A postcard from stunning Tuscany

After a short business trip to NYC last week, I got back to Florence. Ready for some adventures. During one of the Meetups in Florence I’ve met Caroline. She’s from Scotland, lives in Sydney and is visiting Florence for a month. To explore beyond the city of Florence, we decided to take a few morning trips through Tuscany. 

Since I start working at 2PM, we've got all morning and a bit of the afternoon to do whatever we like. We jumped in the car to visit the most amazing places. Most of the times we looked at the map to find a place with a “fun” name, and just go there. Not one of these places turned out to be disappointing. The region of Tuscany is lovely. 

We spent some time in San Gimignano to walk around, enjoy wine and have (of course) some gelato. Tavernelle Val di Pesi proved to be a cute little town with gorgeous roads and a castle that cannot be found. The beaches in Rosignano Marrittimo made me think I am in the Caribbean, and the views in Livorno are nothing short of spectacular. 

Guus, one of my Dutch friends recommended Cinque di Vino, a little restaurant in San Casciano. "You have to get the Bistecca alla Fiorentina!” It is such a great place. The owner took all the time in the world to talk with us, show us around his kitchen, and prepare the most amazing piece of meat I’ve ever had. The 2012 Falchini Paretaio complemented the meal fantastically and the whole experience was one of intense joy. We ended the meal with some espresso and limoncello and were wondering if we  could “bottle” moments of happiness, to give some of it to others or use it later. 

We walked around Impruneta and Borgo San Lorenzo and wondered how it would be, to live in Tuscany for a longer period of time. Would you ever get a beauty overdose? Would there be a time where you wouldn’t appreciate the gorgeous surroundings? 

The nice thing about visiting tiny villages is that people aren’t fed up with tourists and like the fact, that you came over, to see their town. Every single Italian person I’ve met so far, is very friendly. When you start a conversation in your “best” Italian (I have potential for a lot of growth in that area), they appreciate the effort and will do everything they can, to help you out and make sure you have a good time. Caroline turns into a great friend during the week. Time flies by each day and we spent countless hours discussing. Life, dreams, passions, experiences, religion, relationships, lifestyle, social media, beauty and much more. She'll be going back to Australia soon. Until we meet again. 

On Friday, one of my best friends Arne, took a flight to Pisa to visit me for the weekend and to drive back with me to the Netherlands (Road trip!!). After spending a few weeks by myself, it is great to share this part of my life with him and enjoy all the awesome things this area has to offer together. We stroll through Florence, relax in the beautiful Boboli gardens, explore Siena and Lucca, and drive through the Chianti area to visit wineries and taste local wines. 

 

Arne helped me figure out a question I've been pondering over for a while: After living abroad for so many years, and having such a great time being back in the Netherlands with friends and family, why do I go abroad again? Because I want to experience other cultures and learn new languages. Why? Because I believe that experiencing other cultures and learning new languages gives me new perspectives in life. Why do I want that? Because that means I'm constantly growing. And when you stop growing, you start dying. 

I guess sometimes all you need is the help of a good friend, to make you see the obvious.

Tomorrow we’ll drive back to the Netherlands, after which a new chapter begins. From June 19th until July 19th you can join me for an espresso in Rome! To be continued..