Lucca, Tuscany, Italy, Thursday, September 20, 2012

CNC Lucca

Part of the fun of having breakfast included is you never quite know what you are going to get. Overall, we have had some pretty good food and selection. Every so often, the breakfast is better than most. Today is one of those breakfasts. There is Bruschetta, fresh little mozzarella balls, tortes, hard boiled eggs, olives, salami, prosciutto, fresh tomatoes, fresh squeezed orange juice, and cappuccino or cafe latte. Other items as well and it is all fresh. We may have to walk a little extra today. The other nice thing about breakfast is getting to meet other travelers. This morning we talk to some older ladies, long time friends, from Switzerland. One lives in Florence and has a home in the hills near Lucca. We also meet a young couple from China, some Canadians, and another nice Swiss couple that sits next to Carol. Carol talks for a while with Christopher and Selina from the Zurich area. They are very nice and are going to Pisa today as a day trip. As I talk to Claudio about bikes, Carol exchanges information with Christopher and Selina. Now on to the wall.

The Wall From Outside

Lucca’s wall may not be as long as China’s but it does surround the whole old town. Lucca has had a protective wall for over 2000 years. You can ride a bike or walk all around the town on top of the wall. The first was smaller and Roman, than a medieval wall, and the current wall which was built from 1550 to 1650. This newer wall was engineered to withstand the new assault weapons known as cannons. It was a squat, 100 foot mound of dirt faced with bricks and stone from the older wall. The area outside the wall was cleared to expose any attackers from quite a distance. A third of the towns income was used to construct it over 100 years. It was so formidable that the Pisans and Florentines never bothered to attack so it was considered a fine investment. Lucca was able to stay an independent city state until Napoleon came. Silk was the road to riches for Lucca and in 1500, it had over 3000 looms and 25000 workers in the industry. Lucca once had 160 towers and70 churches within its walls. Each rich family would build their own tower.
Napoleon liked the town so much he gave it to his sister as a gift. Napoleon’s widow ended up owning it and is responsible for turning the wall into a city park.

Charlie on the Wall

The owner of our BNB was nice enough to offer us two bikes to use today so we take him up on the offer. We ride through the cobblestone streets of Lucca, dodging pedestrians, bicycles, scooters, and cars. It is a horizontal Frogger and would make a good video game. When we finally reach the ramp to the wall Carol wants to switch bikes. She claims that her bike with the basket and our backpack in it is loose and hard to steer. I am thinking it is the operator causing the problem, but being the gentleman I am, we switch.

Speed Demon

I do think it is funny, if not chauvinistic, that the women’s bikes here all have baskets when the men’s do not. We have a nice ride along the approximately 3 mile wall stopping along the way to look at the ramparts, the view, take a picture, or just sit on a bench and watch other people. It is a beautiful day. We cut off and ride over to the train station to buy our tickets to Poggibonsi for tomorrows trip. Another quiet trip around the wall and we head back to the BNB.                                      

Cecina So Good

Dropping off the bikes, we are just in time for another great pizza and wine lunch at Da Felice. Cecina, Pizza, and we try the castagnaccio, a chestnut flour cake with some ricotta inside, which is how the business started in 1910. It is good, but we much prefer the cecina.
We rode off most of breakfast but we definitely need to walk off lunch. We head for San Martino Cathedral from the 11th century. It has a Pisan Romanesque facade.

San Martino Cathedral

 St. Martin was a military officer who offered his cloak to a beggar thus showing his Christian compassion. The inside contains the wooden crucifix called Volto Santo. It is said to have been sculpted by Nicodemus in Jerusalem and set afloat in an unmanned boat. Landing on the shores of Tuscany, wild oxen miraculously carried it to Lucca in 782.
From San Martino, we walk along the edge of Lucca and then wander in towards the Guinigi Tower. The Guinigi family got rich from silk and this tower is one of the few still standing in Lucca today. You pay your daily gym membership and then climb the 227 steps to the top. It has trees growing on top and great 360 degree views of the town of Lucca. Put the stair master into reverse, go down the steps and think about the marvel we call elevator.

Door to Our Place

We leisurely stroll around town and eventually back to our room to relax before dinner. Dinner at the same restaurant as last night is once again great with nice size portions for money. We get a salad tonight and it is enough for both of us for 3 Euros. Two pasta dinners as a first and we also get a spiedini special which is grilled meats on a skewer that has chicken, sausage, and some peppers, which is very tasty and a bargain for Italy at 7 Euros. We have really enjoyed Lucca and it is definitely a nice town to visit and relax in.
CNC
“I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself”- James Baldwin

                                                                                                Expenses
9.30E-pizza, 2 slice cecina, and castagnaccio, 2 glasses of wine
8E- Guinigi Tower Gym Membership
31E- salad, ravioli, pasta, spiedini, and bottle of wine, coperto 2E
80E- Al Tuscany BNB

Miles Walked – 5.5 Miles
Miles Biked – 7 Miles