a really nice change in pace from Florence which was crawling with tourists like ourselves. Lucca was so quiet and nice, but almost too quiet. I think it would have been a lot better if the shops were actually open the time that we were there! That was another cultural thing that surprised me that everyone's business closed around the same time for siesta. I find it so interesting how much cultures differ on small little idiosyncrasies. After Lucca we visited Pisa, which was an Italian tourist right of passage; complete with cheesy picture. I'm really glad we got to see the leaning tower and climb up the dizziness inducing staircase.However, my favorite part was the quiet beach where we ate dinner though on the other side of the city where everything was cal and quiet.
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