Blogs from Lucca, Tuscany, Italy, Europe - page 3

Geo: 43.843, 10.508Today 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, ... read more

A cloudy day with occasional rain. We all slept in then Jon & Mon headed to an Antique Market taking place in several parts of the town. Ced & I checked out various options for a prospective trip to Florence later in the week and the latest news on the terrible bushfires that seem to be encircling the Blue Mountains. We feel deeply for all the people who’ve lost their homes in these fires and hope that a weather change will halt their progression. It’s hard being so far away from home at times like these but not as hard as it must be for those going through this tragedy. A visit to the Lucca Museum of Contemporary Art this afternoon enabled us to view the amazing photography of the award-winning Frenchman Henry Cartier-Bresson. His black ... read more

Heavy rain fell last night but today dawned bright and sunny. The market was on so we headed there with Jon & Mon via a walk around part of the city walls while the girls did some shopping on their own. We met them later then headed up the Torre Guinigi (this time with my camera!) for a bird’s-eye view of the city. Visits to the Duomo and other churches and another bike ride around the walls in the late afternoon filled up the day very nicely. We had a lovely dinner in the evening at a restaurant called Paris Bohème, to celebrate all past year’s birthdays…beautiful home-cooked food, reasonably priced and with a very flamboyant and amusing Italian waiter!... read more

How could one not go to a market described as “Mercato Straodinario”? We set off this morning thinking this event was taking place near the Porta St Anna one of the gates to the old city, but when we got there, absolutely nothing was happening! The famous composer, Giacomo Puccini is a native of Lucca so we decided to check out his birthplace instead. It is tucked into the corner of one of the smaller piazzas and has been converted into a museum, while still managing to retain the features of the original house…you actually have to ring a bell and go upstairs to get in. As well as hearing strains of Puccini’s music playing in the background, you can see his piano, his original marked scores, letters to and from his wife and his publisher ... read more

Lucca in Tuscany Italy 10 October 2013 Before leaving very wet Pisa, we stopped at the Pam Supermarket (yes there is a network of them through Italy). It was still raining but not excessively cold. We headed north-east to visit a really interesting town, Lucca. As we were now in the Tuscany Region, the countryside was beautiful. It was hilly rather than mountainous. We drove through little villages, vineyards, olive groves and many, many plant nurseries. We only had about 35km to drive. The reason why we wanted to go to Lucca is that our book wrote up the city of 85,000 people as “this beautiful old city elicits love at first sight with its rich history, handsome churches and excellent restaurants. Hidden behind imposing Renaissance walls, it is an essential stopover on any Tuscan tour….so ... read more