Under the Tuscan Sun

This past weekend I embarked on another epic adventure, a three day trip to Tuscany planned by SAI (my program). It was by far some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. This was probably enhanced by the fact that this was the first time in over a month that I have seen this thing called grass. After walking on cobblestone, however historic and quaint it may be, it was a welcome sight.

Enough about that, you probably want to know what I did.

DAY ONE:

First stop of the weekend was Lake Bolsena and the surrounding town. We got to take a boat tour of the lake, don't worry, it was far less disastrous than Gilligan's tour. The water was so blue, it looked like the boat was driving through blue powerade (after years on Lake Minnetonka, I forgot what water was actually supposed to look like... ). Our guide told us all about the lake's two private islands and was kind enough to point out the local wildlife (that is a mah-lahrd duck and that, over there, is a seagull). After we got done with the boat tour, we move to dry land to take a tour of the town. We were escorted to a gorgeous little church that was named after the martyr Saint Chirstine. The church was really beautiful. The artwork was amazing and the architecture dated back to medieval times. We even got to tour the catacombs that are under the church (don't worry, very few bodies are actually left down there).

After we finished, we boarded the bus and were taken to our home for the weekend. A luxury resort nestled in the hills with natural mineral springs heated by volcanic activity (Terme di Sorano). Slice of heaven? Yes. They fed us a scrumptious four course meal in an old church (no longer used for services). With full bellies we went back to our villa, spread blankets on the lawn, and stared at the stars. Being a city girl I have never seen the milky way, and let me tell you, it is quite the sight.

DAY TWO:

The previous night I had gotten no sleep. I am still sick (darn typhoid Molly) and cold medicine is hard to find. Never the less, I was in Tuscany and was going to live it up. So horseback riding in the morning it was! My horse's name was Shena, and she was a real sweetie (softest ears ever). We rode through a vineyard and wound our way down a hill to get a breathtaking view of town. Sorry, I don't have pictures of this part of the trip. I lack the coordination necessary to hold the reins and take pictures. So you will have to take my word for it. Think horseback riding scene in "The Parent Trap" but more rustic and more hills. The place where we went riding also had sheep. So after our ride we scampered over to them and cooed over the babies. You have not lived until you have heard a lamb bleet. SO CUTE!

After riding we had a quick bite on our porch and then went on a tour of the Maremma Towns. This is a grouping of three towns that are super tiny (like 100 people or less tiny). The first stop was Pitigliano. It has three main roads, no joke, and we covered the whole town in less than an hour. The history in this town is amazing though. They had a Jewish ghetto and the stories the guide told us were amazing. The Jews would be locked in at night, but had free reign of the town during the day. The townspeople thought they were total equals and hated the ghetto, but had to have it as it was law. Then, after the armistice was signed in WW2 the townspeople hid the Jews in the hills so they would not be taken to concentration camps. It reminded me of a book I read called "It Happened in Italy." In fact, this town may have been mentioned, but I don't remember. Anyway, I would highly encourage you to read this book. It gives autobiographical accounts of WW2 Italian Jews and just how different their experiences were from those in Germany. I thought it was fascinating.

The second town we went to is called Sorana. Here we visited some of the Etruscan ruins. My favorite part of this town was the bomb shelter. Let me explain. There were natural cracks in the earth and the townspeople widened them. They were sheltered by trees and pretty deep, so during bomb raids in WW2, they would hide there. Someone even carved 1945 into the rock (sadly the picture did not turn out). Now they are used to get from town to town, and children walk to school in them.

The third town is Sovana, and is where we ended our tour. We saw a church that was commissioned by a Pope name after the Virgin Mary. Funny story. They only built the church when they had money, and it was interrupted by wars, so it took a long time to build. As a result half the church is Romanesque and half is Gothic (some of the arches come to a point, and some don't). Also, the church was literally splitting in half, so all the pillars bend out, it looks like an optical illusion. They fixed the crack and added flying buttresses so the church will remain in one piece. The things you learn on a guided tour.

After dinner (another four courses) we headed off to the hot springs. It was dark (and like 10 at night) so the stars were super vivid. We sat in the pool, floated and stared at the sky. All the while, soaking up the mineral-y goodness of the natural springs.

DAY THREE

We went to a fantastic little farm to watch a demonstration of Italian cowboys (Butteri). They were hysterical. They showed us how they would brand a calf and then played a game on their horses. It was a lot of fun.

We arrived back in Rome in the early evening, exhausted, but satisfied with our time in Tuscany.

Sorry for the crazy length of this blog. I had a lot to say and didn't want to leave anything out!