As predicted, November flew by. I was so busy—travel, visitors, exams and papers—that my blog became an unfortunate victim. So here I am playing catch-up. But better late then never, right? Pictures have been posted, so here are the words…
Five days after my return from Barcelona, the family arrived in Siena! Mom, Dad, Rosanne and Alex all came to visit me in my lovely little Tuscan town. How wonderful it was to see them all yet a little strange at the same time. I had been planning in my head for so long how the visit might play out that I thought the day would never come. But there they all were on the cobble-stoned streets—all five Palatuccis together again. I had so many things I wanted to show them in a short amount of time.
The first day we took a trip to San Gimignano a small Tuscan hill-town not far from Siena. We drove through the beautiful Tuscan hillside past the golden fields and autumn leaves. The grape vines even change color in the fall, many turning to a deep red color. Arriving at the city’s high stonewalls, we entered, walked around the town, took in the gorgeous views, and stopped for a bite to eat at a great restaurant run by an older Italian couple. The food was delicious, everything homemade and hand prepared. We arrived back in Siena with our stomachs full of food and our cameras full of pictures.
The next day we woke up early to catch another bus, this time to Florence. The weather wasn’t as nice but we walked around the sites seeing the Duomo, Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia, the Ponte Vecchio and San Lorenzo and it’s market. I showed the family the places I’d visited while in Florence during the summer. They even got to see the hotel where I stayed. It was a fun trip.
The best part of the vacation had to be staying with the family in the apartment we rented right in Siena’s city center. We had plenty of space to relax and a big kitchen to cook dinners together. Family dinners are what I miss most from back home. Particularly because with me at school and Rosanne up in Boston, it’s not often that we get all five of us around the table. It was really special. We had a great time cooking together, sampling the fresh vegetables from Siena’s market, a delicious Brunello from my wine tasting trip in Montalcino, and the olive oil from the vineyard where I picked grapes.
It was sad to say goodbye to my family. Because of the point in time in which they arrived (past the halfway point of my semester) I could have gotten on the plane with them right then and there to go back home. It’s a bit odd, but I was almost homesick during their stay, and even more so after they left. A little taste of family left me wanting more. Nevertheless I was so happy to have had the opportunity to share Tuscany with them. They got to see my apartment, my school, and experience what life is like for me in Siena.
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