A lap of Lucca

We awoke to blue skies and blazing sunshine this morning so decided to make the most of it and head into Lucca. It is a simple drive of about 15km from the house and the route is well sign-posted. It was easy to find parking once we'd entered the city, via one of the arched gates through the old walls. and we quickly headed up onto the city walls, which are wide, tree-lined pedestrian/cycle paths. There was a refreshing breeze and the trees provided ample shade so we enjoyed a relaxing saunter.

As we walked, we noticed a metal plaque in the ground, which we stopped to read. It said '2800'. It meant nothing to us so we shrugged and moved on but were almost immediately stopped by an elderly local man on his bicycle who was very keen to explain the plaque. Since our Italian is non-existent, he managed in very broken English to tell us that a lap of the walls is 4800m and the plaque was telling us we were 2800m from the 'start'. We were charmed by how friendly he was but it also then made complete sense that we were continually being passed by lycra-clad locals running. If you lived here, why wouldn't you choose to run on an elevated, shady and car free path which had distance markers on it. We may have to pass on some Lucca-learned tips to the Mayor of Bristol when we get home!

We were taking occasional glances at our guide book which talked about a landmark tower with trees growing out of the top and it wasn't too long before we spotted it.  So, when we were approximately level with it, we took the ramp down off the walls and headed into the old city. It is almost car-free and cycling is clearly a popular mode of transport, for locals and tourists alike. Since our normal modes of transport back in the UK are walking and cycling we felt very much at home as we wondered around soaking up the atmosphere.

It wasn't too long before we decided that it was time for lunch so dived down a tiny side street and grabbed a table outside a restaurant. Our waitress was super-friendly and brought out a basket of the most amazing looking focaccia bread, drizzled with olive oil. Since I'm not allowed to eat wheat I instantly had food envy as Dan tucked in and declared that it tasted just as good as it looked. Our main courses also didn't disappoint and for all you foodies out there, here are some photos.  I had a side of polenta crudités with porcini mushroom topping and a salad of corn, tomatoes, egg and tuna, whilst Dan tucked into a very rich lasagne.

Re-fuelled we continued on our walk taking in the key churches, squares and the hugely impressive cathedral. It has much inlaid marble and a huge array of differently carved columns. I like to think that the stonemasons were each assigned a column and were let loose with their own imagination. If you know otherwise, please don't burst my romantic bubble!

The tower with the trees - Torre del Guinigi

We eventually ended up at the tower with the trees (Torre del Guinigi) which we felt it would be rude not to climb, but also because we'd still not found the Piazza del Mercato, which is oval and so we thought it may be easier to spot from a high vantage point. I have to admit I failed to count the number of steps to the top of the tower but the views from the top were very much worth the effort. We also spied a cluster of curved buildings so took a compass reading (the wonders of modern mobile phones!) so we could find it again once at ground level - which we did.

The Piazza owes its shape to the fact that the medieval houses surrounding it were built into the walls of the Roman amphitheatre - a reminder that the city was founded by the Romans in 180BC. It was drenched in sunshine so we stopped for a drink and to people-watch but all too soon it was time to head back to the car and back to Pescia.

As I type the cats are getting their dinner and we are preparing to settle down for the evening. Another lovely day.