Live simply, travel lightly, love passionately & don't forget to breathe

After my life as an Italian, it was time for Tuscany…

However, what was supposed to be a marvelous time Under The Tuscan Sun, turned into an unforgettable time Under The Tuscan Rain.

Most of Italy was hit with rain for weeks. Even though its late Spring, Italy had Winter temperatures almost everywhere.

You see, I do bring rain everywhere…

My first stop was Florence. I was really lucky, that the one day I was in Florence, it cleared up and I enjoyed a glorious day Under The Tuscan Sun! I really fell in love with that place. Even the crowds of tourists didn’t bother me as much as they did in Rome. In Florence you can turn into a small alley and escape. Florence is much more dense and less spread out and I love that! You don’t need public transport to get around. I walked all Florence from bottom to the very top and back. I left my map at the hotel and let myself get lost.

Yes, I saw Michelangelo’s “David”. However, there were several hour lines to get into the museum. I was not about to spend my only day in Florence, standing in lines! I smiled at the Italian guy who let people in and made him lift the rope for me, so I could waltz in. Don’t hate! And ladies, take notes. We are in Italy and I am an actor… and a woman ~ crazy combination… (wink) I was dressed nice and I undid the very top button on my blouse… worked like magic! I wouldn’t be caught dead in khaki pants, trainers and a money belt. When I walked into the museum, the security guys who supposed to let you pass through metal detectors, could only manage “wow! ciao bella!”. Let me tell you, they did not care that my pockets full of change, were setting their machines into one big beeping sounds of alarm orgasm. Thought to myself “I could have been a great thief” …

I spend an hour or so staring at David. He is one very good-looking, naked man. Mr. Bond said “I remember thinking, wow! he has huge hands, when I first saw him” And all I was able to say when I walked into a room was “oh, fuck, that’s him!” I actually love BIG hands on a man!… If you have small hands, small feet and even smaller brain, please, keep on walking! I walked slowly around David, I sat in front of him, behind him and just stared him down. But seriously, it is the most beautiful sculpture I’ve ever seen! The veins, the feet, the hands, the expression, the …. ok, I’ll stop. There is so much grace and quiet power… and those hands! God, those hands! Mr. Bond, please don’t be jealous! There was another sculpture that I really liked… “Love, Vice & Wisdom” by Lorenzo Bartolini.

love, vice & wisdom

Virtue sleeps, crushed by Vice who is laying with a bowl (probably with unfinished wine) slipping from his hands. Love, the force that dominates the world, is on top of virtue, smiling innocently. I spend a lot of time near this sculpture. I studied the details and thought about all the Virtues, Vices and Loves of my own life… It was liberating to know, that Love, truly does rise above all else. LOVE is why I travel. Some people think I’m running away from life. They are wrong! I’m running towards it, with my soul wide open. Open to life & love! Whether it’s a micro-second moment, several hours, days or years. At the end, what truly matters, is if you have LOVED.

By the way, I walked without lines into the Duomo using similar technique. (hehe)

I had a little break by the Duomo. Got a chocolate croissant, coffee and sat on the bench in front of Duomo, listening to the sound of bells and feeding pigeons.

For some reason, Asian tourists with their high-end cameras, love to sneak a photograph of me. They think I don’t notice anything… Well, one guy snapped a couple of shots of me and walked… I said “hey, you! come here!” He turned, trying to explain with hands that he doesn’t speak english. I said “yeah, you with your Nikon camera, come here!”  He came over with his translator person and I told her to translate “He can keep the pictures if he will email me a copy”. Lo and behold, I get an email…

this is how tourists see me…

I loved getting lost in Florence and discovering small little gardens with flowers and sculptures. In one of those gardens I met another Russian gal, with whom we, like a couple of kids sat on swings, laughing and telling stories from our Italian adventures. She also loves to travel and discover new cultures, off the beaten path.

I also really loved the Rose Garden up in the mountains. And walked all the way to the old villa’s of Florence and the Unesco World Heritage site.

I’m not running away from life, but running towards it!

Florence rewarded me with a beautiful sunset and “blue hour”!

I decided to get deeper into Tuscany… Siena. What a gorgeous town it is! The small streets, history and architecture! When you go away from big towns, you get rewarded with beauty and authenticity of the Italian Soul.

I lived in a wonderful place, with beautiful views and even with my own jacuzzi … which was a perfect reward after all the trains across Italy and long walks around towns…

I have to say that my affair number 2 after Italian food, is Italian Doors!… I can not tell you how many times tourists rushed by mind-blowing doors… The only time they would stop and look, is when I was taking pictures. They stopped to see why the hell someone would stop in the middle of a street! “Honey, is it a must see spot on our map?” … “No, babe, it’s like just some kind of like door, but it looks kinda cool, let’s take a picture!” When you’re in Italy, do your selves a favor ~ once in a while, look up from your damn maps and lonely planet booklets!

After weeks of being in small towns, caves, big tourist cities and everything in between, I was ready for some nature. Even though it was rainy, decided to just go…

I took a train to one of the most beautiful places in Tuscany… Asciano…

It was liberating to just lose yourself. There, in the arms of Tuscany, I forgot about everything. I spend my time wandering around the fields, walking further and further away from civilization and it’s flaws.

Even got befriended by a local dog, who didn’t want to let me go. He kept following me around.

The further I walked, the more free I felt. And then I walked right into the heart of Tuscany… into its red heart…

Red Heart Of Tuscany

Like a kid, I ran through fields with not a soul around me. Time didn’t exist. It was just me and nature. A true bliss. After about an hour, I saw 3 horses in the distance. I came over and sat on the grass watching them. In the moments when your heart is full of love, nature responds in the same way… It ran towards me full of love …

Tuscany

After a few hours of pure bliss, it began raining heavily. I ran through Tuscan fields, under pouring rain, towards the train station.

I will always remember that day. Even though it rained and got pretty cold, I was happy and completely in tune with myself, nature & the world around me…

And I also know one simple, yet important truth in life…

It is the Rain that gives birth to Rainbows… not the other way around.

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