why day trips are just better

Living in Firenze is an amazing experience. More than anyone could ask for. I feel so privileged to have been able to become a real part of this City and not have to rush around and do all the sight-seeing in just a few hours. It becomes a plus and a negative however. I still feel like there is too much of this City I still am yet to see. 

I have learnt that when I see something interesting, I have to go and investigate. Because it most likely will be even better close up. I have wandered into many many churches, enjoying the cool air and silence that greets me from within - and more often than not some truly beautiful frescoes adorn the walls and the sight is spell-binding.

But being a tourist in the place you're living in is an extremely difficult thing to do. I walk around the streets and see thousands upon thousands of foreigners. No one here is Italian really. Everyone speaks English which makes being here at a language school trying to learn Italian just a little bit harder. It gets worse in the afternoon when more and more people start flooding out onto the streets and plonk themselves in the middle of the road whilst they take a photo of something and refuse to get out the way... Being English, I find faffing about instead of walking with an intention a difficult thing to comprehend - especially as I have already done all my wandering about!

So the other day I escaped.

Some friends and I took a bus up to the small ancient town of Fiesole after the usual four hours of language school in the morning. It sits on the top of a hill, from which you can see Firenze stretched out in front of you, shimmering in the distance when the weather's warm enough - which it was.

We drank wine in a tiny little trattoria at the top of the hill, watching the sunset's light grow richer and richer on the side of the church until it was dark. After a meal of Lampredotto (something to do with a cow's stomach... I'm just glad the description is in Italian so only half-comprehensible....), we happily returned by bus back to the City centre.