My First Weekend: Florence and San Gimignano

When my first weekend in Italy rolled around, I was shocked. I was caught between thinking, “How could I have already been here for a whole week?!” and “How is it only the first weekend? I feel like I have been in Italy for a month!” I was practically overflowing with anticipation for my first trip out of Rome: A Duquesne-organized trip to Florence and San Gimignano.

Florence (Firenze) greeted me with open arms. A few friends and I took an early train on Saturday morning and gazed at the beautiful Italian countryside for two hours. I directed our small group, as I was the one who arranged our accommodations for the night, to Hotel Paris, an elaborately decorated hotel only minutes from both the train station and downtown Florence. Fortunately for us, we got a decent price (especially split between four people) for our last minute hotel that I booked only a few days before our departure. The directors of the Duquesne in Rome wanted us to figure it all out on our own with only a few days notice!

Around 10:30 AM we met the rest of the Duquesne students on the trip and our tour guides for the day. They led us through backstreets of Florence to the Ponte Vecchio. The water flowing smoothly underneath the bridge of the jewelry stores reminded me of Lake Mohawk, and for just a second, I yearned for home. To have access to the water is a blessing, and every moment I looked out onto the water I felt a sense of peace wash over me.

We toured the ins-and-outs of Florence, and after a group lunch, we were granted the freedom to explore on our own. We saw Michelangelo’s David, and I attended an intimate English-speaking mass with friends inside the humongous Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Fun fact: We needed to know the secret password to get into the Cathedral!

Afterward, a few friends and I (Georgia, Emily, Mackenzie, Teresa, Maria, and Brooke) walked through the Florence markets and grabbed dinner together at a local trattoria before getting gelato under the Florentine full moon (my first full moon in Italy!) and turning in for the night.

The next morning, we were up bright and early for our bus to San Gimignano–Tuscan wine country!

San Gimignano surpassed my expectations with its beauty. The town itself is a small medieval village that has not changed in centuries. The rock buildings and cobble stone roads of San Gimignano sit between sprawling vineyards and rolling hills. The sky seems to open up just to light the beauty of the Italian countryside.

The most important part of San Gimignano, however, is Gelateria Dondoli–multi-time winner of the Gelato World Champion. Obviously, I got gelato. Obviously, it was the best gelato I have had in Italy so far. I got two flavors (which is a standard small in Italy)–Rosemary’s baby (raspberry with rosemary) and lemon. The combination was refreshing, delicious, and incredible.

In addition to having the best gelato in the world, we were fortunate enough to attend a full lunch and wine tasting at a local winery. First, we had a sparkling white wine (uniquely produced by the vineyard) paired with a bruschetta appetizer. We also tried out a variety of flavored olive oils–most notably garlic-infused and rosemary-infused fresh olive oils. For the main meal, we enjoyed a creamy lasagna with a medium-bodied red wine. Up to this point, the meal was delightful.

Then I tried the dessert wine. We were instructed to dip our pistacchio biscotti into a small shot-glass amount of the dessert wine. I had heard that it was sweet, but the taste was unlike any other type of sweet I had tasted before. Yes, it was sweet, but it was almost closer to whiskey than wine! I could only stand the pungent taste for two sips and resorted to eating my biscotti dry (which was great as it was).

I think this experience with the dessert wine made me realize that I do not have to like everything I try in Italy. Even though dessert wine may be consumed frequently in the culture, there must be plenty of Italians who have the same reaction to dessert wine that I do! It is often scary to feel out of place as a foreigner in a country that is not my home country. When I am in moments of confusion or frustration, whether with certain foods or situations in Italy, I reflect on how my previous life experiences have shaped me, and I recognize how I am actively being shaped through my opportunities in Italy. Now at least I know to stick to regular (non-dessert) wine!

Speaking of wine, I have to say… Italian wine truly tastes better. That is all I have to say about that.

On top of trying out new foods and wines at the vineyard, I finally got to pet Italian dogs! The owners of the vineyard had two pups–an older golden-doodle type dog and what looked like a sheepdog mix puppy named Rio! I had so much fun petting the sweet dogs and playing tug with Rio. Some students are delighted to make an Italian friend… I was delighted to meet an Italian dog!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my first weekend in Italy! Stay tuned for my weekend trip to Verona for Valentine’s Day!