Today was by far my favorite day in Florence thus far…spring arrived! Normally I have my cooking class Wednesday mornings but today we had a field trip scheduled for a Tuscan winery. We boarded an intercity bus at 9am and headed out to Imprunetta, a small town about 30 minutes outside of Florence.
We hopped off the bus in the middle of the Tuscan hills with nothing but olive trees, wineries and a few scattered farmhouses around us. It was beautiful. We took a winding dirt path off of the main road down to the winery we came to visit. The friendly manager gave us a tour of the vineyards and wine cellar making sure to point out special places such as a chapel where he married his wife and his children were baptized.
After the tour we were invited inside for a tasting of the three of the wines accompanied by various crostinis with olive tapenade, pecorino cheese, aged salami, and the most amazing homemade pesto I’ve ever had (sorry Mom) made with their own olive oil. The oil they produce is highest quality of extra virgin olive oil only available in small specialty boutiques…it tasted like it was pressed that morning. 
After the tasting we had a little bit of time to wander around so I took advantage of the opportunity to snap some photos of the gorgeous Tuscan landscape for my landscape photography assignment. The weather was the best we’ve had since I’ve been here…blue skies and warm rays.
Once back in Florence I was in such a good mood I decided not to waste the day and do some more exploring. A girl in my wine class mentioned a beautiful area called Piazza Michelangelo on a hillside overlooking Florence so I decided to grab another bus and check it out. Once I arrived I realized I’d been here on my first trip to Italy and took some of my favorite pictures here. There was a lot to explore but I ended up just finishing my roll of film and heading back since I planned on bringing my roommates here over the weekend.
Later that evening we went out to dinner for our roommate Rachael’s 21st birthday. Turning 21 in a foreign country isn’t a big deal since they’ve all been drinking since birth but we still tried to make it as special as possible with surprise decorations, chocolate cake, dinner and a night out to celebrate.
I did google Gaudi and loved viewing your images. You were so lucky to get to see the inside since it hasn't been open to the public since it was done a century ago. I really am enjoying seeing your travels...but I am getting pretty jealous. At least I got to watch my jayhawks shoot their way into the Sweet Sixteen today. Rock Chalk!
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