Under the Tuscan Sun

    If you want picturesque views of  the Tuscan countryside, then go to San Gimignano. If you want the world's best gelato, literally because it has won multiple championships, then go to San Gimignano. It is my favorite small little town located in the heart of Tuscany. I had been wanting to go for so long! I found a tour with a group called MyTours. They have multiple tours to offer that take you all over. My only regret is that I found them so late in the game. They have great prices and even discounts for students. I highly recommend using them. The tour guides were nice and spoke English very well. On my tour, there was a good number of French tourists and it was fun listening to the tour guides who are Italian speaking in French. There were a couple of mistakes here and there, but that's natural when speaking a language that isn't your maternal tongue. I also enjoyed this trip because it wasn't a typical "student" trip. My friend Alina and I were the only students on the trip. Everyone else was older and I liked it. We met 2 flight attendants from Atlanta and Cleveland, we continued to call them Atlanta and Cleveland because we didn't know their real names. I met some people from France, who were very kind. I never understand why people say that the French are snobby. They aren't. Granted I can communicate with them and all, but even if I couldn't, they are all nice and helpful.
     After our free time in San Gimignano, we headed towards a vineyard also located in the center of Tuscany where we were treated to a divine wine tasting. We tried 3 wines: Chianti Classico, Chianti, and a dessert wine. We also ate pasta with a delicious olive oil that was also produced on the land and a balsamic vinegar. It was the BEST balsamic I have ever had, and I've had quite a few. I would have loved to purchase one, but you have to purchase 3 things in order to buy it and the bottle of balsamic was 51 euros.
    After lunch in the Chianti region, we headed to our last destination, Siena. It was not my favorite place. So many cars on the streets. It just wasn't appealing to me, personally.