Cinque Terre

Although this was just a day trip, no doubt it was one of the most memorable.  I mean these views were postcard worthy, but we were lucky enough to have a beautiful sunny day and plenty of time having left Firenze early this Wednesday morning when we had a day off of classes!

A 2 1/2 hour train took us to La Spezia, where from there we were able to travel separately to each of the five villages, hence the name Cinque Terre.  Ci sono Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, e Monterosso. Three out of the five hiking trails were closed for the day, and Vernazza was most recently ruined

Via dell'Amore which most literally means the "Way of Love.'  

This was the hiking trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola

 

The hiking trail is placed at one of the farthest spots of land. And at some points, you have to option to hike down to the water for awesome views or a rewarding swim.

 :)

 

Just some waves :)

 

 <-- Riomaggiore

 We randomly met this other American student who was waiting for his group to arrive, and offered to show us to a fantastic trattoria outside the main touristy area.  It was so yummy!

I was just happy to be sitting down and eating after hiking all over the place.  The simplicity of things haha

 Dana and Maria!

My very.....interesting seafood spaghetti.  But hey,
you can't not get seafood at a trattoria 2 minutes from to Sea.

  

Imagine this being your patio with this view at your disclosure EVERY day.  What a life. 

 Here is Manarola.  Another small little village.  Many people were skinny dipping and jumping off those high rocks.  I didn't do any of those, but I definitely can say that I have been swimming in the Adriatic Sea while making friends from other students on vacation who were studying in Turkey.

 I thought this was so Euro and so cute. Besides the fact that the kid was butt naked and the father was wearing just his underwear, they were living as if no one else is around, and I loved that

 I immediately thought of my grandparents road tripping in their RV when I saw all of them stacked up on the beach.  Livin' simple and free even in Monterosso!

Cute gelateria :)

 Us girlies chilin' in paradise

A tribute to my sissy <3

And this pretty much just sums the simple and stunning beauty of our Cinque Terre trip:

Chianti Wine Tasting

On the next Saturday after Amalfi Coast Maria, Janine and I went on a day trip to Chianti for some sightseeing and a fantastic lunch with some incredible wine.

Bright and early, we met with our group at the Firenze Santa Maria Novella and hopped on a bus to our first city, Greve.  A very small town in Toscana, we took a quick break from driving and stopped for caffe at a pasticceria and explored the small city with its open market.  

Maria!

Soon after, we made our way to a short hike up a hill where we saw thousands of olive trees, old tuscan huts and of course, breathtaking views.  At the very top of the hill was another little town with fresh lavender coating the exterior stone and masonry of each building.  

    

                                                     

 My loves <3

Olive Trees

We walked again a bit through town and Uniore Produttore Vine del Chianti. Basically, an Olive Oil and Wine Tasting shop with products particularly from this region; so you know it's as fresh as it can get.

Our guides, Christina and Stefano

 Wine and Olive Oil Tasting!

 Yumm :)

Now that's expensive! 

After our little hike, we hop on a regional bus and arrive in Panzano where the Sassolini Villa was located.  The Sassolini family has been best known for their wine for centuries.  We were lucky enough to be invited into their villa with a beautiful and large dining room, a roaring fire, a filling 6 course meal, a 6 different tastings of wine.  We were also able to see within their wine cellar which was actually much much smaller than I was expecting.  Our group was also able to walk through the vineyards and got a glimpse of yet another fantastic view of the rolling hills.

 This is the exact point between Firenze and Siena.

 Vineyards in the backyard. No problem.

 

Lorenzo Sassolini!

 :)

 Cantucci paired with Vin Santo, a dessert wine

A traditional Tuscan day at it's best!