July Journal: The Italy Edit
Welcome to our July Journal! Let’s immerse ourselves in an Italian summer, shall we? We’ve just arrived back home from a vacation to Tuscany, and there’s nothing quite like wandering cobblestone alleyways, indulging in pasta, and admiring Florentine style and architecture. The Tuscans know how to awaken all senses with baked goods wafting through windows, freshly plated fruit and vegetables, and ornate perfumeries that have had their doors open for centuries. In one word, inspired.
We began the trip flying into Florence, renting a car, and driving 2 hours into the countryside where we stayed at a villa near Montepulciano for a few nights. The roads lined with Italian cypress and green rolling hills covered in olive trees and vineyards was enough to make us swoon, let alone the heat wave that had joined us on our travels. Packing light and airy was the only way to survive the sun beating down without a single cloud to cast shade. We lived in cotton dresses, linen pants, and loose clothing the entire visit. To dress it up in the evenings, we’d throw on a statement necklace and leather sandals.
Following our stay in the countryside, we drove back to Florence to spend a couple of nights in the city. This wasn’t our first time visiting Florence, and with only a little time to explore, we skipped the museums and galleries. Rather, we wandered along the Arno River and back into the neighborhoods, stopping for many a gelato and affogato. We took the phrase “dolce far niente” very seriously during our stay in Florence and spent our entire stay slowly exploring the city, popping into beautifully designed home décor stores and age-old perfumeries.
If you do Italian summers right, you should return home from vacation rejuvenated, relaxed, and utterly awe inspired. This should not be a trip where you end up needing a vacation after your vacation, if you’ve ever heard someone use that phrase. Following Tuscany, our vacation continued over to Istanbul, but this will be a journal entry for another day! If you want to see more photos from our travels, check out our Instagram story highlight “Travels”.
