day two of cruising found us in the tuscan region.  but to get to tuscany, we had to go through what our tour guide called “the ugliest city in italy”…la spezia.  funny because even though it was a very industrialized, military town…there was still something so beautiful about it.  had we not been on a tour bus, i would have loved to wander the ways and catch some of that beauty to share but the tour must go on.

we drove for a bit to get to pisa but one thing really caught my eye as we drove.  marble.  you could see it blanketed on the hills as if it was snow, you could find it in sheets and slabs waiting to be shipped or in huge blocks waiting to be whittled and chipped away to reveal (what i imagined) a hidden work of art.  i have always known of marble in it’s natural state but i guess seeing it in real life was just unexpectedly awesome to me.

pisa was definitely a sight to see.  i had always wondered what caused the leaning and why it didn’t fall over and “can you go in the top of it” and “will i really want to go all thriller and pose holding it up?” but now i know.  but i am not sure what was more fun, watching people pose to hold the building or the actually scenery itself!

after our short stop in pisa (where i also ate a pizza just because it felt right), we made our way to firenze (florence) italy.  we only a had a few hours to get food (yes, more food) and wander.  while meandering through the streets to see the sights would have been awesome…

i absolutely loved sitting down with new, fabulous friends over the most amazing food to ever grace my face.  we tried a local chianti (amazeballs!) and some recommended pasta dishes including lasagne and creamed pear tortellini .  even the urge to barf from being so full didn’t stop me from enjoying my meal.  if you ever find yourself in florence, casa toscana, just down the alley from the main square above, is a meal like none other.

of course every good afternoon in italy requires gelato.  who am i kidding…any time of day is good for gelato.

we did have some time to wander and work off some of that gluttony we took in.  statues, everywhere.  the david is just a copy of the original but was still amazing to see.  the guy in the middle?  he called me a yankee and is officially the worst statue i met.  i don’t like my statues to talk…

looking back, i didn’t take as many images this day.  but how to you take photos of the smell of fine leather or the feel of hand bound journals or the taste of sweet candy from a children’s toy boutique?  you don’t.  you enjoy those moments instead.  i am not always good at that.  it’s sometimes hard for me to be in a moment without wanting to capture it in some way.  do you get that?  something is just so awesome that you never want to forget it so you try and keep it in some tangible way?

i guess i just got lost in all things lovely about florence…and no regrets there!

ciao ciao tuscany!  you were beautiful even in the ugliest and i wish so badly to return to you again!

did you miss the day in the french riviera?  go check it out here.

and hey?  wanna meet me in rome for the next trip?  i promise you will love it!