ABC = Ashleigh & Brett Campbell: September 2011

Taking a bus ride through Tuscany was so beautiful! I loved seeing sunflowers and greenery everywhere. I honestly would not mind living in the Tuscany country. Anyway, our excursion began through Tuscany as we made our way to Pisa. The best part was that we finally had a great tour guide and his name was Luca. He was very charismatic and hilarious. He made fun of Italians driving, referred to gypsies as vultures, and taught us common Italian hand gestures and sayings that everyone should know.

When we arrived in Pisa, we had about an hour to explore which was plenty of time. We walked to the Field of Miracles which has a church, another building, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Leaning Tower was magnificent and of course, I had to be like every other tourist to act like I was holding it up.

We then got back on the bus and made our way to Florence where Luca had a deal with a local restaurant to bring his tourists in and get a deal for fantastic authentic Italian food. The deal was an entree, bruschetta, and a soda for 16 Euros (still pricey, but worth it). Let me tell you, this meal was my favorite thing about Florence. The bruschetta (fresh Italian baguett with tomatoes, olive oil, and salt) was so delicious especially with my Fanta orange soda. For my entree, I ordered the lasagna (their signature dish) and it was to die for. You should have seen the ricotta cheese oozing out...it was simply heaven.

After our meal, we walked through Florence which is a beautiful city full of the Renaissance. Walking past the Duomo and other buildings was simply breathtaking. Florence had its own charm and I was falling in love with it. We needed to be at the Academia at 1 p.m. because we had a reservation to go inside and see the Statue of David. I remember walking inside and standing there for 15 minutes in awe because the Statue of David by Michelangelo was outstanding and beautiful. Pictures in text books do not serve the Statue of David justice. It was incredible to see the detail of tendons, the definition of the the calves, etc. Unfortunately, I we were not allowed to take pictures, so I can't show you. After the Academia, Brett and I did some more exploring of the city and grabbed gelato before we made our way back to the bus.