Tuscany & Florence

Last week my family joined me in Rome to visit me and explore Italy. It was an amazing experience being able to share my life abroad with my family. We spent the first three days in Rome where I showed them all my favorite restaurants, bars, and Trastevere hang out spots. Giolitti's, Tony's, the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain later...we arrived in Tuscany. We stayed in Villa Cora, a beautifully renovated Villa, previously owned by Napoleon's third wife. It was definitely a welcome step up from the hostels I've been used to staying in!

The view from Villa Cora

Our Villa was only a 10 minute drive into the town of Florence so we often spent the days exploring around town, shopping in the leather market, and checking out the sights. 

The highlights of the trip for me was the Tuscan-cuisine cooking class and our 15 mile bike tour of Tuscany. 

The cooking class was a fun, easy way to learn how to make some intricate Italian dishes and then get to enjoy the fruits of your labor afterwards. Our chef was funny, helpful, and quickly got everyone involved in the process. We learned how to make pasta from scratch, an eggplant parm/caprese salad, stuffed chicken wrapped in phyllo dough, and creme brulee. 

Our homemade pasta

Fettuccine

Angel hair

Stuffed Chicken with Phyllo

Creme Brulee

We finished up our last day with a bike tour through Tuscany. The scenery was amazing and matched perfectly how I envisioned the country side of Tuscany to appear. While the green rolling hills are perfect scenery, they aren't the easiest to bike! Halfway through our journey we stopped at a winery for lunch where they showed us how they made their wine and cooked a beautiful homemade meal for us. 

The Villa at the Vineyard

Homemade Bruschetta

I loved Tuscany for the peaceful beauty that it contained. The greenery there is breathtaking and I am so happy to have seen it first hand. Thank you Mom, Dad, and Liza for making this a trip I will never forget!