Lucca, Italy -- the Town That Has It All!

Lucca was the perfect place to end our adventure in Europe. This medieval town lies in a fertile valley north-west of Florence and about two hours by train from the Cinque Terre. Beginning as a Roman colony in 180 BC, it was created in the typical style of Imperial Roman towns, with a rectangular grid of streets and an amphitheatre. The latter's circular shape is still evident today in one of the main squares. The wide walls around the Old Town have remained intact and have become a park and pedestrian promenade in modern times. Within the walls, the streets have been preserved as pedestrian paths, so very little traffic conflicts with strolling people.

Walking the narrow pedestrian streets of Lucca

Our apartment was on the top floor of an old building inside the walls and within walking distance of all the sights. An oasis of cool and calm after a hot day of sightseeing, it suited us perfectly. We had two bedrooms, a full kitchen, and a fabulous covered deck, where we ate most of our meals. Our hosts, Luciano and Rosa were very friendly and accommodating, paying for the taxi that transported us from the train station and welcoming us with a bottle of local white wine.

On arrival day and after we had settled into the apartment, Deb and I decided to walk to a nearby supermarket just outside the town walls. It was sunny and warm, and, excited to be exploring a new place and concentrating on finding the market, we did not notice the dark clouds looming. As we were paying for our groceries I was surprised to see rain pelting down outside and, as we watched, the wind increased to extreme levels and the rain turned into a deluge. Needless to say, we remained inside the store, in awe of the ferociousness of the storm, until it finally eased into a drizzle. We carefully worked our way home among the fallen branches and other debris that littered road and sidewalk. The next morning, as we walked the walls, we were amazed to see large branches blocking the pathway and many trees uprooted, some actually crashing into nearby homes and causing extensive damage. Surprisingly, the people of Lucca were calmly going about their daily business, nonchalantly stepping or biking around the debris. And within the day, the devastating effects of the storm were virtually unnoticeable. It made me realize how extreme weather can be, that weather is one aspect of travel that cannot be controlled, and how people adapt and carry on amid chaos around them.

Lucca had many towers at one time--only a few remain. Notice the garden at the top...

Having booked seven nights in Lucca, our days settled into an easy, no-rush routine. After breakfast, we would head out to visit one of the many cathedrals or museums in the Old Town. We climbed to the top of several towers for awesome views and many times lost ourselves in the maze of narrow cobblestone streets. We enjoyed walks or bike-rides around the walls (25 minutes to circumnavigate by bike) as well as outside the walls by the river and along an old aquaduct. There were also several weekly food, clothing and antique street markets that we browsed through. Along the main street of Via Fillungo, the shopping options were amazing! I am particularly convinced that Lucca has the most shoe stores per capita than anywhere else in the world. It truly is a shopper's paradise! And as a reward for all our walking and to cool down in the unseasonably-warm temperatures, we indulged each afternoon in our favourite treat…gelato (so many flavours…not enough time!)

One evening we decided to attend what we thought was a classical instrumental music concert in one of the old churches. There was very little publicity about it so we really had no idea what is was all about. We got to the venue early, and had a chat with a young woman who was assisting with the set up. She explained that the performance would have been held outdoors in the botanical gardens, but the damages from the storm caused it to be moved indoors. The concert was based on the poems and music of Frederico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director in the early 20th century. The performers were a singer, pianist, narrator and a reciter of the poems. As we settled into our seats, we noticed that we were conspicuously the only non-locals in the audience. Ah well, we were doing what the locals would be doing on a Thursday evening. Although we did not really understand the meaning of the poems, we were impressed by the musicality and expressiveness of the musicians, and the unusual format and style of the performance (narration-recitation-vocalization). We discreetly left at intermission….

Experiencing a concert for locals was such a pleasant diversion from our usual quiet evening activities, so we decided to do it again the next evening. This time it was a piano recital by students from a prestigious music school, and, sadly, there were very few people in the audience. However, we thoroughly enjoyed the excellent performances by the young musicians and stayed until the end, clapping as loud as we could to fill the hall with applause. They truly deserved it!

Cooking with Chef Paolo

Italian has always been one of my favourite types of food, and I wanted to attend a cooking school while in the country. Chef Paolo and his cooking classes are highly acclaimed on travel forums, so Caroline and I booked an afternoon class on the basics of Italian cooking and how to make those "to-die-for" sauces for pasta and other foods. The classes were held in the back of the chef's restaurant which was about a 10 minute taxi ride outside the city. There were four taking the class--the two of us and a young couple from….Calgary! Chef Paolo was a character--a small man who spoke excellent English and kept us laughing throughout the cooking experience. Despite his happy demeanor, he admitted it was tough to keep a restaurant operating and successful, hence the cooking school. We observed and assisted in making each sauce, and of course, sat down and enjoyed the fruits of our labour. The meal we cooked, which included three kinds of bruschetta, 5 sauces for pasta and one for pork, chicken cacciatore and tiramisu for dessert, along with some excellent wine, was superb. The focus was on fresh local ingredients and simplicity of method, and I felt confident that I could recreate it all when we got home--but, of course, not as good as Chef Paolo! The cooking school experience gave me an understanding of the history and philosophy behind Italian cooking and was a very enjoyable evening of food, wine and camaraderie.

Super-woman

As Pisa was a short train ride away, we decided to do a day trip there to see the iconic "Leaning Tower". We knew we weren't going to get to climb to the top of the tower as you need to book months in advance, but we hoped to visit the huge cathedral and other building on the so-called "Field of Dreams". From the train station, we followed a one hour self-guided tour to the tower, passing through many interesting squares and by impressive historic buildings. We followed the main shopping street (more shoe stores!) and wandered by the ancient and historically important university. Arriving at the Leaning Tower, we were amused to see many people standing a distance away, maintaining the " I'm holding the tower so it won't fall over!" pose for a photo. Feeling rather foolish -- but honestly how can visit the Leaning Tower and NOT take the iconic photo?!-- we took the required picture of each other. After wandering and admiring the impressive cathedral from the outside, we discovered that there was no available time left to go inside. So we had to forego the interior---or so we thought. Caroline discovered a back door reserved for the devout who wanted to pray. She told us she suddenly had this urge to pray and would we join her inside. It meant we would have to pass by and explain to the door attendants of our need, and both Debbie and I figured that God somehow would know and reveal our deception. Caroline, that cheeky girl, thought otherwise, waltzed right by the guards, and had a 10 minute "quick look" at the marvelous interior. Debbie and I had to settle for a second-hand account of the cathedral's splendour. But our souls felt at peace.

Beautiful Cathedral on the

It was sad to say good bye to my dear friends at the end of our week in Lucca. We were heading off in different directions--Deb to Venice to connect with Keith for a Mediterranean cruise, Caroline to England for a short walking tour before meeting her nieces and flying to Paris, and me to London to meet up with Len for the night before flying home together. I am so lucky to have been able to spend 11 days with two wonderful women in an amazing part of the world. Despite being different in many ways, living far apart and having such busy lives that we often did not talk for months, we share a strong bond that has lasted many decades. I will always be there for them and I know they will be there for me. I miss them already! (So girls, the question now is: Where shall we go to celebrate our 70th?)

But…I was excited to be back with my sweetheart, and heading home. During dinner on our last night in London, we caught up with each other's news, and reminisced about the trip. We asked each other what was our favourite experience, but found it difficult to choose one. All aspects of our nine week adventure were unique and simply amazing. From the siestas, tapas, people we met and the daily rhythm of Spanish life in Nerja, to the exotic culture, welcoming people and extreme landscapes of Morocco, and Italy with its stunning coastal scenery and superlative food and wine….all contributed equally to the memory of this trip of a lifetime. We both agreed--the world is an amazing place and we are so fortunate to have such wonderful memories…but it was time to put down roots for a little while!