Tuscan Tales: A Journey of Friendship in the Countryside

When a dear friend invites you to spend a week at a beautiful villa in the Tuscany countryside to celebrate her 75th birthday, what do you say? Heck yeah! It so happened I had already made plans to travel to Italy around the same time. When you are traveling solo, any time you can connect with folks from back home becomes priceless. Regardless of whether you are invited to celebrate someone’s birthday, Tuscany should be on your bucket list. Here is my Tuscan tale among many more on a journey of friendship, exploration and laughter….

But First a Bit of History

Tuscany, once inhabited by the Etruscans and ruled by Rome is a treasure trove of art, architecture, vineyards, cascading hills and cypress trees. Lovely, picturesque towns with medieval towers, cobblestone streets and well-preserved Gothic and Romanesque architecture. The Etruscan civilization existed from around the 8th century BCE until the rise of the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Roman Empire, cities like Florence, Siena and Pisa became major commerce and artistic centers controlled by powerful competing noble families (now I know why there are so many castles). This eventually led to the birth of the Renaissance movement. Florence became its birthplace thanks to the talents of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli and the Medici…