Un Paseo Por Las Nubes and Other Stories

After hours on the bus, the familiar crunch of gravel meets my ears like an old friend. Then comes a moment of perspective. There I am, a tiny speck in the Tuscan countryside, surrounded by rolling hills, and endless vineyards. The horizon is painted in a pallet of rich golds, oranges and deep browns. The gold of the land and the soft hues of the sunset collide in a gradient of sheer perfection. For a moment everything stops.

Have you ever had a moment in your life where you contemplate everything that has led you to that particular place at that particular time?

At this moment, I couldn't help but think that I seriously had considered skipping study abroad, and standing on a hillside in Tuscany, the universe showed me what an idiot I had almost been.

This weekend was the IES Tuscany trip, and it was one of the m

ost beautiful experiences I've ever had. We started our journey early Saturday morning at the Cadorna station in Milano. 47 students piled onto a chartered bus and we began the drive. Soon the city streets turned into the vast Italian highway. Before we knew it, it was lunch. Sometimes it really sucks to be a vegetarian in Italy, not because I want to eat meat, but because I long for decent vegetarian food. At this rest stop, I bought a ticket for a panino, assuming they would have the classic, "tomato, mozzarella and basil" sandwich, only to find all of their panini had meat. In this instance, I ended up with a chocolate pastry, but I was starving and really wanted a sandwich.

I know, I know. Wahh wahh, #firstworldproblems.

Once we got back on the bus, time past quickly and we reached Siena. Siena is one of the most historic cities in Tuscany,

it used to be an independent city state before falling to the powerful capital of Flore

nce and then joining the unified Italy in 1861. Like many Italian cities, Siena takes pride in it's individual accomp

lishments before the "Resorgimento." In Siena, there are different districts with their own flags and they have horse races each year that have huge value for the citizens in the districts. It was interesting to see s

uch city pride. We visited the Duomo, which was probably my favorite thing we did in Siena. We trekked up the vast staircases to the top of the unfinished part of the church (the plague killed their expansion plans) and looked out over all of Tuscany. It was absolutely beautiful and after waiting an hour to be able to climb the stairs, the view made it worth

it.

Later we had dinner at the hotel and then returned to the historic center for drinks in the main piazza. We usually or

der typical american drinks, so I followed my friend Allie's lead and ordered an Italian one. The waitress confused what I said and brought me a Rossini instead of a Bellini but it was fantastic any

way.

The next day, we went on a whirlwind tour of Tuscan cities. We began with a tour of Montalcino. When we arrived we discovered that our bus couldn't drive into the city so we would have to walk up the hill to get to Montalcino. The walk was, okay,let's be honest, when do I ever enjoy walking up hills? However,
the view of Tuscany and the presence of excellent company made it bearable. I'm serious though, it was a hike. Fortunately for us, the town was having a festival. We were able to see traditional Tuscan dances and eat some traditional Tuscan food. In this festival, I happened to have the best cheese I've had in my life. It's called Pecorino and it's made from sheep's milk. If you just grimaced, you're either 1) a vegan, and I respect that, or 2) out of your mind because it tastes like heaven. I also witnessed a fantastic parade complete with drummers drumming and a king and queen!

Then we began the drive to Sant Antimo, it is a monastery in the Tuscan countryside that is over 1200 years old. Through the years, the monastery has seen waves of change, from a pope that robbed it of its riches and power to a post-plague society that wanted nothing to do with God. It stands, and hosts the daily sung prayers of 6 faithful monks. Their prayers, sung in Latin in the style of Gregorian chants, are a testament to the reverence people used to have for God. Though I am not Catholic, I find the prayers to be a beautiful expression of faith.

The monastery was situated in the Tuscan countryside, amid the most beautiful rolling hills. This was the location I described at the beginning of this blog. Something about this location stirred something within me. I can't describe it, it made me want to pray, so I did.

The next day, we found ourselves in Arezzo where the parts of the film, "Life is Beautiful" was filmed. While at lunch, my friends and I found the most charming bistro with the best service we've had in Italy. The food was delicious and beautiful and the location (central piazza) was fantastic. The trip drew to a close and I left Tuscany, incandescently happy.

Now, here are some beautiful pictures.