Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they’d like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?

If we live truly, we shall see truly. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

This one is an easy write.

I never had an urge to travel the world. Never cared much about “getting away from it all”. In fact I lived in downtown Toronto for years and didn’t even take weekend trips – what for the city held all kinds of interesting surprises and escapes any time I desired one. It wasn’t until a week before my wedding that I even considered taking a honeymoon.

To me, travel meant sun, sand, thrill rides and catching up on sleep.

But then came an incredibly long season. Some hurtful events took place and I felt the need to run away from this place. To forget them and the pain they caused. The opportunity arose to leave for a month with my daughter (just 12 at the time) and see Europe.

We went 12 places or more on a trip that began in Puerto Rico and ended in Rome. We saw sand and sun, culture, architecture, and more. Towards the end of the journey we relaxed in a little Tuscan town in Italy called Lucca. I have actually written about it on this very website.

So to Lucca, if I travel again, I will go. Ideally I will take two months. I will rent an apartment there or I will stay in one of the pensionnes (hostels) as they are clean, safe, and cheap.

Within those two months I will take a side trip. I will walk the Cinque Terre – on both the easy and the difficult path. I will do so without a schedule or a plan. And when my soul has settled I will return – either to Lucca or home here to Canada.

I have been thinking of this for the past few weeks already. The house is for sale and I mentioned to my daughter that once it sells I would like to return to Italy for a reprieve before I move on with the next phase of life. I guess then, that’s what I’m doing to ensure it happens.

Determining the source of funds and preparing your family for your departure. What else is there? There is shape – and getting back into it – before taking off on a walking trip in the Cinque Terre. That must be the purpose of this prompt – to remind me to get off my computer and start walking more.

If you haven’t been following along (and I don’t for a moment suspect you have), these prompts or questions are part of the #Trust30 writing challenge created through The Domino Project (aka Seth Godin). More information on the challenge can be found at http://www.ralphwaldoemerson.me.

This particular prompt has me wondering more about the project than the topic. Why was that Emerson quote chosen for this prompt? (The other pairings seemed to make logical sense but this one seems as though it may have something more hidden behind it.) What does that ‘one last place to see before we die’ have to do with living truly? Is the quote something that the prompter has been working on personally when called and has little to do with those on the challenge? Or is there something more here that I’m missing…

The town (to the first time tourist) feels like a maze at first, and if your sense of direction isn’t strong you’ll easily find yourself right back where you started – just a few hours later. Or worse, at precisely the opposite end of town than you had intended.

With all that said, it’s hard to be hot, frustrated or mad when in Lucca. As long as no schedule binds you, you’ll always feel you’re on an adventure – every moment of every day.

Lucca has managed, through all the tourists, to remain at the most part, a typical Italian town. Therein lies the charm. People are as friendly as they can be to wandering English-speaking tourists. Smiling and kind, ready to give direction or share the path. The path. Not the road. When you’re out strolling and you hear a honk in the distance, move out of the way as a small car or scooter is about to zoom out of a side street or around a corner in a moment.

For more peaceful strolls, get yourself up on the wall of the city.

Lucca’s claim to fame is held within her city walls.

First constructed in the 16th century and rebuilt or restored throughout the years that passed. Today they appear in layers in some places, and hold the best walk of the city. A well kept promenade of shady trees and foot paths that span more than 4 km.

It is an unforgettable experience that you’ll long for many years after your first stroll. As you wander, you can see both sides of the city – inside the wall and outside. The outer city is little different than most of our North American suburbs so you’ll never be homesick – but your eyes will always return to the clay rooftops and bustling activity below.

Since we’re talking about looking down, be certain to visit in the Spring or Summer for breath-taking views of small and large gardens tucked into the homes of Lucca. Then look up to see two old holly oaks growing on top of the towers of the last of the Tuscan towers. Rumor has it that the seeds just blew in from the heavens and took root in the cracks of the cobblestones atop the towers. At any rate, they are majestic!

When glancing outward notice the mountains of the Garfagnana in the North. Then look south to the Monte Pisano in the South. Now contemplate this…Wouldn’t you rather stay in Lucca for a month, taking day trips to see all the nuances of Tuscany? Within 30 minutes you take a beach day, or wander around Florence (gorgeous!), the leaning tower at Pisa (Piazza dei Miracoli) is also less than ½ hour by car – 20 minutes by train.

Speaking of Pisa, this is the closest airport to Lucca. From which you can taxi to the train system (and come to Lucca of course) or grab a rental car for all your stay.

Buses (LAZZI) start from Piazzale Verdi (just inside the walls near the Western gate – the train is at the southern gate). As easily as you can take a train to Florence, Viareggio, Montecatini, Pistoia, or Garfagnana – you could just as easily an just as cheaply, take the bus.

Finally, don’t miss the markets! Similar to our flea markets in the USA and Canada, but with an Italian flair. Delicious foods, Italian designer clothing on the cheap, and lots of crazy nicknacks and gifts to bring home to your friends and family – items you can’t buy in North America, but will be used and treasured – for just a Euro or two! If you miss the market in Lucca, jump on the train and take in the market in ViaReggio or any other neighboring town. (Check with the locals to get all the scoop.)

Is Lucca perfect? I think so. The summers are not too hot, the winters are relatively mild. Year round the view is exciting, the aromas to be missed (pizza, gardens, gelato, wine).

Take me back to live out my days there!

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…

We actually started our journey from home (in rural Ontario) at 3 am, headed down to Syracuse, NY airport (the fares were less than 1/2 the cost than flying out of Toronto or Ottawa and only added 2 hours of driving to our trip).

From Syracuse we flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico where we spent 1 and a half days – shopping, sleeping and a little swimming in the hotel pool.

The hotel wasn’t the most beautiful or the most elaborate – but the staff was friendly, the rooms were clean, and the service (including the continental breakfast) were awesome for the price we paid! Comfort Inn, San Juan – I promised to write them a great review on Priceline, but by the time we arrived back at home (1 month later) the option to review the hotel was gone from my user account. I would have given them a 4.5 out of 5.

From San Juan we hopped on a Celebrity Cruise ship and the next 14 days deserve a blow-by-blow description so I’ll save that for later. Our ports of call were (i) St. John’s Antigua, (ii) Ibiza, Spain, (iii) Casablanca, (iv) Morocco, (v) Barcelona, Spain, (vi) Villefrance, France, (vii) Rome and I forget where else right now – but I’ll work it out as I upload photos and stories.

When the cruise ended we took off from Civitivechia Italy to Rome – then by train to Lucca (a small Tuscan town).

Five days later we began our long flight home to Syracuse.

And we’ve been dying to get back to Italy ever since!