This morning we travelled to the gorgeous Santa Maria Novella, and the interior of cathedral was so gorgeous that I couldn't stop taking photos. Give me some good stained glass and marble and I'm in heaven - not to mention all of the beautiful chapels within.
Later on we went to a wine tasting, and as someone who doesn't necessarily love wine, I was a bit nervous. At the same time, though, I was pretty excited - it's always felt odd to be Italian and not love wine, so I was hoping the experience would help train my tastebuds.
Fortunately, I ended up quite liking the wines we tried - I even purchased two bottles: one red Chianti Classico, and one fruity, floral rosé. Both came from a vineyard called the Fattoria San Michele a Torri, in the South West of Florence.
I doubt I'll end up swapping out my weekend vodka cran for a glass of vino anytime soon, but it's nice to finally have a wine I enjoy drinking! We were also served a small meal during the tasting, including bruschetta and some pecorino cheese with incredible homemade honey, as well as - what else - a pasta dish.
Virtually all of my photos from this trip are as follows: churches, me, Amy, me and Amy.
Post-tasting, we took to the streets for some shopping to prepare for this weekend's trip to Venice. When we finally arrived back at the Villa, we were in awe of the colors of the sky. We never quite get the full standard orange-y golden hour here, but the warm pink and blue tones look straight out of Pantone's 2016 Colors of the Year.
Standing outside the Villa staring at our view of Florence made it hard to go inside and study - but even harder to think about leaving Italy in just a few short weeks.
