If you've done Pisa, Florence, and want a lovely stress free Port day.....Take the train, or hire a cab to take you to Lucca.....a lovely walled city, just a few miles from Pisa....
If fact, it is an easily combined trip...Pisa and Lucca.
The cab cost 100 Euros r/t, shared by 8 of us..... an easily affordable tour. It is about an hour from the port, where you will drive thru some lovely Tuscan countryside!
The town is easily walkable and the most popular sites can be seen in a few hours....
We entered thru a park that partially surrounds the walls...
The old moat can still be seen....
There is a small tunnel that leads up to the entrance to the city
at the end of the tunnel, there are stairs to nowhere...( I know....because I just had to climb them!!)
Go around instead, and you will find stairs to the top of the wall...
What a view.....
You can walk around the entire city if you have the time, there are bicycle rentals as well, but as our time was limited, we decided to continue on into the city!
After all, there are Lattes waiting to be savored, while watching all the tourists stroll by...
In Italy, the lattes come with a little cookie,,,how sweet is that!
( My hips say... thank you...Italy!!)
Our views of this Italian Marble church...As we sat drinking our lattes...
In the lower right hand corner, you can see all the old Italian men gossiping...Just like they have done for hundreds of years....I wonder what they were talking about!
Italians love carousals...this one, was here for a street and art festival here in Lucca this week....We were so lucky to be part of an Italian festival!
As we strolled around the corner....I said....I know that guy!!!!
We ran into old friends and family.....Harold and Michelle!! Of course we were all loaded with shopping bags...after all...This is Italy!!
No Joel...they are not speaking Italian!!! Just deciding what to eat next!!!
We had a lovely dinner, drank lots of wine and acted like silly tourists....wait...we WERE silly tourists!
A quaint town square, that at one time was a Roman Colosseum...over time the it has morphed into shops, Apartments, and wonderful cafes! If you close your eyes...you can almost hear the cheering crowds as the chariots race by....
Old walls...
(If they only could talk!)
Doorknobs....
I couldn't help knocking....Alas...no one was at home...
(Much to Joel's relief!)
and wonderful doors!
this city has so much charm.....
You can take your pick of old churches and cathedrals to view.....
We chose this one, and we found an amazing site....
Saint Zita....incorruptible..I snuck a picture when no one was looking...
I confess....This is a view I took from the Internet...
(she's much better looking in person!)
Sadly we had to walk back to the cab pick up area.....but the views were breathtaking....
one tip...
pay the cab driver for the trip..... AFTER he picks you up....Grin....
It was a wonder slow Italian day....full of good food, wine, friends....and Gelato...
now....where did I put that Italian wine I brought home???
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