Another hill up we arrived at the true lookout point, where we spent a good deal of time just looking at how stunning the city was. Every angle offered something different and with each passing cloud the light distribution in our pictures shifted. We hope to come back here for sunset/sunrise one of these days!
On Friday we signed up for a horseback riding tour of Tuscany through a company here in Florence, complete with a wine tasting and traditional Tuscan lunch. It never ceases to amaze me that with each excursion we go on, somehow they seem to top the one before. This was no exception, and it is certainly an experience I will never forget. Every once in a while I have those "am I really doing this right now?!" moments and this day was filled with them. We met our guide at the train station and went for about and hour drive to the Tuscan countryside. At this point I was not sure what was more frightening - our driver's affinity for cruise control on the narrow Italian highways, or that he has legitimately never heard of peanut butter. What did he eat every day for lunch in middle school? I guess this is what they mean by "culture shock."
Gelato: Breakfast of Champions
We spent the remainder of the ride quizzing our poor driver on all things American until we arrived in the town of San Gimignano, located in the province of Siena, Tuscany. This town was unbelievably cool, as it has been around longer than anything I've ever known before! Legend has it that in 63 B.C. two brothers escaped Rome, and sought shelter by building two castles that would develop officially into the town of San Gimignano in 450 AD. Thanks to these brothers, San Gimignano is now known for its incredible medieval architecture and preservation of tower houses. Our guide told us that the higher the tower, the more power a family had. I'm pretty sure that's how the Harvard house system works, too. Here are some pictures from around town, along with one overlooking the countryside.
While half of our tour group headed to the ranch for their horseback riding trip, we explored the town. The highlight, per usual, was the gelato. Our guide alerted us to this particular establishment's sign, which spoke of their two-time "World Champion" status. Despite the fact that it was roughly 10:45am, we could not pass up a cone of the world's greatest gelato. Opting for 3 flavors this time, I went with a combo of caffé, cioccolato, and stracciatella (chocolate chip). Sorry Grom and Venchi, but I think I've found my new favorite. I wonder if the castle has any vacancy for July?
Italian Stallions
I wish we could have spent more time looking through the shops of San Gimignano, but soon enough it was time to head down the hill to the ranch! The sun was beaming and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. When we arrived at the ranch we walked around a bit and took some pictures of the vineyards and the castles of San Gimignano situated up in the distance.
We were given a brief (and by that I mean less than 30 second) riding lesson on how to control a horse. Yikes. We were then assigned our horses and told to hop on! I don't think I've ever actually been on a one before, so I was pretty nervous. Mine seemed tame through the first stretch and thankfully once the horses start walking they stay close to one another in line. Strolling through the rows of the vineyard overlooking the above view was truly amazing. It's hard to describe how endless the scenery was. Despite how terrified I was of being "in control" of this enormous animal I am so glad I did it and will never forget it! I got a little nervous as we approached the mud pit, however, at which point the guide said, "Don't worry, the horse will slide but they usually catch themselves. You will not fall." Thankfully my horse held up nicely, so I stayed clean! It did get a little dicey at one point when he tried to veer off course for a snack, and as I tried to emulate their foot commands he began to "trot" faster! A quick pull on the reigns slowed him down, but the guide politely requested, "No trot, please." I assured her that was the last of my intentions. Seriously.
At last we returned to the stable, descended from our stallions and stretched every muscle in our legs while downing some water. We were hungry and ready for the next feature: wine tasting & a traditional Tuscan lunch!
Seabisc-otti
At this point we were pretty exhausted from being in the sun all day, so this lunch came at the perfect time. The vineyard's owner and operator, an enthusiastic aproned gentlemen straight out of the supporting cast of Strega Nona, first spoke to us about the history of his family's wine business. His great-great-great grandparents had 18 children (!) which helped run 5 vineyards all across Tuscany for decades. His business has since expanded, including production out of Chicago, which he made very clear on the ridiculously priced order form. Nonetheless he was the perfect guide for the 4 or 5 wines we tasted with cheese, salami, oil with bread on it, and salad with balsamic vinegar. The second course was a type of soup with beans, vegetables and some light seasoning. Next up was his grandmother's lasagna recipe which had the thickest, richest ricotta cheese. And finally dessert, accompanied by their best dessert wine, was a handful of biscotti. In a word: delicious!
After dessert we went outside for a surprise champagne celebration with our tour guides. We drove back through the Tuscan countryside to Florence still reveling in how amazing of a day it was. To cap the night off we headed to a local cinema for The Great Gatsby (in English!). The theater opened in 1922, so the extremely cushioned seats, velvety curtains, and opera-like balcony made for a perfect setting to watch this rendition of the roaring 20s! A great end to what we all agreed was one of the best days of our lives. Another one in the books and two weeks down!
Arrivederci!
Megan
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