Buona Giornata dall’Italia

Hello from Italy!!

We’re here, we’re settled.

Get up, eat gelato, drink wine, eat gelato, drink wine, go to bed. Josh has decided that it is very acceptable to eat gelato 2x per day and the crew has even had it for breakfast.

In between our eating and drinking, we’ve enjoyed Florence and its offerings, from the Duomo to the Uffizi and La Accademia, the stunning architecture and small alleyways within the city. Our first day within Florence, we arrived into Europe before 5AM, which gave us a long day of being awake, but in a jetlaggy soup. It was a rough day. Luna was so tired that it seemed like she was drunk the whole day, and we laughed through it and made the best of the haze.

When we got up on the 25th, we felt like new humans, well-rested and having slept through the night. Florence is a city where you don’t have to do a lot to experience it, so we rambled and explored by foot. Although it rained some of the time, most days were sunny and perfect. The scent of leather is prevalent as so much is processed and made into clothes, shoes and handbags. Colorful leather shops dot most streets and the rainbow hues are beautiful. Luna was thrilled to meet a fashion designer named Alle at his shop and hear about his process and working with leather. They talked about design and it was so joyful to see her connect with someone about something she cares about so deeply. Alle shared the fashion schools in Firenze and invited Luna back when she’s ready.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the trip thus far has been welcoming Josh’s sister, Tara to Italy. She made it! We’re so grateful that we have this time to travel and explore together over the next few weeks.

We were in Florence for a few days before heading to Tuscany. Italy seems dreamy until you have to do something like rent a car or something where efficiency really matters. It’s both charming and annoying. For example, the transport to pick us up from the airport after arriving into Florence never showed. Later in the week, when we went to get our rental car they asked you to take a numbered ticket and get into line. The ticket machine broke, 1/2 the staff then stopped renting cars and stood around fixing said machine. After waiting for an hour, we were told that we had to rent our car and pay for 5 days longer since the office will be closed when we’d be returning it over a holiday. They said because I’d booked so far out they hadn’t thought to tell me. They then tried to call the drop off point to see if we could drop the keys at a bar that might be open since the office wouldn’t be. When we tried to call the bar their number wasn’t listed. So, we took the car and we’ll see how/if we are able to return it. Fingers crossed. Welcome to Italy. But then you hop in your car and drive 40 minutes and you’re surrounded by pastoral fields and feel like you’re in a painting of pastel hues and all is forgiven.

As I write this, the windows are open and a cool breeze is wafting through from the fields of Tuscany. The doves are welcoming a new day, the scents of hay and rosemary are wafting in as the roosters let everyone know they’re awake. Tuscany is stunning and calm. I love being here because slow life is revered and celebrated and honored in ways I’ve never seen in the US. Flowers are bursting with color now, bees are buzzing. Food is created and lovingly curated with intention and time and you can taste the difference.

We’ve spent the last two days driving from hilltop village to village, exploring San Gimignano and Volterra. These places date back to pre-Roman times and seeing things that have such history feels very grounding. Yesterday we stumbled onto a Medieval festival complete with parade, crossbow shooting and regalia and I felt like I was in the middle of a Monty Python film.