July 7th, 2025

What a weekend.

I had a great girls night, stocked up on fresh summer produce, danced around at a villa in the Tuscan hills, saw the most spectacular wedding of my life, and then wrapped it up with a non-verbal rainy Sunday – complete with a good book, my thoughts, and… unicorns?

Summer is undeniably my favorite season. I love the long days, getting a tan, spending time outside, and the upbeat energy that everyone seams to embrace during this season. But nothing quite tops an Italian summer.

The way a tomato tastes when it’s ripe and in season? Incomparable.

This weekend I got to celebrate love, as a dear friend of mine got hitched in one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever seen, showered with ornate detail and sodden with renaissance art, followed by a truly glorious reception at a castle in Tuscany. All in all, one of the most memorable days of my life. We danced, we sang, we (I) cried, we laughed, we ate, we drank, and we shared a immortal moment with a couple madly in love.

The morning of the wedding, the bride invited some of us to join her for a workout at a villa just outside of Florence, which was on-brand considering she is a fitness instructor and workout enthusiast. We embraced the heat and danced, punched, and sweat, and we felt like a million bucks after.

On Sunday came the rain, much needed as the heat in Florence was reaching unbearable levels. I spent the day completely alone, and enjoyed every moment of the much-required solitude after a full weekend of socializing. I listened to the rain fall, caught up on some reading, made myself crepes, and wrapped up the evening by taking a fantastical trip down nostalgia lane by watching one of my favorite movies about fairies and unicorns: Legend.

It was a perfect weekend.

Looking forward to doing another one of these when it’s my turn again in two weeks.

xx – Ari