Friday, January 4th and Saturday, January 5th, 2019
I was surprised how well I had slept waking up Friday morning. Our apartment being on a busy street, light and noise are constant. I could hear everything from cell phones ringing and laughter to ambulance sirens and passionate bursts of song as I lay in bed that first night. Regardless, I had slept well and the difference in time was beginning to set in. Light peeked through the cracks in the shutters and lit up the room in a soft gold haze. It was just before 8:00am but I could already hear movement on the streets as the city began its day.
For our first trip away from home base in Florence, we traveled to Pienza and Montepulciano. The bus ride into Pienza was beautiful: sun shining through the clouds as we weaved through the expansive, lush hills. Elegant stone homes—more like castles to me—were scattered throughout the sea of green and I could only wonder what they look like inside. The stone cities seem to trap the cold, but any sun shining down is immediately warms you. It’s hard to complain about the temperature when you’re looking out onto the Tuscan countryside.
In Pienza we wandered about the stone walls before heading to a small shop to sample cheese. Pecorino de Pienza was on the menu and the shop owners handed us bite after bite. Not being a huge fan of cheese, I was surprised at how good each sample truly was. Paired with salami and balsamic, the flavors were unlike anything America has to offer. Honestly, a spoonful of straight balsamic did not sound appealing to me, but this was no time to be stubborn. Stepping out of my comfort zone has never been easy, but I’ll continue to do it one cheese and balsamic sample at a time (besides, I can always get pasta for lunch!).
One thing I’ve been paying particular attention to is movement. It intrigues me how people walk amongst each other in the messy flow of traffic through the streets. There’s a sort of chaos about it, but I think a system still exists. There are, of course, traffic signs and stop lights on main roads, but in many of the cities and tighter streets with shops and restaurants it’s truly a free-for-all. The locals seem to move at their own pace, unfazed by the numerous tour groups passing through their narrow streets. That being said, they don’t move out of the way unless a car is trying to push through the masses. I’ve also found that it’s easy to get lost. Having grown up in a town of less than two square miles, cities aren’t my specialty. The streets all look so similar to me, I can’t imagine how people—and, not to mention, cars—navigate them so effortlessly. But I have to remind myself that getting lost is part of the experience. The ease of travel in the confines of Grandview Heights and Oxford, Ohio are my beginnings but not my forever. I’m going to have to do a lot of wandering, turning around, exploring and getting lost before I find where I need and, more importantly, want to be.
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