Tuscany, Italy

Welcome to another blog post that is posted months after it should have been. Today I am going to talk about one of the most naturally beautiful places in the world, Italy. Specifically, our recent trip to Tuscany in April. While this was not my first trip to the country, it was certainly one of the most memorable ones.

Florence might be my favorite European City. Certainly, my favorite that I have been to in a while. Florence feels like it hopped out of the pages of a fairy tale. Between the cobbled streets, impressive churches, and breathtaking Arno River, Florence had everything one could imagine. However, what sets Florence apart from many European cities is the modern feel that it has as well. Florence is one of the centers of high fashion, and it shows. My dad and I joked that it seemed like everyone was about to walk down a runaway. It almost seemed like everyone only had leather jackets in their closets ;). Additionally, the contrast between the impressive Renaissance-era architecture and the modern swankiness of the fashion industry is a reminder of the interconnected nature of human existence. The past and present have merged to create a beautiful city in Florence as we all look toward the future. As we watched the sun set on our day in Florence, listening to the wonderful live music, the world seemed to stand still. The natural beauty of the Arno River and the sun’s shimmering light combined with the manmade beauty of the beautiful bridges and cobbled streets is a sight I will never forget. 

As someone who has been born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, hiking has been everywhere in my life. Yet nothing in my 17 years as a resident of the hiking capital of the United States prepared me for our hike to Cinque Terre. That day, my parents decided that the hike would be more beautiful than simply watching it from the train, which was a fair point (side note: public transport in Europe is so much better than in the United States). Therefore, we decided to hike the trail. However, my mom had misread both the elevation change and the total distance of the hike. We went into it thinking it would be a short 1.2-mile hike that would take very little time. However, the actual distance was over 3 miles long with significant elevation changes. It almost felt like doing the push-up test in high school with every elevation change. “Down, Up 1”. What made it worse was the fact that I had to wait for my parents. I do love them very much, but they aren’t exactly the spring chickens they used to be. My sister and I frequently went ahead and ended up having to wait for them to catch up. The wait was almost more tiring than the actual hike. However, the views were spectacular and were worth the arduous hike. Even if the sun did not aid in making the hike easier, I do still love watching it make the water shimmer and turn the sky orange during sunset.

Tuscany is arguably one of the most naturally beautiful places in the world. The rolling hills seem to sparkle in the sun. Looking out at them I could imagine the various rom-coms that must have been filmed here. My dad jokes that the Italian people must be bored of the beautiful rolling hills and want to view the flat cornfields of Indiana. I, on the other hand, did not find that joke funny. What I did find spectacular were the various little towns that dotted the countryside, forts from a bygone era that were now tourist attractions. Each looked like a real-life castle from a Disney movie, bringing life to this landscape. It was easy to imagine some Shakespearean comedy unfolding before your very eyes in this landscape. The beautiful churches are the scenes for a wedding while the walled cities provide defense against outsiders. The whole experience felt surreal and unforgettable. 

My trip to Italy helped me decompress. The stress of college decisions washed away as I was able to truly enjoy spending time with my family. Sure, I will miss the various friends I have when I depart for college. Yet, it is my family that I will miss the most, and getting to spend that quality time with them was important to me. However, I know that they have their full support when I do go and leave and I couldn’t have asked for a better family. Here is to hoping for more fun trips with the people we love the most. See you next time at Pranay’s Seattle Departures.