Sometimes in life, everything works out just the way you imagine it will. Take last weekend, for instance. Seven BC girlfriends and I (some of us are studying in Florence and the rest were visiting) spent our entire Saturday on a bike and wine tour through the Chianti region of Tuscany. Yes, wine tasting followed by biking. No, there were no injuries, just lots of giggles and an overall great time. Riding through the picturesque hills past vineyards, olive trees, and castles made us feel like we were on a movie set filming Under the Tuscan Sun.
As we all know, most of the time things turn out differently from the way you expect. The past few weeks of my semester provide three perfect examples of this:
Pienza. My History of the Italian Renaissance class required me to attend a mandatory field trip to the Tuscan town of Pienza about a month ago. I must admit that I was dreading the trip due to the fact that I had to get up very early to see a town I had never even heard of before and then write a paper about it. Much to my surprise, I loved Pienza. Originally called Corsignano, Pienza was completely rebuilt (and renamed) during the 15th century by Pope Pius II. His goal was to create the ideal Renaissance town, and he succeeded because the town represents Renaissance perfection in terms of architecture and layout. Pienza’s location on a hill – like many Tuscan towns – offers stunning views of the surrounding countryside. On one of the tiny streets I stopped for lunch and had the best Ribollita I’ve eaten all semester. Ribollita is a traditional Tuscan vegetable soup that is bread-based and very unique tasting. After lunch I bought pici pasta (looks like thick spaghetti) and pecorino cheese, two Pienza specialties to which I have become addicted. I’m now convinced that Pienza is one of Tuscany’s hidden treasures.
Lucca. A few weeks ago, my friends and I were planning to spend a day in the nearby beach town of Viareggio, but due to some slowpokes in the group, we missed our train and found ourselves sulking at the station with no new plan. I looked up at the Departures board and saw that a train was leaving for Lucca in 15 minutes. “So…anyone want to go to Lucca?” Lucca turned out to be a quiet yet adorable Tuscan town, the perfect getaway from busy Florence. Our day in Lucca was one of the most fun (and inexpensive) day trips of my semester, complete with rental bikes and an outdoor picnic which we ate while sitting atop the city’s Renaissance wall. A great mistake, it would seem.
Sicily. Last weekend two friends and I stayed in Taormina, a little town located next to a huge (and active!) volcano, Mount Edna. Aside from gorgeous beaches and ancient Greek ruins, Sicily is known for several different foods. I was anxious to try them all. Highlights include calamari which we ate on the beach, seafood pasta, arancini (fried rice balls), granita (the Sicilian version of lemon ice), and the best cannoli I will ever indulge in. While our time in Sicily was lovely, getting home was an absolute nightmare. Our flight to Florence was cancelled, so we had to sit in the airport for 8 hours until we could catch a plane to Verona. While my friends were frustrated by this detour, I was excited about the opportunity to spend a few hours exploring Verona before boarding a train back to Florence. Upon landing in Verona, the travel nightmare turned into a fairytale. I instantly adored the city. Somehow Verona manages to be classy but not pretentious, romantic but not corny. As an added and unexpected bonus, at dinner our attractive waiter asked for my number. Normally I would’ve turned him down, but in the city where Juliet fell for Romeo I just couldn’t do it. Yet I am kind of regretting that decision; the excessive number of subsequent calls and text messages grew annoying rather quickly. I’m sure my Dad will be pleased to know that I’ve stopped answering. Even still, the Verona detour was well worth it, in my opinion.
So it seems that sometimes mistakes and diversions from the plan can enhance an experience. Many of our favorite foods were invented due to an error by the chef. Improvisations can often improve a recipe. This I have learned: in regards to food and life in general, flexibility and optimism are vital.
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