“Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience” -Francis Bacon

I don’t know if everybody reading this is aware that Italy kinda has a big wine industry which most of us were really excited about. In the morning after breakfast our guide, Antonella Mori, met us at the hotel and we were off on the bus on our way to Chianti, one of Tuscany’s most prominent vineyards.

Because our group of forty people were uncharacteristically punctual, we were ahead of schedule and Antonella detoured us to the beautiful castle of Monteriggioni. The castle was built in the thirteenth century and was used to protect the city of Siena from attackers from the north. Along with its intriguing history, the castle gives some extraordinary views.

The ride to the winery did produce more scenery however we traveled on one of the rainiest days. The winery itself was significantly smaller than I thought it should be considering how much wine they produce. The owner of the vineyard gave us a few tidbits about the wine itself along with a a tour of part of the barrels and fermenting equipment. We then wondered into the tasting area where we proceeded to have a light lunch consisting of local meats, cheeses and a pasta dish, along with lunch, we had a four wine tasting which consisted of some of the best wine I’ve ever tasted…which I was able to buy a few bottles of thanks to the strategically placed shop adjacent to the tasting room.

The trip back was incredibly quiet with everybody virtually passed out but at the very least, it made the ride a lot more peaceful. We returned to Florence around four which left plenty of time to wonder the city before we needed to pack to leave for Venice the following morning. The core group, Crista, Jess, Lauren and myself went to do some light souvenir shopping and then hiked to the Piazza de Michelangelo. This piazza houses the third David statue (the second replica) and features stunning views of Florence.

After soaking in the view we hiked down in search for more food as it was about eight at night. We ended up taking out individual pizzas (each one was about 14″) from a pizza place behind our hotel and thanks to the influence of some higher power, I managed to eat the entire thing…..ten minutes after Lauren did. I’m convinced her stomach is the eighth wonder of the world.

We all went back to our rooms where we packed and prepared for the travel day ahead of us.