My Journey Through Tuscany
Cindy Pu
Endless rolling green hills and cities in the sky fill the of Tuscany, Italy. While traveling through this region of Italy, I experienced the many great wonders both nature and architecture had to offer.
My mom and I started our road trip through Tuscany by first visiting the Civita di Bagneregio, also known as the “City in the Sky.” When I saw the city up high on a hill, surrounded by deep valleys, I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. Seeing the city so high up made it really seem like it’s in the sky, especially when the clouds hovered right below the city, covering up the ground below.
The only way to access the city was a pedestrian bridge that ran a long way up the steep hill. Inside the city, the environment felt cozy and calm, as fluffy cats roamed around carelessly and flowers bloomed in every doorway. The view from the top took my breath away. For miles and miles, all I could see were rolling green hills. Occasionally, there would be a long row of neat cypress trees leading to a stunning renaissance-era estate.
Our next big stop was Siena; a gem of a city in the heart of Tuscany. To reach the city at the top, we took multiple escalators and walked up many steep hills. Siena was packed with tourists capturing pictures of the old, yet beautiful streets. We explored the plaza and climbed to the top of a cathedral for a panoramic view of Siena, whose neutral colors contrasted perfectly with the cloudless blue sky.
Lastly, our third main stop in Tuscany was its most famous city, Florence. We walked through the city, packed with even more people than in Siena, and followed the directions to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. When we finally found it, I was awestruck by how precise the carvings and details on the outside of the cathedral were. The cathedral was painted green, white, and pink to represent the Italian flag’s colors of green, white, and red. To enter the cathedral, we waited in a line for at least an hour and a half. My only source of entertainment was a group of pigeons fighting over chunks of bread. When we made it inside, I craned my neck to try to get a look at every part of the beautiful glass windows and the paintings on the giant dome.
After we exited the cathedral, there was an opera singer giving a performance right outside the main entrance! The sounds of his beautiful singing voice echoed off buildings and brought tears to people in the giant crowd that had gathered. To end our trip to Florence and Tuscany, I got a delicious and creamy gelato as we roamed around the city one last time before going to explore more of what Italy has to offer.
