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 My first day in Florence ever! 2009 One of my favorite things about returning to Italy every summer is being able to step off the plane, walk up to the first cafe counter I can find and order a cappuccino and a pastry (or a sandwich...or all three ;) in Italian. Sometimes I get over excited about being back and end up slurring my words together but either way I end up with a cappuccino in hand.
It sometimes takes them by surprise that a little curly blonde can order in Italian. But it wasn't always this way...
The first time I ever visited Lucca was the fall of 2011. I had been fulfilling my internship at the study abroad center in Castiglion Fiorentino for most of the year when my good friend Vanessa sent me a message. She and her boyfriend at the time were staying in Lucca and were shopping for apartments. I had a day or two free from work so I hopped on a train for this small town west of Florence. It was a quick train ride through Western Tuscany, an area I had only passed through as a student on our to the Cinque Terre. As the train rolled into the train station at Lucca, I spied a tower with trees growing on the top of it and wondered how in the hell had I never heard of this place before.  From the top of the Guinigi Tower, aka the tree tower!
In the summer of 2009, I boarded a plane in Los Angeles, California bound for Rome, Italy. I'd have a few hours to kill at the Toronto airport before boarding my final leg to the Fiumicino Airport outside of Rome. It was nervewracking traveling abroad by myself but I was thrilled by the prospect of what lay ahead...six full weeks in Tuscany. Six weeks for adventures in Italy, exploring famed cities, seeing the art from my textbooks and, most importantly, six weeks to make art.  Little 'ol me back in 2009! Our study abroad center is right above my head! |
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