I have just spent five energizing nights in Tuscany, a small town called Poggibonsi. This was a last-minute decision, after I wanted to take some down-time in the countryside between wonderful Venice and Firenze. I’ve also booked a house in Tuscany for June, so felt excited to go and get a feeling of the Tuscan magic already now. Totally worth it!

I stayed in a cozy Bed & Breakfast with a lovely Italian family and spent three days hiking while popping by some neighbouring villages, and one day visiting Siena by train. It is so much warmer here compared to northern Italy – even though it has been cloudy some days, it has been 12-15 degrees in the daytime. It almost feels like Finnish summer :) The countryside is beautiful! Tuscany gives me warm vibes and offers a wide variety of activities; spending time outdoors cycling, hiking or at the beaches, consuming culture and arts at medieval villages, interesting towns or pretty cities and amazing food.

Fonte della Fate fountain in Poggibonsi and the beautiful Tuscan landscapes feat. a rainbow

I love hiking. I have found pleasure in walking for many years, and did my first sleep-over hike last summer in Lapland. It was great fun, but being here on my own, I find it too spooky to go out and camp in the wild, so I stick to day-hikes only. Usually I walk around 20-30 km and pack some snacks with me, although keeping my eyes open if there is a nice bar or restaurant on the way. It’s so liberating to just walk and let the mind roam freely about. I tend to get blisters though, which is really the only downside.

After hiking I feel somehow a little lighter and able to breath more freely. Have you ever paid attention to what goes through your mind during a long walk? This is a small extract from my peculiar thinking patterns:

At times, I don’t think at all. I just look around and observe my surroundings - empty roads and beautiful landscapes; endless fields, trees, perhaps some castles in the horizon, plantations of grapes and olives. I observe what the nature looks like and how it has changed over the seasons and how it’s different or the same from what I am used to see from back home. What the wind or a flowing river sound like. What I can smell. How the sun feels like on my skin (amazing!!) Other times my mind is just a big blank. It’s only when I start becoming conscious of what it is I am thinking that my mind really starts spinning in full-speed.

Sometimes, when this happens, I think of what it is that I usually think when I don’t particularly think of anything. Then I think of how I tend to overthink and try to not think of whatever it is I think I was thinking, which usually leads me to observe my strange thinking habits from an outsider’s perspective. Not that seldom, I lead conversations inside my head. Past real-life discussions that I run through with different variations of how they could alternatively have gone. I think I mainly do this to clarify my thoughts around the subject matter to myself. I also like to imagine future conversations. Everyday talks with people I frequently interact with, future job interviews, concert and award speeches and discussions with my lover. I also talk to myself quite a lot, usually silently though. Just checking in, giving myself candid feedback and bouncing around ideas.

Siena cathedral and city views

Sometimes, when I see people approach on the hiking path, I try to quickly make up my mind about how to greet them (to all the Finns who are now frowning at the screen: yes, here in the countryside at least, you greet everyone passing you). There are times when random things or memories come to mind. Some days I would suddenly wonder: “how to spell ‘navel’ or ‘surreptitiously’?”. I have also encountered two types of jobs here in Italy that have raised my respect-levels for the people doing them (for skills and mostly patience), especially with emphasis on the seasonal pace differences: museum hall guards and Vaporetto pilots.

At times I mentally burst out in hysteric cackles, when remembering that funny video Tomi once took of me in Wrong Noodle Bar when I wanted to grab some water, but for some reason got confused and my face looked utterly flabbergasted. Or that meme my brother recently sent me about a car wrapped in bubble-wrap, which I totally need btw (just found another scratch on the car. I am in the habit of taking a little something of every city or town with me, as a sort of souvenir. A bit of green gate paint from Verona here, a light scratch from a stone wall from lake Garda there, sprinkled with several touches of highway fee booths from all arouond Italy on top).

Sometimes I get ideas about what and how to write here in the blog. You see, the usual process goes like this: I get inspiration and start writing. I vomit all my thoughts in one go to my web page template, which can take hours and I get excited to publish it and by this time I am already blind to what I have written. Then I post my new piece of writing, only to realize, I now have five new ideas what to add or change in it, plus, have spotted 28 spelling mistakes. When I’m back at the computer, I try to fix all of this and feel hassled, as I know people might be already reading it now! Then I calm down and go to bed, when I get two new ideas and an epiphany about how I could have formulated the fifth sentence of the last paragraph in a smoother way. Sometimes when I hike, I think this process could look a little different, for instance. But in a way, in terms of my journey to true authenticity, I like to think that it’s good for both you and me to have my raw and not-so-perfect products out here :)

There are times when my mind is occupied with in-the-heat-of-the-moment problem-solving when it comes to staying on the hiking path. Now, I’ve learned that even if you are on a marked path, it doesn’t mean that A. all the signs can be trusted to point towards the right direction and B. there will be signs present in the first place. But nevertheless, I prefer these marked paths over freely hiking around, just to ensure I am not trespassing on anyone’s olive tree farm, marching around in prohibited danger zones or just getting completely lost. But let’s see, now that I am becoming a more experienced solo hiker, this might change! Most of my life I have managed to tag along with others, who have done the orienteering and thus I have quite a bad sense of directions in my head. Being in charge of the map reading is another new experience for me that I am getting better at day by day.

The “marked” paths in Poggibonsi were great practice in terms of orienteering, as I had to use both the printed town map and Google Maps to find back to the path at times. One day, I changed routes in midst of the hike twice, as I lost trace of the path I was following; I started on green, continued on orange and ended up on the yellow path – luckily these paths crossed. But I did find my way back in the end and had a wonderfully scenic hike, so who cares! When following the red path on another day, it led me to a creepy forest (with seven different paths inside of it – no signs visible inside the forest, of course) and when I found my way through it, there was a man with a rifle. But he was cheery and kind, so all good there. I believe he was hunting. In addition, the path was meant to be 17 km in total, yet when I had walked about half of the route according to the printed map, I had already 14,5 km behind me. Well, eventually it was 26 km, so only 9 km more than promised – I didn’t mind :)

It’s interesting to follow your own thought patterns and I believe there is a difference between little ideas or fun memories popping to mind for a short while and bigger, more complex issues that occupy the mind for longer periods of time. From Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” and other mindfulness material I have learned that it’s beneficial to focus on the ‘now’, as at the end of the day it is all we have. Right this moment, on the hiking path for example, I have everything I need and will feel content when simply staying in the present moment. I have realised that only by noticing that my mind wanders or sits in the past of future, I am aware of its state and actually acting in the present while observing the mind.

In recent years I have become more observant and know also that at the worst periods of stress and worries, the best I can do is go into nature or do a tough workout and consciously let go of it all for that moment. Yet, by initially trying and failing when applying approaches including force and strict control, I have also learnt not to be too critical of my scattered mind – I need to process things and I am willing to give myself the opportunity to do so; once a matter has been processed though, that thought can be intentionally let go. Sometimes the processing part can also take place by voicing the issue and discussing it with someone – something I like to do. I realise that I’ve invested so much precious energy on unnecessary stress and worry in my life.

This adventure has been an eye-opener in many ways already. Amongst other learnings, I’ve understood the magic of the present moment more deeply. I have figured out that I will always manage and this thought gives me a new kind of ease in being alive. I don’t always know what happens next; where I will be next month, where the hiking path I am on leads to, or if the Air B n B host will show up when agreed. And that’s OK. It’s certainly fine to dig around in the past and plan ahead with particular purpose, but it’s been feeling good to add more conscious focus on the now. I can feel myself being more relaxed, in terms of not constantly being in that slight panic state worrying about matters that are not of significance at the moment. I am here now. I will figure out the rest later and cross the bridges when I reach them.

Views from my Tuscan hikes – endless fields, olive trees and nature’s beauty

I cannot wait to get back to the Tuscan countryside in June – this region really lights me up with joy. It feels like “the real Italy”; Tuscany does have a special charm. 

With these thoughts I am starting a new chapter in Florence, as I will be staying here for the next month. My Italian course starts on Monday and I am very excited to finally get help wrapping my brain around this beautiful, strange language. I’m wishing everyone an inspiring week and a good start to February!

PS. Is there some particular content you are interested in, or is there something you would like me to explore more specifically on the blog? Fire away - all kind of feedback is welcome :)

Stay well & bacio! 💋 Cass