under the tuscan sun. (how could i NOT borrow that title...)

this weekend's trip: a group excursion in tuscany.

although lovely, the weekend was laced with feelings of insecurity reminiscent of middle school. unfortunate, but combatted with dinners and great discussions with my roommate melissa. i hate to be negative in my opening sequence about such a beautifully enchanting place, but if i get it out of the way now i shall find it easier to bypass the details of my frustrations throughout. now, i move on.

melissa and i raced out of the apartment fifteen minutes late than planned, and in a flurry made it up the 147 stairs as well as the consequent hill to school. luckily we were able to include a quick shot of espresso before boarding the bus of overwhelming american tourists disguised as students (my irritation stops here. maybe.) after a few hours, we arrived at fattoria del colle, a winery in the midst of the rolling hills of tuscany. it was every bit as beautiful as any movie could capture and more. we spent the first part of the day touring the winery, which also serves as an "agriturismo," which houses visitors who (for a price) can spend an entire week enjoying the local food and wine, swimming in the pool, and hiking in the hills. at the end of the tour, we tasted two of the wines that make this region famous: rosa di montalcino and brunello di montalcino. (montalcino, if i understood correctly from our tour, refers to the specific collection of hills where these sangiovese grapes are harvested.) on the tour, we were shown from a spectacular viewpoint the three different areas of the land owned by the winery, on which they produce truffles, wine, and olive oil. the rosa was from 2005, and was a deep ruby red color due to its aging process. it had a fruity smell and seemed quite thick as it swirled within the glass. it's smell was quite earthy, but very bright and cherry-tasting with a pleasantly dry finish. the brunello was from 2004 and was slightly darker in color, almost a brown/orange. we learned that this was due to it's five-year aging process. it was slightly thinner but much stronger in its initial taste- much more tart and astringent. after this tasting we moved to the outdoor restaurant area, where we ate a thick tomato-cheese stew of some sort, wide pasta with tomatoes and meat, roasted chicken and potatoes, and a fruit tart. this was accompanied by two different reds- leone rosso 2004 (not much of an opinion- very smooth and subtle) and centerelo, or "cinderella." remember the three different sections of the land? well, this wine comes from the vineyards in the middle, and the winemakers (all women except for one...) named this with two "competing" step-stisters in mind. this wine was buttery and rich, with lovely currant notes and a definite assertion of taste. after lunch, we participated in a made-from-scratch pasta demonstration, after which melissa and i hiked up and down the local hills to trequanda, where our incredible thirst and exhaustion was combatted by "aqua con gas" and panna cotta gelato. trequanda was straight out of "under the tuscan sun" and even featured lovely old italian men sitting outside the cafe. after a lovely walk through the vineyard and a purchase of the local chianti, we boarded the bus for pisa.

a few hours and a movie or two later (twilight... i do NOT recommend it... what a waste of melodramatic energy and money...) we arrived in pisa and entered the hotel, which was a block away from the leaning tower. this, by the way, is an incredible sight, although it is not particularly large by italian standards. depending on which angle from which you are viewing it, the tower seems either minutely leaning or as if it will fall at any moment. needless to say, melissa and i spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how to get that damn picture of one of us "pushing" the tower up. it is MUCH harder than it looks. after an evening of ramazzotti (an incredible digestivo,) prosecco, and an almost entirely italian conversation with a local 20-something, melissa and i went back to the hotel to get at least a bit of sleep before the trip to florence the next morning.

florence: even earlier in the morning than one would prefer after a night of italian-style revelry, the beauty of this city is impossible to deny. although quite overwhelming, after our walking tour with a local (and perfectly euro-chic) sir, i was able to fit in buying leather sandals, visiting the accademia gallery, and enjoying (while dying and going to heaven AGAIN) grom- one of the most famous gelaterias in the world. first: the markets. florence has a concentration of shopping that, although legendary, is hard to grasp until seen. it was completely overwhelming, and although i did make one purchase i am quite proud of (previously-mentioned italian-style sandals,) i was so flustered that i actually purchased a pair of shoes made in CHINa due to the pressure of the atmosphere and the anxiety i let it create. however, my other two experiences (the museum and the gelato) completely made up for my ill-informed purchase of said (probably plastic) flats.

i had heard that the david was unlike anything else in the art world once seen in person, and although that sounds a bit much, it is absolutely true. furthermore, the academy gallery as a whole, which is only about five rooms in size, was one of the most incredible art experiences of my life. first of all, it houses the collection of the medici family's collection of musical instruments, which includes a stradivari violin that i literally teared up over. (just in case i had forgotten that i am a huge nerd...) secondly, there is a room filled with plaster molds of numerous sculptures depicting various people and situations of the old world. my favorite were those of the children , most notably the "girl of the turtle doves (innocence)," which was one of the more captivating (although plaster) pieces of art i have ever seen. thirdly, michaelangelo's sculptures and sketches were juxtaposed in a special exhibit with the photographs of robert mapplethorpe, exploring "the human form." i had studied mapplethorpe and his controversial nude photographs in my art class, so this was especially exciting and inspiring. especially fascinating that the two artists, although living hundreds of years apart and in vastly different worlds, were concerned with the same parts of the human body. beautiful.

and then there was the david. it is hard to even begin to describe the sheer beauty and impact of the incredibly detailed, captivating sculpture that reminded me so of the amazing structure of the human form.

after the invigorating experience of the accademia, i trekked through the city, visiting on my own the famous piazzas, narrow streets, and the ponte vecchio that the tour guide had shown us earlier. i made my way to grom, which is rumored to be one of the best places in all the world to get gelato (florence is the home of the incredible substance; the technique was invented and developed there, and is still said to be THE city for it's enjoyment.) the line was very long, but after one bite of extra dark chocolate and "cassata siciliana" (ricotta-based with candied citrus fruits,) i was convinced that any frozen dessert experience i'd had before (gelato AND ice cream included) was indeed inferior to this orgasmic heaven. the only possible exception may have been the blackberry, cassis, and caramel sundaes with vanilla bean ice cream i enjoyed on my 19th (wait- mom, was it my 18th?) birthday.

saturday night was spent with melissa, trying my first taste of wild boar (glorified beef stew- with salty onions and a warm sauce it was perfection) followed by more ramazzotti. after dinner, we sat at the hotel bar and chatted with a retired british professor who was in pisa for an educational conference. following this lovely experience, we ventured to the hotel roof. here we conversed with students while overlooking the beautiful leaning tower and the church next to it.

sunday was spent taking a walking tour of pisa and shopping the street markets for incredible, mostly handmade clothing and other various goods. also a wonderful risotto primavera at salza, which our tour guide asserted was the best cafe in pisa. the town, which was much quieter than florence even considering its tourism, was quaint and charming, and finally offered the inspiring yet manageable shopping i was looking for. after final shots with the famed tower, we headed back to rome. and, predictably enough, on arriving i found that i once again missed the bustling, crowded city. i am certain that the next ten days will come with bittersweet enjoyment, as i prepare for my return to the states while experiencing as much of the city as is possible.

love to you all.