Lucca
On September 23rd we went on a trip to Lucca, which is on the west coast, in the northern part of Tuscany. It is a medieval town, surrounded by a large wall. There used to be a moat surrounding the town as well. Luckily, it was never attacked and the town is still in excellent condition.
Isby & Yarnie walking into town
On top of the wall is a wonderful path system lined with trees. There are great views out to the city and hills beyond.
We were drawn to this tower topped with trees. It looked like a great rooftop garden, and we wanted to see if we could get up there.
It turned out that it cost 3 euro to go up in the tower. We had to climb almost 20 flights of stairs to get up to the top. Luckily there were some extremely amusing medieval drawings and murals lining the walls on the way up, which seemed to tell the story of the city. Some were rather gruesome with guillotines and all, and others were beautiful. Above is a view out of one of the windows near the top of the tower.
A view out from the top of the tower. The line of trees is the city wall.
This is what happens when you're bad.
This was a really nice piazza in the center of town. It was lined with trees and benches, with a row of shops and restaurants behind it.
Statue
This Piazza was formerly a gaming coluseum. It has been transformed over the ages into a shopping and housing area.
Above is a wonderful store that had beautiful hand-made pasta, sauces, jellies, wine, etc.
Below is a picture of one of the local markets. The white stuff is garlic in spices...looked fantastic.
We left Lucca in the late afternoon and took a train over to Pietrasanta. This is the town where a large majority of the marble used in Italy comes from. The six of us stayed in a bed and breakfast here, which caused the proprietor to laugh her head off. Matt and Henry were kind enough to sleep on the floor (on piles of sleeping bags, pillows, blankets and towels!) and leave the beds for the ladies. The next day, Isby, Matt and Henry went off to a backpacking trip, while Yarnie, Ana and I headed to Florence to go shopping. The first train out was cancelled, so we sat here and sketched this view. It was particularly interesting with the modern art sculpture in the foreground and the oldest structure in town, the old wall and gate to the city, in the background.
Isby & Yarnie walking into town
On top of the wall is a wonderful path system lined with trees. There are great views out to the city and hills beyond.
We were drawn to this tower topped with trees. It looked like a great rooftop garden, and we wanted to see if we could get up there.
It turned out that it cost 3 euro to go up in the tower. We had to climb almost 20 flights of stairs to get up to the top. Luckily there were some extremely amusing medieval drawings and murals lining the walls on the way up, which seemed to tell the story of the city. Some were rather gruesome with guillotines and all, and others were beautiful. Above is a view out of one of the windows near the top of the tower.
A view out from the top of the tower. The line of trees is the city wall.
This is what happens when you're bad.
This was a really nice piazza in the center of town. It was lined with trees and benches, with a row of shops and restaurants behind it.
Statue
This Piazza was formerly a gaming coluseum. It has been transformed over the ages into a shopping and housing area.
Above is a wonderful store that had beautiful hand-made pasta, sauces, jellies, wine, etc.
Below is a picture of one of the local markets. The white stuff is garlic in spices...looked fantastic.
We left Lucca in the late afternoon and took a train over to Pietrasanta. This is the town where a large majority of the marble used in Italy comes from. The six of us stayed in a bed and breakfast here, which caused the proprietor to laugh her head off. Matt and Henry were kind enough to sleep on the floor (on piles of sleeping bags, pillows, blankets and towels!) and leave the beds for the ladies. The next day, Isby, Matt and Henry went off to a backpacking trip, while Yarnie, Ana and I headed to Florence to go shopping. The first train out was cancelled, so we sat here and sketched this view. It was particularly interesting with the modern art sculpture in the foreground and the oldest structure in town, the old wall and gate to the city, in the background.
posted by Kim True | 12:21 AM
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