Ciao Readers! And Happy (early) Birthday Selma!
The last weekend of Steve’s break we took a trip to Lucca, a little less than an hour and a half by train from Florence (thanks again for the spare ticket, goal42). Lucca is a lovely little Tuscan town, completely encircled by a wall (built for defense purposes in the 1500 – 1600’s), and laid out in its original ancient Roman street plan (rectangular grid). You have to walk through one of the cool “portas” (gates) to enter the town (the one we walked through is pictured).
As with many of the smaller towns we’ve visited in Italy (Orvieto, San Miniato), Lucca had a much friendlier and more relaxed vibe than Florence. I can’t help but think that if we were living in one of the smaller towns we’d be having a different (i.e. less stressful) experience. Part of the charm of Lucca is its wall, the top of which has been turned into a tree-lined park, complete with running trail. More of the charm of Lucca comes from its nearly car (and dog poo) free streets; you can actually take a leisurely stroll without fear of being either being run over or of taking your eyes off the sidewalks to admire the amazing architecture. Ahhhhhh…..
Of course, it never hurts adding a fabulous lunch into the mix. I had found Piccola Osteria Lucca Drento online, and it had glowing reviews in both English and Italian. While it is a tiny place (hence the name), the quality of food was suburb and we had a long, relaxing and delicious meal. Below is a photo of our gorgeous salumi and cheese antipasti (which came with the first multi-grain bread we’ve been served in Italy). Now, I’ve had my share of pork products since we arrived, so believe me when I tell you the charcuterie on the platter was exemplary – even the two prosciuttos had completely unique flavors from one another. Add in a couple of secondi (pork with mushrooms for Steve, baccala [cod] with ceci [garbanzo beans] for me), some vino, and finish with the requisite cafes – YUM!
After lunch we strolled the town for a while, encountering winter festivities including an ice-skating rink, and happening upon several interesting churches (every town in Italy seems to have these cool old churches, Lucca just seemed to have more than usual, and they are really old – 11th through 13th centuries). Notice the interesting detail in the columns and the mosaic (both created in the 13th century!)…. (as usual, it was cloudy/hazy, so forgive the flatness in the photos):
As always, thanks for coming along on our trip!
New Mexico to Italy 
Colleen
/ January 18, 2013That’s a very large heap o’ meat!
ggnitaly84
/ January 18, 2013Brava! I really like Lucca, it’s a little [too] small for me in the living sense but I absolutely love escaping for a day or so to places like this. Its such a well-kept city and tranquil (unless during the comic festival) and you should visit borgo a mozzano and see the ‘devils’ bridge which is close to Lucca, the garfagna countryside is gorgeous! Whenever I go to a new place in Italy I always look at the Italian reviews since they are much more ruthless and full of details lol ;-).
newmexicotoitaly
/ January 18, 2013Thanks! You’re right on – I notice the places rated in Italian on tripadvisor end up being lower down because so many people only give 4′ to even the places they like – so now I always scroll through several pages when reading reviews of places here! When even the Italian reviews are great (like the place we ate lunch), I know I have a winner!
veraersilia
/ January 19, 2013Thank you for giving me a peek at Lucca, where I have never been.
newmexicotoitaly
/ January 19, 2013You’re welcome!
Laura
/ January 19, 2013A friend of mine refers to the church in Lucca as the “wedding cake church.” I guess she feels like the white tiers resemble the layers.
Really enjoyed Lucca myself. Met some lovely people and did the obligatory ride around the walls. Also had many espressos during my short time there. 🙂
Such a pretty town.
mekala rodrigo
/ January 21, 2013I wanted to go to Lucca while in Italy but didn’t have time. On our way to Florence the train decided to stop abruptly at a station and left us to wait for another train to take us to Florence. Turned out we were at Lucca station! Didn’t get to go in to the city but I was happy to have atleast had a peak. 😉 So thanks for taking me inside.
newmexicotoitaly
/ January 21, 2013You’re welcome! Next time…
antoguida
/ January 22, 2013Thanks for your post: I live in Lucca! 🙂
newmexicotoitaly
/ January 22, 2013Thanks for reading! Is it as nice a place to live as I imagine?
antoguida
/ January 22, 2013yes it is! it’s quiet, charming and offers a good quality of life. 🙂
newmexicotoitaly
/ January 22, 2013Maybe we could do a house exchange for a week!
antoguida
/ January 22, 2013actually I live 4 km from the city walls, but in August I hope my house inside the walls will be ready so I can start a ‘family business’ as a bed and breakfast. Some rooms will be available 🙂
newmexicotoitaly
/ January 22, 2013Oh, how exciting – congrats!
antoguida
/ January 22, 2013I’m crossing all my fingers! 🙂