lalalaaaaaa

Our drive from just outside of Rome to Florence was lovely - through the rolling hills of Tuscany :) (WATCH THE MOVIE 'UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN' WITH DIANE LANE RIGHT NOW) Only 2ish hours to Florence, but our hotel was in the tiny town of Montecatini, which is my new #1 on my 'I want to come here for my honeymoon' list. It is so quaint and it smells good and the fashion is flawless in the little street boutiques and the view from the top of the highest point is breathtaking and I felt so at home.

When we arrived around 3, our bus driver took us to the top of the city, where we sang in the town square, sang in the town cathedral, had a little stroll through the perfect neighborhood & even sang for a bride and groom while they were taking pictures before heading to their reception :) And I bought some new sunglasses. Perfect, all the way around!

The next morning, Sunday, we went to Michaelangelo's square to get the best view of the city. One of the replicas of the statue of David is there. Then we went to the Accademia  (maybe I spelled that wrong...?) to see the real thing! There were other pieces of artwork there, but David was all I wanted to see :) ITS HUGE. And ITS PERFECT. Our tour guide explained the process of sculpting such a smooth surface, which I still don't understand, while most of us reeled in the fact that we were standing in front of the most perfect sculpture in the entire world. Hahah my mouth hung open till someone told me to close it. We wern't allowed to take pictures, so I just bought a postcard of his butt instead...

(I will take this moment to say - yes I know I'm acting like everything i've seen for the last week is so exciting I can hardly breathe, but thats actually kinda true ;) But I'm not being a loud obnoxious American about it, I'm trying to keep my composure hahah)

The rest of the afternoon was a walking tour of Florence (which wasn't all that fun cause it was pouring and cold), but we saw the city hall & the other replica of David, and had more Gelato :)

At noon we sang at the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral for their mass, which was another interesting experience. but the Priest was precious. We're getting so spoiled with the amazing acoustics. There is NOTHING like it in America. After that was another amazing lunch, and wayyyy more rain than needed :(

Then we walked to Santa Croce Cathedral, which was a favorite from choir tours in the past. Its where people like Michaelangelo, Galelieo Gallae & Dante were buried!??! Also there is a small side chapel hidden near the back, where we gave an impromptu performance... I've never heard anything like it. We've NEVER sounded so beautiful. The chapel didn't look like all the other really ornate ones, but its by far the most incredible place I've ever sang. We sang our anthem & a pretty big crowd gathered, we ended up singing 5 songs when we only planned on 1. It was so gorgeous I was laughing one minute, and crying the next. Seriously, I can't explain how good this moment was for my heart. You'll never understand if you're not a singer, I'm sorry :) haha

We headed back to Montecatini for our night service at Basilica Santa Maria Assunta, where we sang for mass, (and while I was directing, my safety pin popped & my choir robe nearly slid off, I got the giggles) and after we gave a short sacred concert. The locals were very appreciative and vocal about the songs they loved :) I really enjoy the people of Italy, they all seem so passionate.

Dinner at the hotel, pack, fight with the internet, BATH IN A FULL SIZE BATHTUB YAYAYAYA, and then bed :) A full Sunday of singing.

Now its monday, and as I'm writing this, we're on the bus to Venice! Ciao!