We arrived in Florence with little difficulty and made our way to the Park Hotel. This was a relatively new hotel, just 125 years old and home to the Swiss and Luxembourg consulates. It was comfy and the pool was welcome. We left a cold and rainy Edmonton for a lovely 30 degrees in Italy.

Our first day of hiking took us through olive groves and forest on our way to Fiesole, an upper crust neighbourhood of Florence. The hike was mostly uphill but fun. We were serenaded by the sound of cicadas chirping at each other, hoping to mate. It was amazing sound. every time we stopped we had a better view of Florence. We had a great lunch and took a bus back to the centre of Florence. That’s when we learned not to trust Italians when they tell you how long of a walk it will be. The 15 – 20 minutes they said it would take ended up being much longer. After 30 minutes we sat down and had wine. Then we set off in Ernest for another 30 minute uphill walk. All told we had done 10 miles of walking in our first day. It was great. Food and wine have been fantastic, as expected. Our next adventure is in the heart of Chianti country