Bella Italia!
After an entire week of the sun being completely gone by 4pm, it’s hard to believe I was in Italy last week, with it’s late sundown time of 7pm! It feels so long ago 😦
As I said in my last post, my family met up in Greve in Chianti to ring in the new year (and decade!) with seven days in Tuscany. We rented a villa on AirBnB and spent the week driving on winding Tuscan roads, eating cheese, drinking wine, and fulfilling whatever other Italian stereotypes our little hearts desired.
It was the first time my family was all in one place since my dad’s 60th birthday party in August, and it was so nice to spend some time together. Cleverly, we rented two cars so if one group decided on a destination, the other group could do something totally different. What was even more special was meeting my brother’s (Italian) girlfriend’s parents, who brought with them 1kg of fresh mozzarella and made us the best spaghetti carbonara of my life. She and her family are from Milan, so Toscana was a fun destination for them as well.
Every day we did something different. We explored the busy streets of Firenze, made the trek to classic Tuscan villages like Siena and San Gimignano, and shopped at the weekend market in Greve.
We rang in 2020 with a delicious meal, dancing around the fireplace, and playing charades and white elephant and other games long into the night.
One day, I opted to stay home at the villa and literally just read books all day (interrupted only by a short nap in the sun room). It was luxurious!
Oh, and the food. THE FOOD. I mean, I know I am a broken record at this point, but the food was so good. Almost every single thing I ate was simply incredible.
This was my second time visiting the region, and it was even more fun because this time I was able to share my favorite spots and discover new places with my loved ones.
Italy is for lovers ❤️
I may share some of the places we visited, so if there is any interest, let me know! Conrad and I are already planning our next Italy escape, and of course all recommendations welcome 😘
Much love,
xxLena
lately léna 
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