With a busy, enjoyable weekend passed, I’m exhausted but loving the memories!
On Saturday, we went to the little, forted medieval town of Lucca, which is about an hour bus-ride from Firenze. Riding through the gates of the wall, I knew it was my kind of town. The small town, non-tourist, historical atmosphere was lovely. Given three hours of free time just to wander and explore, we discovered the best gelato place in the entire world! The self-serve shop had the creamiest soft serve gelato (I had blackberry, milk, and yogurt flavors) with an array of toppings and sauces. The blackberry and mango sauces were heavenly. But to outdo the gelato, the shop was creatively decorated. The walls were plastered with photographed landscapes of the town and the ceiling with bright blue sky with puffy white clouds! Plus it had swings hanging from that amazing ceiling! So my friends and I swang and ate our gelato! How cool!
After some shopping at the locally owned shops, where I found authentic Italian style pants (think Aladdin pants, sorta…) and the cutest bikini, we went biking on the wall. The top of the medieval wall, which was originally built to keep out the Black Plague and invaders, had been turned into a tree lined bike path, which circled around with scenes of the surrounding Tuscan towns. My friends and I fell in the love with the town and planned our lives around it.
After seeing the most gorgeous wedding dresses in a by-appointment-only wedding shop, we decided we would all get married in a cathedral in Firenze, go on our honeymoons in a Tuscan villa, and buy our own houses in Lucca, but share an apartment in Firenze. Plus we would work at the gelato shop (free gelato everyday? I think, yes!).
The next day, we got on a bus and spent the day at the beach! The beach was not like anything I’m used to (scenic, rocky, cold beaches of Maine), but more like a desert! The beach was wide, with hundreds and hundreds of umbrellas and chairs lined up in perfect rows across the blistering sand. White plastic raised paths lead the way to the salty and warm blue Mediterranean water. With a tan (plus some pink… Maybe more like a lot of pink!) to show off, it was a day well spent!
Yet it wasn’t over! From there, the next stop was the Leaning Tower of Pisa for some classic touristy pictures! We wrapped up the day by tie-dyeing t-shirts with the Italian flag colors of red and green.
All in all, the weekend was a blast! I can’t wait to find out what the trip is for next weekend!
-Phoebe