Lucca, Pisa

Originally published on: Sep 28, 2008 

I was in Lucca for six days and the time seemed to fly by. Staying at the hostel, I met many interesting women who had their own adventures to share. One woman, who had lived in Paris for 15 years, now lives on a small island near Seattle. She had just come from a week in Venice, where she'd been working as a personal assistant to an architect. Another woman, who works as a chef in Santa Barbara,  once lived in Africa for 12 years. She'd rented a villa with several friends for a week in the countryside outside of Lucca, but had to wait a few days for it to be free, so was staying at the hostel during the interim. A lively Moroccan woman gave me tips about the best hostels in Italy from her many travels. And a young woman from New York, who had been living with her Italian boyfriend on the island of Ischia, was returning to the States, after finding out that island life was not to her liking.

One of the portals into the walled city of Lucca.

I also got chummy with the albergatore, Samuele, who ran the hostel. It's hard not to be charmed by a sweet, attentive, attractive Italian who calls you cara and touches your arm or takes your hand every time he sees you. Lucca seems to have an abundance of attractive Italians...more than I've seen in one place, including Rome or Milan. I did more people watching than usual, simply because there were so many beautiful people everywhere you looked. Though I had brought some nice clothes to wear, I felt frumpy in comparison to the stylish Italians in Lucca.

Celebrating Puccini

Lucca is renowned as the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini, who wrote many famous operas, including La Boheme and Madame Butterfly. 2008 is the 150th anniversary of his birth, so there were quite a few events in Lucca with a Puccini theme. Each night during the year an hour long presentation of famous arias is performed by professional opera singers in one of the churches. I went to one of these performances, which combined arias by Mozart and Puccini, sung by two accomplished sopranos. ,I wish I had gone to them every night, as it was quite beautiful and moving. While at the performance, I met an architect from Portland who was also spending 5 weeks in Italy, and we strolled around Lucca after the concert, sharing our adventures.

A view of Torre Guinigi, with its iconic trees on top.

I climbed two towers in Lucca, both with great panoramic views, and the taller one, Torre Guinigi, has oak trees growing on top of it. One night I rented a bike and rode for an hour along the top of the wall that surrounds the city. The weather was perfect most of the time I was there, and many people made good use of the wall for running, walking, skating and biking.

A view of Torre Guinigi from the street. 

I took two side trips during my stay in Lucca, one to Pisa and the other to Florence. I had been to Pisa for a few hours on my first trip to Italy, but didn't get to see the Duomo or Baptistery the first time.

The Battistero and Cattedrale in Pisa. 

Besides the Leaning Tower, these three monuments are about all there is of interest in Pisa. But they are definitely worth seeing. The Baptistery is the largest in the world, and the huge Duomo sits across from it, giving one perspective on what a thriving region Pisa once was. However, the town was so crowded with tourists that I longed to be back in Lucca, so I only spent a few hours there again this time.

The Battistero in Pisa.

The trip to Florence was due to an errand I had to run. I needed to have a form for one of my jobs notarized and returned within two weeks, so I made an appointment online at the American Consulate in Florence to get that taken care of. I was surprised how easy it turned out to be. Since I learned that taking the bus was easier and faster than the train, I took an early bus and arrrived by 9 am. I found the Consulate and they allowed me in right away, even though I was two hours early for my appointment. It only took about 15 minutes to get the form notarized, then I found a place to fax it, bought an envelope at an office supply store, then mailed the form at the post office. I decided to make it into an adventure, figuring out how to take care something that would be quite simple if I were home. Then, after my errand was done, Haruko and I met for lunch and gelato, then strolled around a bit before I returned to Lucca. It was a beautiful day, and it was nice to share it with Haruko, but I wanted to enjoy my last evening in Lucca before getting ready to move on.

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Enjoying the walking/bike path atop the city wall in Lucca.

If I had to choose now, Lucca would easily be where I'd want to live in Italy. But I still have a few more places to check out. Next, I'm off to Umbria, and the hill town of Orvieto.

Lucca: Luminaria festival, the Procession of the Holy Cross

Originally published on: Sep 16, 2008

(I'm having a hard time getting wi-fi in Lucca, so am writing these posts offline and posting them when I can find a few minutes of wi-fi use. To get it, I have to sit outside the tourist building and wait until it connects...but it often only lasts for a few minutes. Still, this is my favorite town, so I'm willing to deal with it. )

I always like to get my train ticket ahead of time, just in case, which is always a good idea in Italy. In fact, I usually do it the day before my trip, but just didn't bother this time. If I had, I would have known a train stike was in effect for all regional trains, from 9pm on Friday night to 9pm on Saturday night. Yep, folks, strikes are planned in advance and publicized here in Italy. Since I didn't know of the strike, when I arrived at the train station at 9 am, I wondered about the long lines in front of la biglietteria, where vendors sell tickets. Instead, I bought a ticket from a machine, but if I had just stopped to read the notice of the strike, I would have learned that my train to Lucca was cancelled, even though the machine sold me the ticket. So...I ended up standing in line for more than 40 minutes to ask if there was an alternate train I could take, as some trains were still running...to Rome, Milan and Naples. No such luck for Lucca. My only hope was to wait until 9 pm that evening.

Since I had 10 hours to figure something else out, I stashed my luggage at the station, and walked across the street to the Lazzi bus station. The proprietor of the hotel I'd stayed at had mentioned I could get a bus to Lucca if the trains weren't running. Sure enough, there were plenty of buses running that day, so I got a ticket, for almost the same price as the train, 5.10 euros. Train/bus travel is cheap in Italy, though obviously not dependable. Then I went back to the train station and stood in line for an hour to get my money back for the train ticket. It's best not to wait on these things, and I wouldn't be back to Florence for a month.

I returned to the bus station just as one was leaving for Lucca, but people were so frantic and pushy (mostly tourists), I decided to wait for the next bus in 30 minutes rather than wrangle for one of the few seats left. When the next bus arrived, I was one of the first ones on, but after we were seated, the driver announced we needed to change to another bus. Ah, life in Italy! As it turns out, the second bus was larger, with more room for luggage and many seats that were empty, so I had two seats to myself. On the ride to Lucca, I programmed my new cellphone with all my friends' phone numbers, and was surprised when we arrived less than an hour later at our destination...the train takes nearly 30 minutes longer!

I visited Lucca two years ago on my first trip to Italy, and vowed to come back. It's a town of about 100,000, but seems much smaller within the city walls. As soon as I got off the bus, I felt a sense of calm come over me. Quiet. Tranquil. Beautiful. Sigh....I knew at once I'd come to the right place.

Ostello San Frediano

I'm staying at Ostello San Frediano, a hostel where I stayed the last time and really enjoyed myself . Besides, it's cheap, at less than 20 euros/night. It's a huge marbled affair....which had its beginnings as a monastery, then a university, then a technical school from 1985-1995. After '95, it was turned into a hostel that has some 600 beds.

In the hostel with one of my roommates.

When I arrived in my room, I found an unfriendly young American woman who seemed annoyed that I was there. There were 8 bunk beds, and she informed me that all the lower beds were taken. I also noticed that the bathroom was down the hall, when I had reserved a room with an internal bathroom. I went down to the desk to inquire about it, and discovered they had made a mistake, but since the hostel was full for the night, I couldn't have a room with a bath until the next day. She told me to try the room next to mine to see if I could find a lower bed available, and I did, so I moved my luggage and claimed one of the lower beds.

Then I went out for a quick tour of my end of town. I was curious to learn why so many people were in Lucca, and why so many people from Florence had seemed so intent on getting there that day. It quickly became obvious: that night, September 13 was the night that Lucca celebrates its most important and solemn annual event, La Processione di Santa Croce, the Procession of the Holy Cross.

Getting the luminaria ready for lighting.

People come from all over the region and the world to participate and watch the procession, which lasts for several hours. Not only that, but all the buildings along the processional route are lit with luminaria, candles in glass containers that frame windows and doors and create a flickering glow.

Thousands of candles are placed along the parade route.

I walked along the route to take photos of the workers lighting the thousands of candles that would soon light up the night. The procession was to start at 8 pm at the church in the piazza near the hostel, and make its way across town to the Cathedral of Saint Martin. Around 6pm, I claimed a space on one of the few benches in the piazza near the Basilica of San Frediano in order to have a comfortable seat while waiting for the event to begin. An Italian woman sat down next to me, and I asked her if she was a Lucchese, a native of Lucca, and she answered, “Si.” For the next two hours we conversed in Italian, and she explained many things to me about the procession. She also shared with me one of Lucca's snack foods...croccante tenera, which tastes just like peanut brittle, only it has more peanuts than candy, and is formed into a rectangular bar.

Basilica di San Frediano.

I learned that the cross that leads the procession is always made in Viareggio, a nearby town, and is completely covered with flowers...a solid red cross with a circlular burst of small sunflowers in the middle. The procession consisted of people from various parishes in the region, the clergy from the churches, people from various community and volunteer organizations, people who have emigrated from Lucca to other parts of the world and who come back with their children and grandchildren for the procession, and finally, a historical parade of people dressed in medieval costumes. Everyone carried a lit candle, and the procession was punctuated by a variety of marching bands and drum corps. Each group had its own banner, and the procession lasted for 2½ hours, with those watching staying attentive for the entire time. I find this kind of ritual and tradition very moving, something I've not witnessed often in my own culture.

Basilica di San Frediano lit up for la festa.

I learned later that the procession dates back to 742 when the Holy Cross was moved from the church of San Frediano to the church of San Martino. Initially, only the Lucchesi and the clergy participated in the procession, but it has grown to include many others over the years, though the parade route and the meaning behind the event remains the same.

A view of the crowd watching the parade.

I feel as if I really lucked out to have been a part of this special event. And there's even more: after the procession, there was a fireworks display. About an hour after the parade, people gathered on the west side of the wall that surrounds Lucca. (The wall has a surface wide enough for a road, with ramparts that form small parks at 10 points around the wall. ) And then the fireworks began, and we stood and watched them for nearly an hour...one volley after another of beautiful colors exploding across the sky.

This my friend, is magic!

If I had waited to take the train, I would have missed out on all this magic, and beauty, and fun. The only thing that got in the way of it being perfect magic is that at some point during the evening, someone sliced the shoulder bag I was carrying with a knife, and my camera bag was either lost or stolen. I'm still not sure what happened. At one point, I remember feeling as if someone was standing too close to me, and I pulled my bag closer to me....perhaps it saved me from losing everything.

My camera, my coin purse (with my debit card and 200 euros) and my cell phone remained in the ripped bag, but my camera bag was gone. Luckily, my passport was safe at the hostel. The camera bag only cost me $3, and I found a nice leather one the next day at a market for 1 euro, so I'm not really bummed about losing it. But the bag is ruined...one I'd bought just for this trip, something more elegant than my backpack.

The main feeling I have about the incident is disappointment. Previously, I've always felt safe while traveling in Italy, and made a point of carrying my passport and money on my body, or in an inside pocket in my jacket instead of in my backpack or a purse. Perhaps I needed this reminder to be a little more cautious.

Enjoying a snack in the hostel.

When I got back to the hostel, I was welcomed by four friendly women in my room ... two sisters from Poland on their 10^th trip to Italy, a woman from Canada backpacking with her 19-year-old son, and a young woman from Washington state studying art for a semester in Florence. Two other women came in later, but I didn't get a chance to talk with them before every one settled down to sleep. In the morning, everyone departed for other destinations, and I moved to a room with a better view, a bathroom in the room, and the place to myself for the day. I'll be here for 4 more days, so there's more to come in my blog about Lucca and nearby towns. I'm taking lots of photos, but probably won't post them until I get home.

Lucca

Published on: May 14, 2006

Of the smaller cities I've visited in Italy, Lucca turned out to be my most favorite. It's an enchanting place, reminiscent of the landscape and magic that I experienced in Killarney, Ireland. It's hard to explain unless you experience it for yourself, but I'll try to share some of my impressions with you.

I'd heard that Lucca was worth a visit from several sources, including Rick Steves. I only stayed there one night, which was not enough, so it's on my list of places to return to. The town itself dates back to ancient times, and was a colony of Rome in 180 B.C. It's another town with its medieval wall intact, and this is one of the features that drew me to visit Lucca. The wall was built during the years 1504-1645, and is one of the most well-preserved of its kind in Europe. This postcard gives an overview of the wall. Notice the heart-shaped ramparts extending from the wall...there were nine of these "baluardos," (ramparts) each serving as a small park of its own.

The wall itself is impressive, as you can see from the next photo.

One of the features that brought me to Lucca was the walk, or promenade that runs along the top of the city walls, lined by trees on both sides. It stretches for 2.5 miles, and I walked it several times, by day and night, during my stay here. Bike rental is a popular way to enjoy the promenade, and inexpensive, at only 2.5 euros/hour. I preferred walking, so I could stop and enjoy the trees on the baluardos.

One of the first things I happened upon in Lucca was the Giardino Botanico, or Botanical Gardens, where I had a picnic lunch among the trees, blooming rhododendron and iris. While I was there, I had a short converstation (in Italian!) with a nun. I stayed in a hostel in Lucca, the Ostello S. Frediano , and it was another surprise. Originally a school, it offers 140 beds, huge lounge areas, and marble everywhere. Since I was there before the peak season, I did not see many other guests, but I imagine it's packed with travelers during the summer. I'd easily stay there again...you sure can't beat the price, at 18 euros/night.

The ring of trees around the ramparts, and another ring of trees circling the outside of the wall really set a tone that I enjoyed...like a wilderness area, or an outdoor church...a tone of reverence. You can get a small sense of this in the photo below, featuring a tree I "adopted" and named Sofia.

The next photo shows a panoramic view of the town from la Torre Guinigi (another tower). You can see the foothills leading to the Alpi Apuane north of the city, a popular area for outdoor sports, including canoeing, trekking and skiing.

The night I stayed in Lucca happened to be the full moon, and while I was walking the ramparts, I got this shot of the moonrise over la città.

My stay in Lucca ran way too short, and I look forward to returning here again. By this time, I knew my adventure in Italy was coming to an end, as I headed back to Florence by train.