The Tuscan Grand Tour: Art, Culture, and Nature

Photos taken by Asher Savel (Bowdoin College), Student Correspondent for CET Florence, Fall 2024

Tombs and Tides in Populonia

For a nice Friday away, CET took us on a trip to Populonia, a beachside village in Tuscany that used to be an ancient Etruscan iron town. Today, there is an archeological site filled with Etruscan tombs. The soil glitters with iron dust everywhere, and even on the beach nearby, the sand is black with iron dust. Our cohort took a fantastic hike through the woods, where archeologists had done research on hundreds of tombs for years since the 1970s.

After our guide told us about the area’s fascinating history, we got to enter a beehive tomb! We were all tired, so we then went to the beach nearby. Unfortunately, as we relaxed on a private beach with a full, non-alcoholic open bar and a free, delicious lunch, it began to rain. It made the beach even more stunning, and although everyone was soaked, I knew I could never experience anything like this again.

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Class Delicacies

Being a student at CET means taking classes that will help you with your major and immerse you in Italian culture. In Food and Culture in Italy, we have tasting labs quite often. My classmates and I have tried various cheeses from across Italy these last few weeks, including pecorino, asiago, and fontina. The parmesan, especially in Italy, tastes completely different from the US! We have also tried salumi from Parma, Rome, and Tuscany’s specialty, Finocchiona. In Florence Sketchbook, after a long day of sketching in Piazza della Santissima Annunziata, we went with our professor to get gelato at La Carraia, where we tried each other’s favorites!

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Hiking in Pontassieve

One of my favorite activities has been a hike and small aperitivo near Pontassieve, a small town east of Florence. We hiked up a gorgeous hill with amazing views across the valley, passing through fields of olive trees and vineyards on the way to a stunning castle with views that you would only see in travel brochures. It was the perfect length, and I felt right at home as an outdoorsy person.

After it got dark, we went to a small restaurant only twenty minutes away. No one spoke any English, and we were treated to a delightful, light, but extremely flavorful aperitivo filled with traditional Italian salumi, Tuscan coccoli, and fruit juice (like pear or apricot) of our choice—truly a unique, relaxing meal.

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The Power of Herbs

We went to the Urban Garden Orti Dipinti in northern Florence for another CET excursion. We met Giacomo, the community garden organizer, where people can come and harvest herbs and tomatoes for excellent, fresh food. The real highlight of the trip, though, was Giacomo’s chickens! They roamed the entire garden, looking for food. Giacomo even let me pet one, which was very calming.

Giacomo talked about how the world was straying away from slow, quality, locally grown food and how this garden was a way to fight the trend towards quick, low-quality, cheap food that so many profit from. We made ricotta with herbs and tomatoes from around the garden and shared it for a nice snack before dinner.

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Artistic Field Trips

The best part about living in Florence is how accessible world-class, historical art can be for students. For my History of the Medici class, we received not only a Uffizi Pass, which provides access to the Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti, and the Boboli Gardens, but we went to Palazzo Pitti and the Palazzo Medici Ricciardi for class! These palazzi were for the rich and powerful in Florence and greater Italy, and they were decorated like it. They are filled with sculptures from top to bottom, and around every corner is a masterpiece. Visit these places if you can!