3 days, 3 day trips from Florence

I have spent the last three days taking day trips from Florence. The city is situated right in the center of the country so you can get almost anywhere pretty quickly. The first day trip was to Venice, about a three hour train ride away. It is a beautiful city and unlike anything I had ever seen before. It felt like the movie Waterworld because boats are the primary mode of transportation besides walking. I spent about 8 hours there which was perfect because anymore because the boat I took to the train station was so fully packed I felt like I was on the new york subway. All in all, it was well worth the trip because I took some picturesque photos of the canals and alleys there and took an interesting tour of the Grand Canal. I posted some below.

Yesterday, I biked through the hillside of Tuscany just outside of Florence. 15 miles in all. The morning was 8 miles uphill. So painful. We stopped at a family owned restaurant and a winery half way through before heading back down for 7 more miles. At night, Clara, who runs the excellent hostel I am staying at, cooked everyone an amazing meal. I love italian food.

Today, I checked out two medieval towns in Tuscany - Sienna and San Gigmignano. Both pretty toursity but both almost 1,000 years old and very interesting. The cathedral in Sienna was particularly impressive. I must have seen at least 10 churches or cathedrals already and have not written about any of them because that would be boring, but this one had frescoes by Raphael which have not even been restored so they are in their original state. It also had hand carved marble floors which are only uncovered during the months of September and October. Very cool. I also had what is supposedly the best gelato in the world in San Gigmignano. Hard to argue with that statement after trying it.

Here are some Venice fotos:

1. Venice PD.
2. In the middle of the Grand Canal.
3. Picturesque shot of Venice.
4. Traffic jam in Venice.