Lost in translation

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Geo: 43.843, 10.508

Today we boarded my first ever double-decker train and headed west to Lucca in search of a roman amphitheater. Lucca dates from the Etruscan and Ancient Roman times and is a town predominantly built inside the city walls designed by Leonardo Da Vinci, It was here our luck with the weather definitely ran out and I was forced to pay a visit to Accessorize in search of an umbrella (such a hardship!). Lucca itself was quintessentially Tuscan- small narrow streets, colorful buildings and plenty of churches. We arrived mid-morning and set off armed with our map in-search of the amphitheater. About 3 hours and after having been fed and watered (the food was divine - antipasti being a particular favorite and it was here that Chris decided to start conducting a 'Best Bruschetta' competition, which I believe Lucca would go on to win) we still had not stumbled upon this amphitheater. We decided to abandon the map and follow our noses - mine was firmly trained to the next espresso place but I think Chris was a little more focused! On our quest we found a traditional house, Palazzo Pfanner, dating from the 19th Century which had quite a unique selection of artwork- Julius Cesar being killed was one of the more unique pieces. We finally found the amphitheater only to find that it had actually been destroyed but the houses built in medieval times where the stands used to be were pretty unique. Colorful, curved in shape and fairly tall, they bordered the square filled with plant/flower sellers and cafes. We had dinner here but unfortunately there was no bruschetta on the menu to enable us to continue our quest.

Mid-afternoon and we stumbled upon Torre Guinigi- a tall tower with trees ontop. Climbing the 350+ steps was a challenge after an already long day of walking but the views at the top were well worth it. The viability had cleared a litlte and we were afforded views of the Tuscan hills in pretty much every direction. Lucca itself looked like a wonderful, colorful maze of houses and narrow streets. More caffeine and gelato (there was definitely a theme to this trip!) later and we headed back to the B&B just outside the city rules. Navigational failure however meant that we ended up walking the 4km around the whole city wall before finding our way back to the B&B. Not what you need when hungry, tired and in need of a toilet!

Next stop Pisa!

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