Fiesole

Last night Sam and I had made the plan and told the group who wasn't going to Chianti to meet at SMN at 11:00 to take bus number 7 up to Fiesole (because that's what our lonely planet guide told us).

Sam and I woke up at 10, planning to eat and leave the house by 10:40 so we could be at SMN by 11:00 in order to meet everyone. We were arrived a few minutes past 11 to find that no one from our group except Katie was at the Station. Late people give me anxiety, thankfully Vish and Phil called to say they would be 20 minutes, so I calmed down. We assumed Anna and Sarah were with them because they live near each other so we waited outside SMN in the sun anxious to leave for the hill town of Fiesole. As phil called to say they got off the bus we began to walk toward their location, Sarah called me on Anna's phone to say that they just woke up...

That was fine by us, but there was NO WAY we were waiting even longer at the station so we found Vish, Phil and Gabby and went on a quest for the bus to Fiesole. Avery and Alex hadn't been there either but they told us they would meet us in Fiesole, so our adventure began. We were told to go to Piazza San Marco to catch bus number 7, so we trekked over to Piazza San Marco, found the bus stop for #7, let Sarah and Anna know how to get there, then we got on the bus and we were off.

The bus ride was beautiful leaving the city. It just so happened that Avery and Alex got on the bus at the next stop so we had most of our group together on the bus. As we began to climb higher up the mountain, making sharp turns up the mountains face in a bus not built for the small curvy street, we began to see the most beautiful views of Firenze through the mud spewed windows of the bus.

As we neared the top, the bus dumped us in a beautiful piazza at the base of the city. There were trees and art everywhere, and as a group we establish we should begin by walking up and to the right so that we would be able to find unbelievable views of Firenze.

We walked up a few steep hills, made a few good turns and soon found us all hanging with our jaws open. The most breath taking views of the city laid before us and beyond that the fields and groves of Toscana made us all realize we picked the right place to go abroad.

We hiked through the city for a while, walking the perimeter, stopping to take photos and to watch the master photographer Alex H. crouch, and lie in various positions, and wish for better light in order to capture the true beauty of Fiesole.


We were getting hungry as Anna called to say they had arrived. We couldn't explain our exact whereabouts so we hoped that we would run into the eventually. As we were climbing a wall to see a better view and to have a little fun wall climbing action we heard Anna's voice rising up from the other side of the hill. FOUND THEM!! So everyone was together, and everyone was hungry together so we went to find a place to eat.

We walked back to the Piazza where the bus dropped us, and while the group was looking for a place to eat, I was determined to find a terrace with a few so I ran up an IMPOSSIBLY STEEP hill, found a cute place as my phone began to ring, and I was forced to run back because the group found a place to eat. I wasn't upset because where they had found was a cozy little place and we were able to eat a decent meal for 9 euro which excited me because it was under my lunch budget for the day, YAY!

After lunch, I told the group I was going to walk back up that impossibly steep hill because I knew although I hadn't made it to the view, that there would be a breathtaking view and it would be worth it. Sarah and Gabby contemplated not going, Gabby took the bus back into town, and the rest of us headed for the hill... Sam tried to run up it... little did she know that after the bend in the road (where you couldn't see further) the road became more steep. As she rounded the corner she stopped in her tracks. It was hilarious. All of us got a nice calf burn walking up toward the first flat part, but it was COMPLETELY worth it. These views were even MORE gorgeous than the ones we saw before. Alex H prayed for better light, taught me a few things about my camera and we all just sat there in awe. It would have been funny to count how many times we said something like "That's gorgeous" or "This is unreal" as a group because I think something positive was said by someone continuously until we returned back on the bus.

At the tippity top of Fiesole was a church that Anna and I explored. Everything was beautiful, nothing was even a little bit disappointing. We walked down the back side of the town through a garden and came across a beautiful cemetery. We walked through it, looking at all of the beautiful graves, and intriguing pictures of those who had died long, long ago. We watched as friends and family of the deceased came and left flowers and prayed for their loved ones. It was all a beautiful experence, simply an amazing day trip to Fiesole.

We got back on the bus around 4, took it back to Piazza San Marco, and as a group went to find a gelateria. Anna lead us to one that her host mom's friend had told her was one of the best in Firenze. I didn't get one because I knew 2.50 euro for a small was too much, but I tried a few peoples and it was true. The gelato was DELICIOUS. I probably should have bought one for myself, but the little tastes were enough for me to cherish the good flavor.

The group then split up, everyone being very tired. We made a game plan to be on facebook later so we could make plans for the night. General consensus was: we wanted to go to a small bar and have a nice pleasant low key night.

Now, I wait for Claudia's daughter, Chiara, to make us dinner, and after who knows what we will do. All I know is that I need to walk around and find some delicious gelato later and I will be molto contente :o)