TURIN
We went to Torino - seemed huge compared to Cremona!! - for one day with Vale and visited the Museo Egizio (2nd most important one after the one in Cairo), La Mole Antonelliana (the city's major landmark) and the Museo Nazionale del Cinema. We had a picnic in the park, walked down Via Garibaldi, had yogurt ice cream with fruits (getting quite popular in Italy) and that night we went dancing to a place on the Po river's waterfront. I loved how all these discos and bars were found here along the river, and how nightlife started around 1 am!
CREMONA
The following day we all went back to Cremona. We struggled quite a bit with Trenitalia trying to get the cheapest train tickets, so basically we had to change trains like a thousand times before arriving at our destination. Cremona is known for nougat (torrone) and for the violin-making industry (there are around 130 registered workshops). There is a nice plaza/gardens known as I Giardini o Piazza Roma, where everyone walks eating ice cream.
LIVORNO
After Cremona we travelled to Livorno in Tuscany. The landscapes come straight from those images you see on wine bottles: golden lights over fields of olive trees, farmhouses and vineyards. No wonder it's so popular among the rich and the famous (George Clooney has a villa here or something?) Wines can be quite pricey, there is this Sassicaia wine or something like that, that can be 3000 dollars a bottle... hmm.
We stayed with Vale's friends - Sara, Nico, their five-year-old Isola, and (unborn) baby Libero. They have an Azienda Agricola, Alberelli, where you can rent apartments for your Tuscan dream holiday. This area is beautiful, so you should check it out! They make their own olive oil, they have a vegetable garden, and use firewood from the forest - can it get any better? Our days were spent at the main house, (where there are goats and forest! We had some delicious meals here of bread, fruit, cheese, pasta, wine), at the beach (beaches are not sandy so they are not as accessible and can be quite dangerous but who doesn't love the beach!) and visiting small little towns (eating gelato and buying olive oil). We went to Musica W Festival in Castellina M.ma and traveled along 5km of Viale dei Bolgheri. The food was awesome, and it's so tasteful they don't put salt in the bread (so the bread on its own is not too good).
We felt so so welcome and this family was really warm and filled with joy. I had never seen a more glowing pregnancy like Sara's, and had never liked a five-year old as much as I liked Isola. I realized I truly enjoyed spending time with her and her friend Vale. Would definitely be open to working with kids after this positive experience!
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