After spending the day at the beach on Day 3, we decided to go into Lucca for dinner and some sightseeing. Lucca is famous for its intact Renaissance-era city walls which you can walk into and on top of and then also walk or ride a bike around the perimeter of the city on top of the walls. They are very impressive and their existence has probably allowed Lucca to retain its charm by limiting the expansion of the old town. From Wikipedia:
"As the walls lost their military importance, they became a pedestrian promenade which encircled the old town, although they were used for a number of years in the 20th century for racing cars. They are still fully intact today; each of the four principal sides is lined with a different tree species."
Playing catch outside of the walls
Walking into the city through the walls
It is also the birthplace of the composer, Giacomo Puccini and was ruled by Elisa Bonaparte, sister of the famed Napoleon, after the city's defeat by her brother.
We really enjoyed Lucca and the sheer oldness of the place. We stumbled upon one of its most famous spots, la Piazza dell'Anfitheatro, which was an ancient amphitheater and the space still retains the shape and feel of a giant theater. We ate dinner in the Piazza.
The Bobsey Twins finishing Evan's pizza
These fountains are scattered around the piazzas in the cities and also at the beach. They are there to drink from and to splash water on yourself and to wash up. We used them every chance we had because the water was actually cold and refreshing.
The obligatory post-meal gelati
These braces are an architectural feature to assist in keeping the foundation of a building from bowing out at the bottom. The rod runs through the house at ceiling level on the first floor and is bolted on the exterior of the house on each side to pull the house together.
"As the walls lost their military importance, they became a pedestrian promenade which encircled the old town, although they were used for a number of years in the 20th century for racing cars. They are still fully intact today; each of the four principal sides is lined with a different tree species."
Playing catch outside of the walls
Walking into the city through the wallsIt is also the birthplace of the composer, Giacomo Puccini and was ruled by Elisa Bonaparte, sister of the famed Napoleon, after the city's defeat by her brother.
We really enjoyed Lucca and the sheer oldness of the place. We stumbled upon one of its most famous spots, la Piazza dell'Anfitheatro, which was an ancient amphitheater and the space still retains the shape and feel of a giant theater. We ate dinner in the Piazza.
The Bobsey Twins finishing Evan's pizza
These fountains are scattered around the piazzas in the cities and also at the beach. They are there to drink from and to splash water on yourself and to wash up. We used them every chance we had because the water was actually cold and refreshing.
The obligatory post-meal gelati
These braces are an architectural feature to assist in keeping the foundation of a building from bowing out at the bottom. The rod runs through the house at ceiling level on the first floor and is bolted on the exterior of the house on each side to pull the house together.
We were sort of disappointed with ourselves (at least I was) that we had saved Lucca for our last day in Tuscany because it was a great town to explore. We walked into a small specialty grocer to look at the gigantic smoked hams hanging from the ceiling. I also drooled over the largest collection of sun-dried tomatoes I have ever seen. Lucca was a quaint and interesting city and I want to return.Stay tuned for the next blog: Venezia!
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