Under the Tuscan Rain, Snow, and a Little bit of Sun

I had finally arrived in Italy after an enormously long plane ride from Tasmania, although fortunately, I sat next to the funniest father and son duo on the flight. The father was quick witted and full of jokes, and the son worked for BBC and had very fascinating things to say - we had many interesting conversations ranging from politics and general morals, to hobbies, and where we were from. At the airport, the guy behind the ticket counter also offered to change my seat to one of the emergency exit seats, which means all the leg room I could ever want. Not a bad flight at all. :)

I arrived in Rome around 6:00 am and waited in the long line to go through immigration. I began looking around, wondering where everyone else was from - were they returning home, or were they also visitors, just like me? I saw a variety of colored passports, but as I glanced around, the only navy blue one I saw was my own. Interesting, I thought, as Italy is a popular destination for people from the States.

Finally, at 9:00, I waited to catch my bus, however worry grew when the minutes ticked by and the bus had still not arrived. “Welcome to Italy” the man next to me said when he saw my relief when the bus had finally arrived, and together we boarded the bus.

Two hours later and I had arrived in Grosseto, met my host, and went to Campagnatico, a small little village in the southern hills of Tuscany.

My first full day, we drove to one of the 6 olive groves my host owns and we cleaned up the pruned branches of the trees. It was interesting, because within the three hours we had been there, I had flashbacks ranging from early childhood moments, to just one year ago. In a place that I had never been before, I was reminded of everywhere else that was significant to me. Strange, but reassuring.

My host was nice, but a bit kept to himself, always hiding out in his room… we would have conversation over dinner, but while he could speak English, there were still some communication difficulties with the language barrier that was definitely present.

That got lonely…

So I explored instead! (when it wasn’t raining…)

First, I made some four legged friends (naturally).

and some cows.

And donkeys.

I walked around back roads and enjoyed the view.

Walked among the olives.

I checked out the architecture in the main part of the village.

Never too old for a swing set!

And then, on a day when the rain took a break, I traveled to Siena.

I almost cried when I saw this Cathedral. This was the moment I really felt and knew that I was in Italy.

I felt like I was in a world history book.

And I ate some gelato, of course.

My time in Campagnatico had come to an end and I took the train to Pisa! It was the first time in about a decade that they had seen snow, and of course, I can’t escape winter forever, it found me. Unfortunately, many of the houses in this area are not built or designed to handle temperatures so low, and therefore many of the neighbors, and us as well, had their pipes freeze and a few burst. Not to mention, the house couldn’t warm up past 56 degrees, and my room had no heat at all! It was a chilly night sleeping in 25 degrees, but at least there was an electric blanket. But, I did learn that I have a much higher tolerance for cold than for loneliness, which was an interesting bit to discover, especially since I’m not a fan of the cold at all, but I didn’t seem to mind in Pisa.

Because of the unusual cold, we needed to protect the lemon trees!

I made some more animal friends.

and bundled up!

Then on my final day (a short stay of just 3 days), my host brought me to the Leaning Tower of Pisa before bringing me to the bus station.
I cried when I saw the Tower.

Italy was a remarkable place filled with so much history, everywhere I went I felt like I was in a museum. It was funny to see modern day stores inside of impressively old buildings, but you can tell that nobody wants it any other way. Many times, especially in Siena, I felt like I was walking through a labyrinth, with the narrow roads shared by cars and people, and the very tall buildings that created a very long wall until there was a small side street, also down a narrow road with tall buildings. It was unlike any place I had been to before, and very fascinating to experience.