My parents arrived in Riva San Vitale on Thursday afternoon and
I met up with them after my BIT class. That afternoon, I showed them my
apartment, the villa, and then we just walked around Riva. Before they left to
go to Lugano for the evening, we went to the infamous Mini bar for a drink. For
the rest of the night, I studied for my first BIT exam which was the next
morning.
Around 11 in the morning on Friday, my parents picked me up
from the villa and we headed to Florence for the weekend. The drive was
beautiful and it did not take too long either. On the way, we stopped by the
city of Prato, which is right outside of Florence. My mum’s great grandfather
was a count in Prato and owned a villa, where her grandfather grew up as a
child. The villa, Villa Fiorita, is now a hospital and it took a very long time
to find. We had no idea where we were going, so we drove around and tried to
follow signs to the hospital. Whenever my mum got out of the car to ask
directions, people would always say just go straight, make a few turns, and
then ask someone else. I find it funny that the majority of Italians answer
directional questions in this manner. After driving around for an hour, we
finally found the villa and it was beautiful. I could imagine the wonderful gardens that it
used to have back in the day. On our way out of Prato, we stopped by the Duomo
and asked the Priest if he was able to find any of our family records. He was
extremely kind and gave my mum his email address, so she is going to be in
contact with him about it. I expected Prato to just be a small town, but it
ended up being a lot larger than I thought it would be. From Prato, it took
about 30 minutes to get to our hotel in the outskirts of Florence. Hotel Mulino di Firenze was right on the Arno
River and it was absolutely gorgeous. That night my parents and I ate dinner at
the hotel restaurant and it took three hours. The food was delicious and it was
nice to just spend time talking with my parents. It had been so long since I
was able to really catch up with them. After supper, I went straight to bed, because
the day was exhausting.
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| The sign for the villa! |
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| Our family villa! |
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| Duomo in Prato! |
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| Our hotel! |
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| It was right on the river! |
On Saturday, I ate a buffet style breakfast at the hotel
with eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, yogurt, and so much more! I have not had a
breakfast as delicious since I was in America. At 9 o’clock, we caught the
shuttle into Florence. My parents and I started out walking to the Ponte Vecchio
just as the shops were opening. All of the jewelry was absolutely beautiful. Shortly
after we just decided to walk into the city and find somewhere to get coffee.
We ended up in Piazza Della Signoria and saw all of the remakes of famous
statues and then worked our way over to the Duomo and got coffee at a café in
the piazza. It was a busy day in Florence and there were fairly long lines to
get into the Duomo. Regardless, my parents and I lined up and went into the
Duomo itself and then climbed the 460 steps to the top. The view was
phenomenal, because I could see the entirety of Florence. No matter where you
go in Florence, I feel as though there is something amazing to see. On our way
over to the Accademia, we stopped in Piazza San Lorenzo where the main leather
market is. Walking through there were so many beautiful purses and jackets, it
was hard to resist buying one. No wonder Florence is known for its leather.
Eventually, we made our way over to the Accademia and stood in line for a
decent amount of time to get in. The previous day, some of the museums,
including the Accademia and Galleria della Uffizi, were on strike. For us that
meant that entry was free! The Statue of David was more breathtaking in person
that I thought it would be. The detail that went into it is absolutely unreal. I
think I found the veins in his hand and the definition of even his small muscles
the most unexpected part.
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| Ponte Vecchio |
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| My dad and I on the Ponte Vecchio |
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| The inside of the Duomo |
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| On top of the Duomo |
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| Mum and I on the top of the Duomo |
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| Leather markets |
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| Statue of David |
As a break from all of the art, we went to Grum gelato,
which is apparently recommended in travel books about Venice. It was just what
I needed! Our next stop was the Galleria della Uffizi where we also had to wait
in line, but it was free entry as well. I was glad to be with my parents in
this museum, because they made me appreciate it more so than I would have, had
I been there with my friends. Two of Botticelli’s
famous pieces were my favorite in the museum: Primavera and The Birth of
Venus. By the time we got out of the museum it was around 6:30 and we were
all ready to eat supper. We found this random little restaurant to eat at. The
food was nice, but not as delicious as my meal the previous night. Finding a
cab that would take us back to the hotel was not too difficult. Once we got
back, I went to the bar with my parents for a little bit and then we all headed
to bed.
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| Delicious gelato! |
After another delicious breakfast, my parents and I checked
out of the hotel and drove to Pisa. We did not spend long there, because we
only went as a stop on the way back to Riva San Vitale. After seeing the tower
and taking the typical pictures, we got back on the road. My parents love to go
on random adventures, so as we were driving we decided to stop off in this
random city called Massa. It was on the coast, so we drove to the beach and
parked outside of this small beach bar. Clearly all of locals were shocked to
see us and probably confused as to why we were there. While trying to order
food and coffee, the bartender did not speak any English. Luckily I was able to
remember some of my Italian and successfully order what we wanted. Once we ate,
my mum and I walked along the beach and dipped our feet in the water. It was a
very relaxing way to end a fun weekend with my parents. I got back to Riva
around 8:30 in the evening and said goodbye to my parents, as they were heading
to Venice the next day.
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| Leaning Tower of Pisa |
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| Massa |
