It is hard to believe that we have already been in Lucca for two weeks and I have yet to post about it.  I will do some catching up today and tomorrow.   With this post I will not only post about our home for this month, Lucca, but also several of the side trips we have taken so far: Pisa, Cinque Terra and the two trips by train up the Serchio river to some of the mountains of Tuscany.

Lucca

When we drove into Lucca the first thing we saw of note was the most magnificent aqueduct either of us had ever seen.  This was fantastic, who knew there was a Roman aqueduct in Lucca?

Well, as it turns out, there isn’t.   We discovered this when we were preparing to take a walk to see it up close.  The Acquedotto Nottolini was actually designed and built in the 19th century.  Well, it was designed to resemble a Roman aqueduct and I doubt we were the first to make that mistake .

Lucca has ancient origins dating back to at least the Etruscan era.  It was the site where Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus met to form the First Triumvirate in 56 BC.  Its marvelous architecture includes many palazzi,  churches and perhaps its most famous asset, the renaissance era outer walls.

The walls were never challenged with an attack and now provide one of the most unique walking/biking trails I have encountered.  The path completely encircles the city and since it is on top of the wall, it is uninterrupted by cross traffic.  It is a real treasure.

   

Here are some views of the inner city.

  The Duomo The fosso  

Pisa

I don’t know how we could be less than an hour from Pisa and not go for one day.  We did go and had a great time.  Everyone has probably seen too many pictures of their most famous landmark so I will not add many, but I will say when we turned the corner and got our first glimpse, it was far more impressive to see it in person.

Got to love these trinkets

The river Arno flowing through Pisa

Cinque Terre

Again, this is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Italy and only a couple of hours by train from Lucca.  It is five small towns nestled on steep slopes above the Ligurian Sea with hiking trails and trains running between them.  It was a hot day when we went, the first leg of the trail was closed for maintenance and the whole place was a little over crowded for my taste.  It is very beautiful nonetheless and we had a great lunch by the shore.  There are so many pictures of this place out there, I will only add a couple more to the portfolio.

Up the Serchio

Although, Lucca sits on a coastal plain with an elevation under 100 feet, there is a train line that runs north into the mountains and within an hour you can feel as though you have traveled to the Alps.  We have made two visits (it is very cheap) and found lovely scenery and food.

The designer supposedly sold his soul to the devil to get this Bridge to stand up.

The view from the bridge

One Last Note.

Since we have already settled the question of where we want to live for the next year, Lecce, it feels more like we are tourists here.  We have not made nearly as many personal connections, but one that I cannot resist posting about was our local butcher.  His Macelleria is only a few doors from our apartment.  He and his wife have been very friendly and helpful.  They leave for vacation today and will not be back until after we have left for Dublin. When we put that all together, they made a present of a bottle of wine.  It was a wonderful gesture from wonderful people.

Next up: Crossbows and Ravenna