The year is 1492. An Italian guy who goes by the name Chris decides that he wants to find an easier way to get to India. Queen Izzy slaps down some approval for his little trip. He gets a few boats together, all with easy-to-remember names (you are saying them in your head right now, right?), and heads west. West…that is the plan. There are no specific details on what to do when he gets to Asia. The journey is the destination.
Five hundred thirty-two years later, a couple of crazy Texan explorers set out for a similar journey, traveling east to find a place called Italy and making our way to Tuscany. They were armed with only one plan: go to Tuscany, eat food, and drink wine. Two hours before the pair got on the plane, you could ask them, “What are you going to do in Italy?” The response would be a resounding, “We don’t know; we are going to Tuscany.”
Vacuuming, driving, seafood, and the proper doneness of steaks are topics on which Lindsey and I rarely agree. In fact, just mentioning these topics raises my blood pressure. Traveling, on the other hand, is an area where Lindsey and I naturally sync. The women on my side of the family are obsessive planners regarding vacations. They are satisfied that they can experience “everything” when they go somewhere and, as such, have everything planned to the most minor details. Alternatively, Lindsey and I enjoy living in the moment, experiencing things as they come. For us, being tied down by plans means that if we fall in love with a place, we can’t stick around with it as we are constantly moving to the next thing.
For this trip, we will stay in four locations over 18 days: Pienza, San Gimignano, Cinque Terra, and Florence. Of these locations, Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, home of Michelangelo, and the Duomo, we only have one full day. The rest is spent in the countryside, where we wake up most days without any firm plans for what we will do.
So, as we prepare for our journey, we look forward to sunsets, gelato, and a slower pace, enjoying the journey rather than all the places we “should” go.