Lucca

I fell in love with a small town today. Blame it on low expectations or gorgeous weather, because even though there isn't a ton to see in Lucca, you can easily enjoy a full day exploring the city. 

Posh and I started off our day with lunch. Thanks to Rick Steves' handy guidebook, we found a trattoria and I ordered tortelli al ragù, a Lucchese take on tortellini. It wasn't as delicious as I was hoping, but it also wasn't as bad as my meal in Bologna. I miss my family's home cooking. I haven't had Asian food in over 2 months! But that's beside the point.

The restaurant was right next to Piazza del Salvatore, a small piazza with a church and a fountain. Posh and I sat down in the sun by the fountain and at one point, a Lucchese guy told us the water came from the mountains so it was really good. I watched as old men walked their bicycles over, filled empty bottles with water, and then made their way home. I really wanted to take a picture of one of them in particular because he looked so sweet, but then I thought about my travelling sisters and my experience in Sicily and thought otherwise. The Lucchese guy asked us which part of America we were from (strike 1, do not assume) and we talked briefly with him and then left. Little did we know that we would bump into him later, but I will get there soon.

Pretty soon we found our way to the Chiesa di San Michele. It had a very unique facade. Unfortunately I did not have an art history lesson there so I don't have anything to teach you other than the statue you see on the top is of the archangel Michael.

Then the fun for me began! Well, technically lunch was when it started but the highlight of Lucca was knowing that I was in the birthplace of my favourite composer, Giacomo Puccini. We looked for his old house (now a museum under renovation) and then found a statue of him in a piazza with bars all named after his different operas.

On our way to a couple more piazzas, Posh saw the Lucchese guy from the fountain on a bike pass by us. I think he was following us because when we were looking at postcards (on a different street), he told us he had some free time and asked if he could take us on a tour of the city. We did not want to say yes so we took our time choosing postcards and then after we went into the shop to pay, he was gone. Phew!

We went to the Cattedrale di San Martino (Il Duomo) which, according to Rick Steves, was built in honour of a Roman soldier originally from Hungary who gave his cloak to a beggar, showing much more generosity than many others of his time. Each of the columns is unique and inside you can find a holy cross from Jerusalem and a painting by Ghirlandaio.

Next on our itinerary were the Torre delle Ore (Clocktower) and Torre Guinigi. They are high medieval towers with at times scarily narrow and creaky stairs--but the view is well worth the trek up. The Torre delle Ore has rung every hour since the 18th century. The Torre Guinigi, on the other hand, is easily recognizable by the trees growing on the rooftop. 

Panorama from Torre delle Ore

Going up the Torre Guinigi

After all of that walking, Posh and I had one thing on our minds: DESSERT. We stopped at a restaurant facing Via Fillungo, the main shopping street, and people-watched while we enjoyed our "dinner".

A caffe latte and a sample of three homemade cakes

Also on Via Fillungo is Caffe Di Simo, a bar from the 1800s that Puccini frequented. The window displays are now all decorated for Easter.

The main attraction that everyone is supposed to do in Lucca is rent bikes and cycle the periphery of the city along the ancient and medieval walls. Since I can't ride a bike more than 1 metre, Posh and I decided to walk instead before heading to the train station. 

Sunset in Lucca

Today's name of the day is Giacomo Puccini. I love his music.