A Couple of Days in Lucca

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To get to Lucca we had to backtrack from Siena to Florence, then quickly catch a connecting train on to Lucca. When we arrived it was very hot and we dragged our luggage over bumpy cobbled stoned streets, getting more hot and lost and frustrated. Eventually we found our B&B, Anfiteatro almost at the opposite end of town to the station. It was great to be there, kick off our shoes, turn on the air conditioning and rest. Our B&B was next to the Piazza Anfiteatro, hence the name and was very convenient to many cafes and restaurants and the Medieval wall.

Although Lucca is another Medieval city, it is quite different to all the others we have seen. It is a living, vibrant city and on the day we arrived, they were holding historical re-enactments and in the main piazza there was a festival with many activities for children and adults. We got the impression that Lucca has a good balance between tourism and the normal life of the people.

Food has always been a feature of Tuscany and we found new delights, "Pane Arebo", a pizza dough made into a flat bun filled with tomato, mozzarrella, proscuitto and lettuce, very tasty. We've discovered a new beer, "Birra La Rossa", a dark beer, brewed with malt and its rapidly becoming our favourite. We also discovered a beautiful restaurant in the Piazza Anfiteatro and we went there both nights. Some delicacies were, tagiatelle with porcini mushrooms, risotto with mushrooms and also some very good pizzas.

In our full day here, we explored the Duomo and the excavations of a Paleochristian church under the existing San Giovanni church. This early church was built in the 4th century and it was very moving to walk amongst the ancient baptistry and think of the people who lived and worshipped here. This church had been built on earlier Roman baths and later churches were built over this early church. We saw 12 centuries of buildings revealed in the excavations, really remarkable.

Our day included a walk around the top of the old Medieval wall and we also climbed up the bell tower to get a better view of the town.

To finish our fleeting, but fascinating visit to Lucca, we went back to the old San Giovanni church where they were holding a Puccini and Mozart concert. Lucca is the home of Puccini, so this concert was not to be missed. The baritone sang with passion and the soprano gave me goosebumps when she hit the high notes. It was a wonderful concert except for some Dutch tourists who started a slow hand clap at 7.15pm to show they were ready to start. Very rude behaviour and the sad thing was that they thought they were being funny.

After the Puccini concert we wandered back to our Piazza and favourite restaurant for a last late dinner in Lucca. They had set up for a jazz concert, so there we were, in Italy, in Lucca, having attended a Puccini concert then a free concert , among people who were happy and relaxed and enjoying having dinner under the stars.

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Photos

Dinner at Piazza Anfiteatro
Our favourite restaurant, just around the corner from the B&B