A vote was held, and our students had decided it would be better to spend Monday skipping the touristy leaning tower of Pisa, and instead, have a true Tuscan experience. After some tweaking of the original schedule, we set out to visit nearby San Gimignano in the morning.
This medieval town is famous for its towers; families once competed with each other to show off their wealth by building these structures. Today, many are open to the public, and you are able to climb them for incredible views of the region.
In the afternoon, we were able to visit Siena, home of the famous Palio horse race. While there, we visited the Church of Saint Catherine, one of two patron saints of Italy.
From there, it was back to Florence for a traditional Tuscany dinner. We split into smaller groups and ate at some of the local restaurants. The brave ordered steak Florentine, though only the hungriest among us were able to finish it.
More from our trip: