Introvert Abroad
Pushing Myself to Experience the World
9/17/2018 0 Comments Beach! (and other exciting things)When we make the decision to study abroad, we also make the decision to start saving up for all of the trips we’ll be taking. I mean, it only makes sense to see all of the most famous spots in Europe if you’re going to be there for four months. But, one thing that we often forget to do is look at the local scenery. Sometimes the quiet places that aren’t flooded with tourists are the most beautiful. And let’s be completely honest, everything is better when it’s all included and you don’t have to worry about anything. This past weekend I got the chance to enjoy a trip to some quieter and some more touristy places. I know this could probably come off as some promotion for SAI and their included excursions, especially because I’m the intern at the SAI study abroad office in Florence, but I promise that I’m just writing about this trip because it was a 3-day trip to some really cool places and it’s a lot to talk about. Like, tell me you wouldn’t be excited about a weekend trip that was all inclusive. Meals, accommodations, and transportation: all taken care of. I’m just lit that I get to brag to my friends that I got to go out and travel without having to plan anything. Getting to avoid spending hours on GoEuro and frustrating group chat conversations was fantastic. But like, the people at the SAI office are pretty cool too, so there’s that. Now on to the actual trip. So we began with a trip to Bolgheri. We arrived at this tiny village of sorts and had some free time to explore. We only had about 30 minutes to walk around before lunch, and at first I was a little bummed by the short amount of time. However, just walking around for 30 minutes seemed like enough. It was very small, but also absolutely adorable. The town was the definition of quaint. Not only was it very charming, but it was very picturesque with all of the potted plants, cute restaurants, and interesting little shops. Oh, and the lunch was absolutely delicious, by the way. The pasta was my favorite, and we got to try dipping cookies in wine! Interesting and delicious. Our hotel for the weekend was actually in a different place called Castiglione della Pescaia, an ancient town on the coast of Tuscany. Here we had the option of going to the beach, exploring the town, or exploring the fortification on the hills of the town that used to be a castle. I went to the castle. Not only were the views of the town from the top of the hill fantastic, but the streets of town were so cool to walk through. After exploring the town, we had a great dinner nearby and called it a night. The next day featured the main event: a 6 hour beach day. Personally, I’m not someone who goes the beach very often, so spending 6 hours at a beach was a lot. We went to a beach in Maremma called Marina di Alberese. This beach wasn’t flooded with tourists, huge umbrellas, and tons of seaside restaurants. It was a quieter beach with driftwood shelters from the sun, and it was located in a regional park. The water was great, the sun was warm, the sand was soft, and it was an overall good time. Sure, I did get a little burned from falling asleep while lying in the sun, but the nap was pretty worth it in my opinion. After beaching for hours, we saw a nearby rodeo show of sorts from Maremma cowboys known as Butteri. They were so nice and accommodating that they prepared some local snacks and wine for us, and then showed us how they herd cattle on horseback. Some people even got to feed grass to one of the horses. The butteri were such nice people! It’s kind of amazing that something like a rodeo can be so close to a beach. It was a weird itinerary that I probably wouldn’t have picked for myself, but that’s the best part! Getting to see local things that I would never have even heard about on my own is one of the coolest things to experience. It feels more authentic than visiting every crowded, tourist spot. Not that there’s anything wrong with visiting touristy spots and doing a guided tour, because that’s exactly what we did the next day. Yep, our last stop for the weekend was Siena. We did a guided tour through downtown Siena, which is a medieval town with a lot of gothic architecture. Siena also has a lot of history with Florence. The two towns were rivals for a while, and Siena even tried to make the Siena Cathedral bigger than the Florentine one to show that they were better and wealthier. The project didn’t necessarily pan out for the Sienese, but the cathedral is still stunning with its high blue ceilings and gothic style. For our free time in Siena, we found our own spot for lunch and then visited a local antique fair. The antiques were so fun to look through that we spend maybe an hour and a half there. Personally, I didn’t buy anything, but I’m seriously considering coming back to Siena for a second day trip on my own. There’s a lot to see of the town, and I think it’d be pretty cool to see the underground part of it. Yes, there’s a whole underground part to the city. You may be thinking, wow that was a lot to pack into one weekend. I agree. I was completely exhausted by the end of the trip and took a fat nap on the bus ride home. Everything was so great to experience. Anyway, I’m glad I got to go out and travel this weekend. I know for sure that I’ll be traveling outside of Italy a few times, but I’m also excited for the shorter trips in the country. There’s so much to see here, and I know I’m not going to get to see it all. Regardless, I already know it’s going to be a great time. It was kinda nice to get back to my apartment in Florence and relax on Sunday night. This place is already starting to feel more like a home base of sorts. A place to go back to and chill out because you know that you’re comfortable there. Hopefully it’ll start to feel more like a real home in a few weeks. I can feel that it’s getting there.
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