Lucca, Italy -- Day 2 - 4

Buona Sera di Italia-

After a whirlwind of a first day in Italy. I managed to get back to the train station and make my way to a little gem of a town called Lucca which is 30 minutes from Pisa. I arrived with my big orange backpack in tow and hiked through the main wall (fortress back in the day) and proceeded through the old town to a hostel in the historic center. I was truly exhausted but managed to get out and find some lunch at a little cafe. The town of Lucca is absolutely precious and you feel the richness of its history the second you step foot within the historic center. The top of the wall that surrounds the town has been turned into a small paved trail for hiking, biking and running while overlooking the lush greenery outside and the old buildings within. I strolled atop this amazing wall and it really hit me that I was here in Italy and every turn reminded me of my previous travels around South America and of my husband Merritt.








Feeling rather overwhelmed by emotion I found a great grassy spot on top of the wall to soak in the sun and study some Italian vocabulary. The solitude was nice and after spending most of the day wandering around the town I was ready for a nap.

The Ostello San Frediano used to be a monestario or boarding school of sorts and has huge ceilings and over 140 rooms. In the six bedroom women's dorm, I was the only one that had arrived when suddenly Sera (pronounced Sayruh) showed up. Sera and I became fast friends as we are both around the same age and both were starting Italian immersion programs starting Monday (her in Lucca, me in Siena). We went out to a great little trattoria called Gigi and I had some tasty, fresh meat-filled ravioli and she tried the Osso Bucco (Veal). The next day we went exploring the antique markets, joined in on an Italian rally to end poverty, and walked more of the beautiful wall.

That evening I went to see Un Notte del'Opera (Night at the Opera). It was held in a church called San Giovanni that has a 16th-century facade and a 12th-century body, however recent excavations have revealed the structure is actually five layers deep! It sits atop a much older church that served until the early 700s as Lucca's cathedral, which was built atop a 4- 5th-century A.D. paleo-Christian church that took the place of a Roman temple built atop Roman houses. The photos of the excavation are fascinating. Needless to say I was witnessing Opera in a very historic place. Lucca is home to Puccini, a famous Italian composer and this series is part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of his birth in Lucca called Puccini e la sua Lucca. The concert brought tears to my eyes and made me want to find the Puccini arias that I learned years ago and start singing again.

Next stop.... Siena (my new home for the next two weeks)

Arrivederci!