Ventuno

Buon compleanno a me! I turned the big 21 yesterday and got to celebrate in beautiful Italia of all places!! The day started at 8 am when we departed Florence for the second field trip of the semester. We drove for about an hour through Tuscany to the small town of Vinci where the great Leonardo da Vinci was born. This was a required field trip for my High Renaissance class, but about 30 more students signed on to take the free day trip so I got to spend the day with great friends in a truly stunning place. We started out at the Leonardo da Vinci museum then drove a few miles to the house where he was (allegedly) born, up in the hills. We snacked on free samples of honey provided by an adorable old man with a honey stand, and some figs that were growing right outside the now museum. From there we took a bus to three different Medici villas which took up the rest of the day. The gardens at each villa were breathtaking and the frescoes, oil paintings, and lavish rooms we explored were absolutely stunning as well.

We visited the last villa around 6 pm, where we were greeted by a beautiful view of Florence in the distance, about an hour before sunset. It truly was an amazing birthday, and the fun had only just begun. We got back to Florence an hour later, where my roommates surprised me with a gelato cake from none other than La Carraia, only my FAVORITE gelateria in the world! It was a great treat after such a long day of walking and barely eating with anticipation of a big dinner at Quattro Leoni.

The entire menu at Quattro Leoni was in Italian and we were all pretty confused on what to order, but I had heard that their pear ravioli was to die for so I went with that for my dinner. I had a great insalata to start with avocados, pesto, gruyere cheese, and pine nuts. I ordered a bottle of their house white wine for the table, and enjoyed my first sip as a legal adult (weird!). The waiter brought out a slice of cheesecake for dessert (YUM!), complete with a single pink birthday candle and a chorus of happy birthday from my friends.

The night was filled with great birthday fun, and, with a stop at Florence's "Secret Bakery" my birthday was topped off with a fresh baked, just out of the oven, STILL WARM, nutella filled chocolate croissant. Getting a late night pastry from that top secret secret-bakery I had heard so much about had been on my list since I arrived in Florence and I couldn't have asked for a better end to my evening.

Although I wish I could've celebrated with my family, as well as my friends scattered across Europe and back home, I had one of the most amazing birthdays imaginable. Getting to spend my twenty-first birthday in the beautiful countryside of Tuscany, with a classic 21st birthday celebration at night in the city of Florence was unforgettable.

 Walking to Leonardo da Vinci's House

Figs!

View of Florence from the Last Medici Villa We Visited

Birthday Dinner!!

Secret Bakery Goodness