Loving Lucca, Italy
Lucca, Italy is one of those towns in the Tuscan region that you probably never heard of, and no words can adequately describe. This is an extremely old city built behind 20′ (or so) walls that make a lovely walking tour or morning bicycle ride. The top of the wall hosts trees to provide ample shade on the hottest of days, a foot path, sidewalks, stairs down into the city (or out of) and benches along the way if you get tired.
How we ended up there was nothing short of a blessing! We really had no idea what we were in for when we booked the cheapest room in the cheapest hostel there.
Remember now, that we are two females – a mother and daughter – on our own in a country whose language neither one of us have heard before…
And yet as we stayed there, as we walked around the city streets at night, as we slept in our room in the big, nearly empty school dorm, we did not once worry about our safety. And trust me, I was cautious and ready for trouble, having come from years of life in Toronto where anything can happen to unsuspecting females.
We fell in love with Lucca. So much so, in fact, that we often talk today about returning for a month. So much so, that Veronica dreams of moving there one day. So much so, that even though we were less than an hour’s travel away from such tourist traps as the leaning tower of Pisa, etc. – we didn’t want to leave the magic we found in little Lucca.
Even when it was time to return to Rome to catch our flight home, we dragged our feet and changed our train travel to the very last moment…
January 30th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I know exactly how you felt. I, too, fell in love with Lucca and, with the exception of a half-day trip to the American Consulate in Florence, did not wish to leave to go elsewhere. It’s hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t been there, but that little town really gets under your skin and into your heart. I rented an apartment in Lucca for 2 weeks and settled in to shop, cook, talk and live like a local. I was acepted as a resident, rarely taken for a tourist, and made some good friends with whom I still correspond. It goes without saying that I will be going back as soon as humanly possible, and intend to retire there in the next couple of years.
August 21st, 2008 at 11:09 am
This picture of the arch is a stunning picture, I absolutely love it. The gate at the far end makes me want to see more!
I spent some in Italy awhile back, and can’t express how much I loved Lucca – it absolutely took over me.
That little city is such a hypnotic gem that I returned many, many, times. My favorite pastime was going to the gelato shop across the piazza from the Chiesa. There they had a wooden glider swing, the kind that four people could sit in and gently swing and talk or just pass the time, revelling in the magical atmosphere of the town.
I very much agree with Amber, it seems impossible to express how much the magical serenity and beauty of it calls back to you!