Prologue

Andrew:

Three years can be a long time, but it can also sweep by in the blink of an eye. Over the course of my adult years I have always tried to pilgrimage back to the land in which I spent my formative years as a young boy: Tuscany Italy. Some decades I was able to get there more often than others. In the past ten years, I have been fortunate to be able to go more often.

Back in twenty-fifteen, I took the plunge and, I brought my bicycle with me on my journey to Italy, and during that trip, I quickly fell in love with riding my bike in the old country. A few years later I finally decided to retire one of my old bikes to Italy, fortunate in the fact that I have the ability to store it at my sister’s apartment. This would greatly facilitate riding while visiting Tuscany by removing the expense of renting a bicycle or schlepping one on each trip across the Atlantic. I even left some cycling clothing, helmet, and shoes further easing the process.

Having the ability to ride a bike has opened a whole new dimension when visiting, something that has made those trips so much more fulfilling. I get to spend the day rolling through amazing scenery and roads, fully enjoying my sport and passion, and then in the evenings I can hang out with friends and family.

The last trip across the pond was in May of twenty-nineteen. I was supposed to head back in September of that year, but sadly, my mother broke her foot a month before the trip, and as her primary caretaker that trip needed to be postponed. I tried to follow that disappointment up with a trip at the end of April of twenty-twenty, but as everyone knows, starting in March of that year the world shut down…

While trying to keep busy during the first COVID summer, something amazing happened. The love of my life exploded into my life bringing much joy and happiness.

Over the course of our developing relationship, I kept joking with Amy that I would have to kidnap her and take her to Italy to ride bicycles, to which she would reply something along the lines that that would be the best kidnapping ever…

With May twenty-twenty two rolling in, our Italy trip was about to begin…

Amy:

When asked upon our return, “How was Italy?” I’m struggling for a simple answer. Italy was spectacular, there is no question about that, but for me, visiting Italy was so much more than merely seeing new sights and eating exciting food (although the coffee was an experience unto its own!). The most honest answer I can summon is: The trip to Italy was the sum of passions.

First and foremost, visiting Tuscany was a deep dive into Andrew’s Italian side and a glance into what molded him into who he is today. Having spent the formative years of his youth in San Gimignano (a small walled medieval hill town nestled in the province of Siena, Tuscany) he then traversed the Atlantic with his family and moved to Long Island as a teen in the throes of puberty. Already a spicy time in one’s life. Leaving Tuscany for New York was hard enough after a mere 7-day visit, one can only imagine how hard it was to leave after growing up there.

This was a chance for me to meet and discover the Andrew before the move to the United States. A chance to get to know him from a different angle.

Chapter 1: Up In The Air…

Andrew:

May fifteen twenty-twenty two. After months and months of planning and much anticipation, departure day came crashing down upon us like a ton of bricks. Amy drove out to my place in order to park her car in a driveway to avoid the hell that is alternate side parking in New York City. From there we took the Long Island Railroad to Jamaica so we could grab the AirTrain to JFK. This is one of the easiest ways to get to JFK, although the costs have gone up.

We were advised to get to the airport four hours ahead of time. That granted us top five in line at check-in, but, alas, the check-in counters were not yet open when we joined the queue. Once things opened up, we breezed through check-in and security. After messing around with the Selfie Station Amy and I decided on a heavy pre-flight meal to help hold us over, night flights to Europe can be such a drag. Buffalo Wild Wings ended up being the choice, offering us a place to sit down to enjoy a limited menu. To make up for the lack of choices, we decided to share a beer.

The flight to Amsterdam was relatively uneventful. Amy and I watched two movies using a headphone splitter in order to share the experience. To our detriment we were not able to get any sleep besides a bit of dozing off before landing bright and early. After a few hours of layover in Amsterdam, our next flight of two hours would deposit us in Florence for an arrival of just before twelve noon. On this flight we both passed out.

My sister arranged to leave work early in order to come pick us up at the airport. Luckily she works in Florence, and the airport is just outside the city. We managed to get home in about an hour. We stashed our suitcases, pulled out the gifts and whatnot, grabbed a bite to eat for a late lunch. At this point we did not want to pass out, so we decided to go on a supermarket run and on the way we grabbed a gelato, Amy’s first. Three years without gelato for me is a bit much to ask…

After shopping, Amy and I decided to detour through the older center of Poggibonsi. Here Amy was infatuated with the architecture but what really grabbed her attention was the doors and mail boxes. Thus, she appropriated my iPhone to snap a whole slew of photos.

After galavanting around, we returned to my sister’s place. Before bed I wanted to perform the needed maintenance work on my bicycle which had been left in storage for three years.

The first thing I needed to do was to clean all the dust off the frame. This trip, I was finally able to swap in the new wheel I had brought over on the last trip. While I was moving over the cassette, I cleaned all the grease off of the cogs and also the front chainrings and derailleurs. Next, I replaced the front brake cable reusing the existing old housing. Finally I cut to size the new waxed chain I brought with me and pumped up the tires. Being very tired, I determined that the bike was good enough to ride.

Amy and I were quite exhausted and a shower and a bed was now seriously in need. Our first half day in Italy was finally drawing to a close.

Amy:

For us, the journey from New York to Florence was relatively uneventful. We had a few minutes during a layover in Amsterdam to explore the chocolates in the airport shops and watched movies together on the flights. We managed to doze a little on the Amsterdam to Florence leg.

We landed on what began as a Sunday and ended with a Monday. Elizabetta picked us up from the Florence airport around noon and we drove the hour-ish to Poggibonsi where she lives (a town in the middle of the Val D’Elsa valley). My nose was plastered to the glass of the car window (a cute little Fiat, typical of Italy) taking in my first glimpse of the Tuscan hillside. We were gifted with perfect weather.

We arrived at Elizabetta’s apartment, essentially in the heart of the town, and rolled our suitcases in. I felt at home immediately. A practical yet spacious apartment greeted us with lots of light and almost floor to ceiling windows letting in fresh air (thanks to her partner for adding the screens so the man of the house, a cat named Cicero, can safely sit by the window and watch the birds sing).

We quickly got to work with the essentials: coffee, cheese and lunch. Elizabeth’s partner had visited a local shop and picked up some meats and three different cheeses. We ate voraciously. Cicero was very inquisitive and came up on the table to inspect what food was there. He wasn’t allowed to taste anything so he will have to take our word on it. It was delicious!

I had been hearing about the food in Italy (rather incessantly, I might add) for the past two years and I was finally putting all the rumors to the test. Being a cheese fan and a Canadian is a sad combination. We don’t get too fancy with our cheeses in Canada (at least that was my experience growing up). We had the basic cheddar and that’s about it. Sharp cheddar if we were lucky. Here in Italy, I was eager to try the cheeses. Elizabeth’s partner had picked up three kinds of Pecorino Toscano of varying ages. One had pistachios in it. We stuffed ourselves silly. A trend that would continue throughout the entire week (much to my stomach’s dismay).

After lunch, we set about the most important task of the whole trip: my first gelato. Andrew has been dreaming of lemon gelato for the almost two years I have known him. I couldn’t wait for him to finally have one. He loves the lemon and I tend to love the more gooey chocolate flavors (although my tastes shifted into more fruity as the days got hotter). My first gelato was a triple scoop (Andrew wouldn’t have it any other way). I had coffee, dark chocolate and some gooey thing with swirls. I was so full after that! It’s like eating a whole meal. There isn’t an option for a single scoop which I found interesting. It goes two, three or four! I can’t imagine four and had to order the two scoops for the rest of the week. I felt like a stuffed pineapple after that.

From the gelato shop, we walked to the grocery store and I got to see a bit of Poggibonsi for the first time and visit an Italian grocery store! It had loads of fresh foods and was about twice the size (or maybe even three times) of the Trader Joe’s I am used to. The strawberries smelled so good! I had to get some. We got eggs and cereal for breakfast.

When we returned, we settled into unpacking and getting Andrew’s bike organized. He has an extra Trek he left in Italy and it needed some TLC and a newly waxed chain he had brought from the states. We limped along until almost 9 p.m. and then collapsed into bed, having been awake for 24 hours.

Chapter 2: First Bike Ride… And Stuff…

Amy:

The next morning, there was little time to waste. Pasquale (a friend of Elizabetta’s) picked us up at 10 a.m. (We were barely awake) and we went off to the local bike shop, Gippo, to pick up my rental bike (thank you to Andrew for organizing that ahead of time!).

Gippo was a friendly shop with scooter rentals as well but mostly bikes and lots of mountain bike gear. It was fun to be somewhere that felt familiar. A bike shop is a great place to visit anywhere in the world where a cyclist can feel comfortable and at home. I had brought my saddle with me so we swapped that on and mounted the Garmin so I could track my miles. I was very happy to find out it was carbon fiber!

From Gippo the adventure officially began and I was mixing my passion with this new landscape. We were riding bikes in Italy! There was no shoulder, so we were just riding in the road with small trucks, cars and the occasional motor bike. It took a few minutes to feel comfortable.

As much as Italy seems to love bikes (there are pictures of bikes on every souvenir in every shop) there didn’t seem to be any specific bicycle infrastructure. Bikes didn’t have their own designated lanes or signage, however cars seemed to respect cyclists and gave us plenty of room. My observation is that cars are better at sharing the road and accepting cyclists and therefore dedicated lanes are less needed. It was a little bit scary at first but I got used to it by the end of the week and used skills I developed as a bike messenger in Manhattan to integrate with traffic. The traffic circles were especially fun.

Our week’s routine became the following: Ride up a hill to a medieval town, stop for an espresso, eat a gelato, take loads of photos and ride back down. Not shabby!

The first town we visited was the walled town of Monteriggioni, known for its medieval fortifications and watchtowers. From the top, you can see views of the surrounding Chianti region.

We rode up some steep hills and jumped off the bikes to walk through the Porta Franca gate into the middle of the piazza. This was my first experience of a Tuscan medieval town and one of my favorites of the whole week. It was small and felt manageable compared to some of the bigger ones we visited during the week. I bought a few souvenirs for the kids and Andrew found some socks for a co-worker and we headed over to our next challenge. A long climb up to the Chianti Classico (a region famous for its wine).

O.K. here I cried a little. Andrew calls it the wall and there are two really steep bits. I waited until I thought Andrew wasn’t looking and walked a little bit of it. I hopped back on the bike before he turned around. It was really something. We made it to the top and drank a quick coffee before descending down (which was so worth the climb!). We ended the day with about 45 miles which was a great start to the week.

Andrew:

We both slept hard until about three in the morning when we were suddenly wide awake. Sleep eluded us until about five in the morning when we finally passed out again. Unfortunately, when our alarm tried to entice use out of the bed, we had a hard time pulling ourselves from the sheets. As much as we wanted to stay in bed, we had to get going. Pasquale, my sister’s friend, was going to meet us at the house and bring the two of us, and my bike, to the bike shop Gippo Bikes, where I had reserved a bike rental for Amy. As it is, we were running quite late, but after a rushed breakfast, we managed to arrive at the shop sometime after elven in the morning. The shop was very accommodating, and after a quick setup, Amy and I were ready for our first ride together in Tuscany.

Pasquale clued us into a few roads I had planned on riding which were now closed due to bridge maintenance. We had to alter our plan a bit but in short order we made our way over to Monteriggioni, and we were obliged to ride up into the town. Monteriggioni is a small medieval town located on top of a hill which overlooks the surrounding area. Suffice to say, Amy fell in love with this small town. After securing some tourist merchandise, and snapping a bunch of photos, we pedaled on, heading south on the Via Cassia, our destination: Siena.

The outskirts of Siena is more hectic traffic wise, but we managed without incident, and we rode all the way into Piazza Del Campo. We loitered around for a bit, enjoying the spectacle of Siena, and also procuring another coffee before moving on.

We retraced our route heading back north out of Siena for a short bit, until we made our way over to Badesse and from there we got on SP119 to take us over to head north on SR222 in order to ride up to Castellina in Chianti. And yes, Castellina in Chianti is where the Chianti wine is from.

Just outside of San Leonino is where most of the climbing kicks in. We had six and a half uphill miles before we would summit in Castellina. Suffice to say, Amy ended up suffering a bit on this section. However I am proud of her because she dug deep and managed to get herself to the top where we gulped down yet another coffee. The reward for all that climbing was going to be the long eighteen kilometer descent where one almost does not have to pedal at all.

Arriving back in Poggibonsi we rolled directly over to the gelato shop, owned and run by a friend of mine. All three of us, my sister, Amy and myself, were quite pooped by the end of the day so it was quickly decided that after a shower we would order pizza and eat it at the house. As quickly as the day started, our first full day was now over.

Chapter 3: Back to Siena…

Andrew:

We decided to skip the bike for Wednesday and head back to Siena to get a better look at the city in civilian clothes, with hopes of climbing up the tower in the Piazza Del Campo. Since it was market day, we took the train instead of the bus. The train deposits us a bit out of the town while the bus would have gotten us closer to the city center.

The train ride took less than thirty minutes. Once we entered the main walls of the city, we both pulled out our dSLR cameras. My new iPhone 13 Pro takes some amazing pictures and now with a RAW format that has made it even better. However, after comparing photos from the two devices, I still feel the dSLR clearly takes the win. We walked back to Piazza Del Campo while stopping at various stores along the way to see what they had to offer. In the piazza, we made our way over to the base of the tower. I inquired about tickets and sadly everything was booked up until six in the evening. That would not work for us as we had plans later in the day.

Disappointed, we walked around some more, and we stopped to get a coffee, and of course a gelato.

As we walked back towards the train station, we stopped in the Consorzio Agrario di Siena and picked up some yummy food items. We were now running late so we made a beeline for the train station barley grabbing the train back to Poggibonsi.

Shortly after getting back home, we got ready to go out again. My sister arranged for a haircut at her hairdressers for Amy. Amy had not had a proper haircut since the pandemic so she was due. Coupled with the ridiculous NYC prices it was determined that it was much cheaper to get the haircut in Italy. After a bit of discussion on what needed to be done, Amy was soon taken care of. The result was that Amy looked stunning, and I think she also really enjoyed the whole pampering experience.

With the haircut complete, we went up to the old medieval part of Colle Val D’Elsa to walk around armed with our dSLRs. It’s awesome to have a partner who is also a photographer. It makes the photography experience infinitely more enjoyable. I don’t have to worry about annoying my companion with boredom while trying to achieve the perfect shot, and I’m sure Amy feels the same way. Amy and I took in the sites, finishing up by getting an aperitif at a place with a patio overlooking the countryside.

We finally had our last event of the day, dinner at Gaia and Nicola’s place. Gaia and Nicola adopted a newborn from Ukraine roughly eighteen months ago. Due to the pandemic I have not been able to go meet Martina. That night we also got to see Gaia’s parents and eat their Cinghiale, aka wild boar, hunted, killed by Gaia’s father, and cooked by Gaia’s mother. We stuffed ourselves silly since the meal was delicious. I think it’s safe to say that we all had a good time catching up and it was really great for Amy to meet the group and also for them to meet her.

Amy:

I woke in the morning with a tremendous toothache thinking the vacation was coming to a screeching halt. Seemed like an infection lingering from the previous week had decided to amplify and rear its ugly head right in the middle of my glorious holiday! I was devastated. I got straight to work and cleaned it out vigorously. We packed our bags for Siena (we had planned a whole day there!) and walked over to the pharmacy in the hopes of a remedy. We got a mouthwash and a numbing gel. I felt hopeful. We bought our tickets and were sitting on the bench waiting for the train when my gum exploded. I felt immediate relief. Maybe the infection drained? Whatever happened, it helped. I rinsed my mouth out with my new mouthwash and we were on our way. I was so happy the trip wasn’t ruined. A toothache would have been the worst thing when you are in the land of amazing food! The train to Siena took us to the bottom of the town and we had to ride seven different escalators to reach the outside. We basically rode escalators through a shopping mall to the top of the town. Tuscany has hills!

Outside, we were a short walk to the town. Siena the town is the capital of Siena the region. Piazza del Campo is the heart of Siena – a huge shell-shaped space considered one of the great Medieval squares in Europe.

We wanted to climb the Torre del Mangia (to reach the top, you have to climb 400 steps) but were too late to get tickets (it had sold out until 6 p.m. and we had other plans). So we just walked around and took more photos (of course!). We walked around the Public Palace in Piazza del Campo and got espresso and gelato (obviously). We headed back to the train at about 3 p.m. and just caught it, this time skipping the escalators and heading down the hill by foot instead.

We got back into Poggibonsi in time to shower and get ready for dinner at Gaia’s house. But first I had to get a haircut! This was also a highlight of the trip. We had asked Elizabetta if it would be possible to go to a Tuscan salon for a hair trim as I really don’t have time to do this in real life (I had gone a year and a half with no haircut). My hair was getting long and ratty. I thought it would be really special to get a proper Italian haircut. Elizabeth organized and had pre-paid for it as well. This was a very special gift for me and I felt so loved and supported as they all came with me for this special occasion. Sometimes it’s the little gestures that mean the most. I am constantly taking care of others in my real life so to be taken for a haircut was a huge deal for me. I am so grateful! The hairdresser, Francesca, cut a few inches off to make the hair healthier and gave it a good blow dry. Then came the best part: the curling iron! How I love curls! I can never achieve this when I try to do it on my own. She did a great job!

Elizabeth’s boyfriend met us at the hairdresser and both Andrew and I got to meet him for the first time. He has such a warm demeanor and bright smile! We drove in two cars up to Colle Val D’Elsa as we had some time to spare before dinner at Gaia’s. We parked at a public parking lot and walked along the town. I can’t really describe it. Everything is old and magical in Tuscany! People are living their best lives in these super amazing medieval stone houses along walled communities. We walked along and saw a few people doing regular things like watering plants. Imagine living somewhere so majestic and beautiful! While I have to live in Brooklyn of all places!

We stopped at a terrace restaurant for a glass of wine (aperitivo?) I had a red wine (a Chianti?) We ate some olives and learned that W doesn’t like olives. Whaatttt…how ?!?!? That’s OK! We still like you! Then we walked back to the car and drove to Gaia’s house. Gaia is a family friend and one of Elizabeth closest “chosen family” in Tuscany. It’s great to have friends! Gaia and her husband adopted a baby from Ukraine almost two years ago and we finally got to meet her. Martina was so cute and growing up in a wonderful home full of love.

The special part of the meal besides getting to meet everyone was the dish that was served. Cinghiale! Cinghiale is wild boar and they are all over Tuscany! We even saw a group of them roaming the side of the road the night we drove back from San Gimignano so I know it’s not a myth. The cinghiale are hunted between November and January, and the boar meat is so popular that one dish – Pappardelle Cinghiale, is known as Tuscany’s national dish. They are a local delicacy and a local emblem. We saw loads of T-shirts honoring this animal at souvenir shops. They are even more popular than bicycles! Cats are maybe the most popular thing for souvenirs and T-shirts too. Everything has cats on it!

We ate like Kings and Queens at Gaia’s and it was sad to leave. Nicola had made some homemade red wine that was just the best thing ever. Here is the thing, wine usually gives me headaches and makes me feel bad the next morning (even one glass). I was worried about this in Italy because I really wanted to try the wine but was scared of not feeling well. Guess what?!?!? Not a drop of a headache all week! And I drank loads of wine! Zero hangover. Wish we had wine like that here!

We went to sleep happy and full.

Chapter 3: Firenze and our Pal David…

Amy:

We had planned a whole day in Florence. I was eager to see some art and of course the statue of David by Michelangelo. I had also requested a visit to the botanical garden as that is something I enjoy in New York. Andrew was happy to oblige (I think). I needed some photos of Tuscan flowers for a project I am working on.

Despite doing a little preliminary research and helping Andrew plan out the day, I boarded the bus to Florence not really knowing what to expect.

First of all, I was really confused about the name. I kept seeing signs for Firenze and was wondering if that was a different city. One simple fact: Florence = Firenze. I later learned that the city was called Florentia in Roman days. It became Florencia in Spanish, Florence in English, Florentia in Latin then Fiorenza in Old Italian. Then finally, Firenze in Italian. Italy is not a place you need to understand to appreciate. Some things just are a certain way and they don’t need to make sense. It’s an old place with a long history and things just evolve.

Basically, the only thing I knew about Florence was that it was the art capital of Europe (or one of). Florence is 35 km (about an hour) from Poggibonsi and as we entered the city from Raccordo Autostradale Firenze, the congestion increased. Sitting in the two seats in the front of the bus adjacent to the driver we had a clear bird’s eye view of the traffic. Scooters wove in and out in front and behind us and we entered a chaotic traffic circle filled with every type of vehicle imaginable. The bus maneuvered its way through with relative ease (how I don’t know). I was glad I had chosen to wear my seatbelt (although I seemed to be alone in this act of precaution).

What I realized upon entering the city, was that I was woefully underprepared for the sheer grandeur of Florence. There was nothing my imagination could muster that was even close to what I was looking at. It’s truly like stepping right into the 15th century Italian Renaissance.

My amazing tour guide Andrew took us straight into the heart of where the architecture was. The first monument we saw was the Santa Maria del Fiore (otherwise known as the Duomo di Firenze). This was a colossal building that houses the episcopal seat of the archdiocese of the city of Florence (whoever that is). The building is mostly made of marble and brick and built between 1296 and 1436. There was a problem with the construction of the dome part that took a while to solve, hence 142 years to build. It looks like it could easily have taken up at least three New York City avenues squared.

We had both brought our digital SLRs to Italy and we shlepped them with us as often as we could. I brought my macro 100mm just to have fun and 50 mm because it was light. I knew Andrew could cover the wider angles with his 24-120mm. Traveling with your best friend who shares your passions is quite convenient. With shared interests there were no arguments about how we ought to be spending our time. Riding bikes and taking photos…duh!

We both appreciate the time it takes to acquire a decent shot and know how to be patient when one of us is trying to be creative. Andrew is also patient with me when I am trying to climb these crazy steep hills by bicycle not having trained as much as him. Overall we had no issues with scheduling activities and getting along. If traveling is a test of a relationship, we passed with flying colors.

After we had taken a million photos of the Santa Maria, we wandered over to the Piazza Uffizi Gallery to kill some time before our timed tickets to enter the museum.

There was a Michelangelo David replica that was of interest and some statues of some of the renaissance artists such as Pasani, Da Vinci and Giotto. I tried to take photos of everything but there was so much!

When we entered the museum, we were allowed to check our bag into the coatroom so that was a relief as proper cameras can be quite heavy.

The museum itself is a little bit complicated and we were trying to figure out the history of the transition from living quarters and offices to public museums as we walked through it. Uffizi means “offices” in Italian. It is some sort of collaboration between the Medici, Habsburg-Lorraine and Savoy families.

Long story short, the architect Giorgio Vasari spent 200 years, or so, designing a building that was designated to house the collections of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. In 1769 it opened to the public as a museum at the request of the Grand Duke Peter Leopold.

It is filled with all the great masters of the Renaissance. The constant religious motifs were a bit tiresome after a few hours, but we marveled at the architecture and painting techniques. I tried to remember some of what I learned at Pratt during my minor in Art History but sadly, I could only remember that tempera means the artist used egg in the painting process (Tempera painting allows for more precision because it dries quickly. They used it with traditional techniques that require the application of numerous small brush strokes applied in cross-hatching).

The museum is famous for painting such as: ‘The Birth of Venus’ by Sandro Botticelli, ‘Annunciation’ by Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea del Verrocchio, ‘Medusa’ by Caravaggio, ‘Portrait of Pope Leo X with Two Cardinals’ by Raphael and the ‘Coronation of the Virgin’ by Fra Angelico.

Andrew had previously been to Uffizi as a young boy on a school trip and readily admitted to being bored to tears as a child. It was fun to return with him as an adult with a deeper appreciation for art – even though the religious motifs aren’t really our thing we can appreciate the masterpieces for what they are.

With our feet tired from walking the length of the galleries we scooped up our cameras and proceeded to our next destination. Elizabetta’s work office. We walked along the Arno River and across the Ponte Vecchio which was completed in 1345. One thing I noticed was the lack of boats on the river. It was bare of human activity. Being from NYC this was a new sight for me as our rivers can have pretty congested traffic with ferries, speedboats, kayaks, jet skis and sail boats. In Florence, the river was quiet. There was a group of rowers from a local rowing club but nothing with motors. You could see in some places, it was quite shallow. I think there are some rapids or something outside the city which make it un-navigable. Regardless, it was beautiful.

We crossed the bridge which was lined with expensive jewelry makers (lots of fancy gold and diamonds). Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge today because the other bridges (6 of them) got bombed out during WW2 by the Nazis. Ponte Vecchio was the only one to remain. So we walked across this historic old bridge lined with billions of euros worth of gold jewelry (NBD) and sauntered down the Arno to where Elizabeth works (what a place to work!). She specializes in foreign exchange students and is currently working at a school which partners with universities all over the world to host students for a semester in Florence. They help with accommodations and Elizabetta has the fancy title of Resident Director. She works really hard to make sure the American students are comfortable. Not an easy task! We met her office co-workers and their super cute shaggy dog named Giotto and after hearing a few complaints about students, we were on our way to lunch at an outdoor cafe. At Elizabeth’s suggestion, I ordered a traditional Tuscan meal of Pappa al Pomodoro. It was a tomato soup using leftover bread. Quite delicious! I also ordered a side of spinach because I needed some green food! There is lots of scrumptious bread and cheese in Italy and it was an effort to add a salad or two because we were too busy drinking espresso and eating gelato!

Our feet were complaining at this point (we are cyclists not used to walking!) so we ambled over to The Botanical Garden, also called “Giardino dei Semplici”. This garden was created by the Medicis as a garden for medicinal plants (the “Simples”) in 1545, are among the oldest Gardens in the world. I was happy I had my macro lens for this!

The garden had a nice variety of plants including edible plants (beautiful cabbages!) medicinal plants, a zen garden, lots of hydrangeas (which Andrew is used to seeing), azaleas and some carnivorous plants which were interesting and I took photos of. Our feet were tired and we had some time to spare before our timed tickets to see the Statue of David (Michangelo) so we sat down on a bench near a very old tree (cork oak of 1805). There are also some ancient plants and a yew (coniferous tree) dating back to 1720. I wouldn’t want to be the one to forget to water that!

We told our feet to suck it up and began to walk over to the Accademia Gallery to see David!

Michelango was only 26 when he carved David from a leftover slab of marble (what, you don’t have 17 foot marble laying around?) between 1501 and 1504. It depicts David from the Biblical story of David and Goliath. According to the Accademia website, it depicts David right before the battle with Goliath while most other artists depicted him after the battle.

Michelangelo worked on the sculpture in secret, not really eating or sleeping too much for two years. He worked rain or shine (you can work like this when you are in your 20s). When he presented his work to the Vetry Board, they were so impressed they decided to change the intended location. The City Council gathered a group of 30 members including artists Leonardo Da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli and Giuliano de Sangallo to figure out where to put David.

It was a long debate and nine different sites were considered. Eventually the statue was placed in the Piazza della Signoria (the political center of Florence). “It was midnight, May 14th, and the Giant was taken out of the workshop. They even had to tear down the archway, so huge he was. Forty men were pushing the large wooden cart where David stood protected by ropes, sliding it through town on trunks. The Giant eventually got to Signoria Square on June 8th 1504, where it was installed next to the entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio, replacing Donatello’s bronze sculpture of Judith and Holofernes” wrote Luca Landucci, a herbalist living nearby who chronicled the events. I bet they are glad they didn’t drop him in transport!

After years of being outside, he’s been housed indoors at the Accademia under a special skylight (designed just for him) since 1873 to protect him from further weathering.

I did notice that some of the proportions were a little off and wondered about that. After further reading the website does mention that the proportions of David are atypical of Michangelo’s work, The figure has an unusually large head and imposing right hand (I knew it!). The Accademia states, “These enlargements may be due to the fact that the statue was originally intended to be placed on the cathedral roof line, so important parts of the sculpture had to be accentuated in order to be visible from below.”

A large head seems metaphorically appropriate to the story anyways, where David uses his wits and cunningness to outsmart Goliath (who was much bigger than David).

Seeing this masterpiece in person was another top highlight of the trip. We got to take a few selfies with David, contrary to what we had previously thought. Everyone was taking selfies. We bought some magnets from the gift shop and walked out of the Accademia with a deeper appreciation for this iconic statue.

That evening we ate dinner at home and had leftover spaghetti, a big salad, some delicious asparagus that Elizabeth had made and of course some Limoncello.

Andrew:

One can not just simply go to Tuscany and not see Florence. Personally, Florence is not my favorite city, but it is one of, if not the Mecca of art. Since everything is new for Amy, I agreed that we should visit a few museums. As a child, I visited the Uffizi museum while attending Jr. High School. At that stage of my life I really could care less about a stuffy museum and I’m sure I failed the post visit essay I was told to write. But now as an adult, I wanted to go back and experience it as an adult.

Also, in all my years living in the area, I never ever got to see the actual Statue of David. A week or so before the trip, I booked time reserved entries to the two museums: the Uffizi and the Accademia. This would allow us to bypass the huge lines. Because we kept going back and forth on the day we wanted to go to Florence I ended up booking late. I was able to get entrance to the Ufizzi at ten in the morning and the Accademia at five in the evening. In the end, this worked out as it would allow us time to see the first museum and then grab lunch with my sister and check out her new place of employment and of course meet her coworkers. Amy also wanted to visit the Botanical Gardens and I was happy to oblige.

The only downside is that we had to get to Florence early so we got a bus out of Poggibonsi putting us in Florence before nine in the morning. We had plenty of time to walk by the Duomo and see some of the sites.

By ten we were entering the Uffizi. I remember going to the museum on a class trip but I honestly do not remember anything from that trip. I admire the artwork in the paintings and sculptures, but, since I am not religious, there are only so many crucifixions, birth of Jesus, Mary and the baby, raping of the women, and murdering of babies that I can digest before loosing interest. We spent almost two hours in there walking our feet off and shoving through crowds, and just before twelve noon we decided to walk over the Ponte Vecchio to get to my sister’s office.

After twenty-five years, my sister lost her job during the pandemic when SACI closed it’s doors permanently. Luckily she was hired by a competing institution, CET Academic Programs. So Amy and I got to meet her colleagues, see her new office before grabbing lunch at a nice restaurant where we had outdoor seating so we could enjoy the nice warm eighty degree dry weather.

Stuffed, we started our walk over to the Botanical Gardens, and on the way, of course, we had to stop and get more gelato. I can not recall if I have ever been to a botanical garden before so I was not sure what to expect. I found that it was nice and peaceful to be there with Amy. After lots of hours walking and just being on our feet, it was very nice to be able to sit and enjoy some peace and tranquility under the shade of the trees and away from the hustle and bustle of the city center.

With five o’clock approaching we walked over to the Accademia which is only a few blocks away from the Botanical Gardens. Once inside, we looked over the other items on display before checking out the main attraction.

The Statue of David is a stunning work of art. He resides under this dome, perfectly lit. What really impresses me is how people from centuries past could create such a statue with the tools they had. I’m lucky if I can make stick figures look like stick figures. Michelangelo was a true artist in every sense.

When we finally got home from Florence, we gobbled down a meal of leftover pasta, salad, and asparagus, capping off another awesome day Under the Tuscan Sky.

Chapter 4: San Gimignano

Amy:

We are back in the saddle! To give our walking feet a little break, we scheduled another bike ride for this day. Today was especially special because I was going to see the town where Andrew grew up, San Gimignano! But I had to earn my gelato by climbing a bunch of hills (as usual).

San Gimignano is another walled 13-Century town of about 8,000 people. It is famous for its towers (about a dozen) and the Duomo di San Gimignano, a 12th century church with frescoes by Ghirlandaio in its Santa Fina chapel.

Our first destination was the house where Andrew lived and where he waited for the school bus as a kid. This was special for me to see. I had seen a few photos and heard many stories but being with him as he re-visited as an adult was meaningful. It gave me a clearer picture of Andrew’s childhood.

After taking some photos of Andrew as an adult waiting at the “bus stop” with his bicycle (no bus needed now!) we looped back down the hill a little bit to visit his elementary school. I imagined little Andrew playing in the school yard. Then it was time to climb back up to the town center. A few things had changed from when Andrew was a kid and some things were the same. We visited a few shops where he knew the shopkeepers and had to chat and catch up. We got some discounted gifts and souvenirs and everyone was really happy to see Andrea!

We kept walking up the main strip and more people recognized Andrew. It took some time to get through because everyone wanted to chat but it was so worth it to see Andrew happy and speaking Italian to old friends.

We ate a picnic lunch of sandwiches and bananas we had brought with us while sitting in the center of town by the church. We had scheduled a return that evening on foot to walk around and eat dinner with Elizabetta (and her partner) so we were not pressured to see everything at once. We did find some matching San Gimignano bike jerseys that were on sale and we are quite pleased with them. We rode back down the hill to Poggibonsi.

That evening we jumped on the bus back up to San Gimignano. We went back to a few stores to pick up souvenirs we didn’t want to carry on our bikes. My favorite store was: Il Negozio Delle Curiosità. Which translates to: The Curiosity Shop. It sells customizable ceramics which are hand-made and hand-painted by five different local artists. The bowls and plates were gorgeous! I loved a particular bowl that depicted a San Gimignano scene with bright oranges and blues. It is called the “Tuscan Landscape” line. Don’t worry I got his business card and he ships to the U.S.

It was nice to see Andrew reconnecting with old acquaintances. Although I couldn’t understand what they were saying, it was evident that Andrew was enjoying using his language and catching up with local gossip. After I bought a million items from the ceramic store (O.K. three items but I wanted to buy a million!). We went to the center of the town to wait for Elizabeth for dinner. She chose a restaurant called Quattro Gatti, which is funny because the Johnsons (plus W) actually have five cats between them!

From their website: “Located in a historic building in the center of San Gimignano, the Osteria I Quattro Gatti was born from a skilful renovation of ancient spaces full of history. In the center of the room it is still possible to see an old granary used in the Middle Ages.” Andrew ordered the traditional Tuscan Pici and I wanted to try Risotto with leek and bacon. We followed this amazing dinner with dessert and coffee.

The most amazing part about dining in Italy (aside from the food) was the outdoor terraces and spectacular views. It was a magical experience every night we were there! After dinner we jumped into W’s car and he drove us home (our bellies happy and full).

Andrew:

It was finally time to take Amy to see San Gimignano, my hometown for nine years. San Gimignano is probably one of the most famous medieval towns in Tuscany. When my family moved there in nineteen-eighty one, not many knew about this sleepy town. Now the town is completely overrun by tourist so much so that it’s almost impossible to walk around during the high tourist season.

We decided to ride our bikes since we had spent the last few days eating and walking around. In order to get to San Gimignano, I like to ride what I call the back route. This reduces the amount of traffic since we avoid the main route up to the town. Leaving Poggibonsi we ride north towards a small hamlet called Ulignano, which is also on the way to Certaldo. From Ulignano we ride what I call The Wall. This is a relatively short section of road that is under a mile in length which has two very steep climbs, containing grades in the fifteen to twenty-three percent range. Once we summit we are rewarded with some spectacular views of the Tuscan rolling hills covered with vineyards, olive trees, and wheat.

After roughly four miles of undulating terrain, we were dumped at the base of the climb to get us up to the town. Half way up, where it plateaus for a bit, we come across the entrance to the property where my family lived, a winery. We stopped and I showed Amy the building with the apartment we rented and where I used to wait for the school bus for eight years.

We soldiered up the last climb to the town, but before getting to the town entrance, I diverted to show Amy my elementary school, which has been renovated and another section added to house the Jr. High School kids, since the Jr. High School building has been shut down due to safety issues. It seems they will need to tear the building down and rebuild it.

Finally we made it into town and right away I ran into three groups of people I knew, which of course had us stopping and chatting for a long time. We walked through town and had a snack in the main square with the Duomo before heading down Via San Giovanni. We stopped in a shop and Amy and I picked up matchy matchy cycling jerseys.

We decided to skip Castel San Gimignano as that would have required a lot more climbing. We wanted to get back home so we could shower and come back with the bus and better explore San Gimignano in the comfort of our civilian clothing. Heading back to Poggibonsi from San Gimignano is easy. Just drop down the hill and lightly pedal the flat road all the way back home.

Showered, and somewhat fed, we jumped on the bus and went right back up the hill. Elizabeth and her partner met us for dinner where we enjoyed a nice meal on a terrace overlooking the town.

On the way home, we came across a family of wild boar at the side of the road, first time I have seen them in person…

Chapter 5: Casole D’Elsa + Bike Return

Andrew:

After some back and fourth with the shop, we agreed to return Amy’s rental bicycle on Saturday instead of Sunday. I had planned to ride over to Casole D’Elsa, yet another medieval town on top of a hill. This town is very quiet as it hasn’t been fully discovered by the hordes of tourist. The ride would be relatively flat until the base of the town. The bike shop is also not too far from the town so it made for a good choice for the days’ route.

I also decided to take the bike path that connects Poggibonsi with Colle Val D’Elsa to avoid the roads. This path is where the old train line used to run. Now they made it into a walking/hiking/cycling path of super packed gravel road. Even with our road bikes we had no problems riding the path.

Once we arrived in Colle, we had to get back onto the main roads and, of course, it was the hour schools let out, so we came across some heavy traffic right in front of the Scientific High School, where, coincidentally, my sister attended for three years.

A few minutes later and we were leaving Colle behind us, and with it much of the traffic. Again we were greeted by sprawling hills and farmland. We rode through the flatlands, pushing against a light headwind which was welcomed as it kept us cool on this eighty plus degree day.

Approaching Casole we could see it looming up in the distance, perched on top of a high hill. We worked our way up. This climb was much easier than The Wall, but still not insignificant. Once we made it to the top, we dominated over the valley below.

We stopped to fill up on our staple food: coffee and gelato. We also checked in with the local vendors. Amy was interested in a vendor who makes hand crafted leather goods.

By now we were starting to run late, so we left the town and dropped out all the way down to Gippo Bikes to return Amy’s bike. Elizabeth and her partner gave us a ride back home so we could shower and prepare for later.

All cleaned up, the four of us went up to the Fortezza di Poggio Imperiale for an aperitif, but unfortunately they were hosting a private event so we walked around a bit before heading off to the restaurant.

With the sun dropping we hopped back into the car and drove over towards Barberino. Arriving just before sunset at Pieve Di San’tAppiano we walked over to the restaurant Osteria L’Antica Quercia. Again we sat outside with a wonderful view and a beautiful sunset. This was the perfect example of what we photographers like to call the golden hour. And this was a very golden hour. I think we left our dSLR cameras at home so we had to make due with the iPhone 13 Pro. Of course we had another amazing meal.

Amy:

We wanted to squeeze in one more bike ride before we had to return the rental bike so we set off Saturday morning for a ride to Casole D’Elsa. The climb up to this town was not as arduous as some of the others but it was not nothing either. The top was well worth the effort. This town was more artisan than the others and a particular leather artist caught my eye. After an obligatory gelato break, I bought some souvenirs for the kids and we head back down towards the town. We had to return the bike to Gippo and W and Elizabeth were meeting us at the bike shop to drive us home.

We sailed down the hill and we all pulled into Gippo at the same time. The bike we rented was lovely and it shifted well. It was carbon fiber so I won’t complain about that. I felt more comfortable on it than my regular road bike (and it was a lovely color red). I was sad to say goodbye to it.

We drove back to Poggibonsi.

Chapter 6: Nice Day for a Hike

Andrew:

With Amy’s bike returned, and my bike placed back into storage, my sister and her partner invited us to go for a hike. We got out early and parked one of the cars over at Monteriggioni. We had a morning coffee, and Amy got her first real cappuccino.

We then hopped into my sister’s partner’s car and we drove someways away to the starting point of the hiking route.

Pasquale joined us for a good portion of the hike. We traversed seven plus miles of strade bianche, wood trails, rocky paths, and more. We even had a loose dog threaten us. Luckily some mountain bikers helped us out by putting the bikes between us and the dog.

The hike brought us right back to Monteriggioni, so we dropped into town before finding a place for a quick lunch.

That evening we started to pack things up in anticipation of our return trip the next day. We planned to take Pasquale, my sister, her companion, out for an aperitif and pizza that evening in town.

Amy:

Here is a pro tip for you: don’t travel with the Johnsons unless you are a professional athlete! We wanted to make the most of the last day and we had returned the bike so we went for a walk. Translated into Johnson language this is a 7-mile hike through hills and valleys and over rocks and roots. It was lovely because W and Pasquale came with us and we walked through so many different terrains. We passed through Abbadia a Isola and peeked inside a chapel, got some water and took more photos. Unfortunately, just as we were reaching the halfway point, we encountered a dog. Not a nice dog. He threatened us and got very close to us. We tried yelling and backing away but he kept lunging towards us and barking. It was a legitimately scary situation. We were really ready to call emergency services when a group of mountain bikers showed up. We have never been so happy to see cyclist in full armor and huge bikes with knobby tires! The bikers used their enormous bikes as shields to divert the dog away from us so we could walk away from him far enough for the dog to lose interest. They really saved us! We finished our hike, grabbed some sandwiches and came home, happy to be alive!

Conclusion

Andrew:

Our return trip was not that exciting except we were plagued by delays. We didn’t miss our connecting flight in Amsterdam but we did end up being two hours late to JFK, which meant we did not roll back to my place until almost midnight on Monday.

After three years of being stuck at home, it was great to get back to Italy. It’s where I recharge, reset, refocus, recenter, or however you wish to call it. But what made this so special to me was to have my partner and best friend, Amy, with me. It was magical to be able to show her a slice of my past, and share this adventure with her. I only wish that time would have stopped. I think this has further cemented the fact that we are extremely compatible with one another and I can’t wait to experience more adventures together.

Amy:

Of course the story would not be complete without a few words of acknowledgement to Cicero. Elizabetta’s cat let us trample all over his home and shared his bed with us. He let us use his kitchen and let us hang out with his owner. He dutifully watched over us while we packed our suitcases. Even when he wasn’t feeling well with a stomach ache, he remained a gracious host. Thank you Cicero!

Overall the trip was amazing. I can’t think of a better group of people to be with for a week. Special thanks to Elizabeth for hosting us and treating us to so many delicious adventures, to Pasquale for the ride to the bike shop and the airport, to W for coming along for the journey and to Andrew, my love, for organizing the trip to perfection. Also a huge thank you to my wonderfully amazing sibling C.Zan for holding down the fort in Brooklyn and helping out with my kids while I was gone.

P.S.:

Amy tasted the following gelatos: Cafe (coffee) Cappuccino Mango Thai (mango, coconut) More (Blackberry) Clementino (clementine) Ricotta and Bilberry Cioccolato Fondente (dark chocolate) Pistachio Fiordelatte (the most classic ice cream, sort of vanilla but better) Chocolate/ Hazelnut Peach Salted Caramel

Andrew’s tasted the following gelatos: Lemon Lemon Lemon Lemon Lemon Lemon Lemon Leomn Lemon Lemon Lemon Lemon Lemon