Spring in Tuscany

I'm falling in love with Italy...again. I have to admit that the first two months I spent in Italy (in Colorno in school) were not so glamorous. As hard as it was to admit, at that point in time, I did not like living in Italy. Now, I'm rediscovering why I enjoy this country so much. Spring time in Tuscany is absolutely beautiful. I awake to the crackling of a fire outside my window where neighbors are burning the olive branches they have pruned to make room for new growth.

Walking about the air smells of these fires constantly as people all over the hills burn similar kinds of fires in preparation for the coming summer. They smell wonderful like a mix between incense and burning herbs.
Then unexpectedly as I walk along the most wonderful perfumed scent hits me as I pass a purple flowering tree or a small patch of pink flowers on the ground. Although I don't recognize the kinds of flowers, the scent often reminds me of lillies and spring freshness. A lemon tree in the courtyard outside my house.

I've also been traveling on my days off, which is an interesting experience because I travel alone. Three weeks ago I ventured to Florence for the day. It's about an hour by train and I spent the day walking along the Arno, eating gelato, shopping, and hanging out enjoying the bustle of the city that contrasts the serenity of Cortona.

Duomo in Florence.

Two weeks ago I traveled to Passigano Sul Trasimeno, a town that sits on Lake Trasimeno which boarders Tuscany and Umbria. It was beautiful. I didn't know what to expect as I stepped off the train, but I soon found what vaguely resembled a boardwalk full of shops, outside restaurants, and benches that are set up perfectly for watching the sun set. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and the locals were out walking and enjoying the spring day.

I explored the older part of the city that includes a medieval wall as all old cities in this region do, and then I sat and watched the sun set over the lake.

And finally this past weekend I went to Rome. It was a two and a half hour train ride from here, but it was well worth it to go even for just one day. I was able to find one of those hop-on hop-off buses so I saw a lot in a short time - The Colosseum, Spanish Steps, many of the piazzas, and St. Peter's Basilica, where I was able to go underneath and see the papal tombs. This is somthing that I have wanted to do since junior year theology in high school when my teacher told me about it. Most notably I saw where Pope John Paul II was buried, and where the bones of St. Peter are buried directly under the alter and cupola of the basilica named after him.