Day trip to Lucca
After spending most of our recent Tuscan trip in charming little towns, doing a day trip to Lucca was a refreshing change. It’s a city, but nothing as big and complex as Florence, making it manageable for families like ours, who are traveling with a baby. Renaissance-era walls enclose the Cittadella, the historic heart of Lucca, marking an easy target for day-trippers and reminding me strongly of Manila’s own Intramuros.
The real highlight for us was getting to take a walk along Lucca’s city walls. If you imagine treading carefully along a narrow, crumbling brick wall, take a look at this picture and think again.
Lucca’s formidable walls have been transformed into a wide, tree-lined city park for walking, running, cycling, and just relaxing in the Tuscan sun.
Taking a long afternoon stroll with Tala here made me feel as if we had slipped into the real, day-to-day life of the city—even for just a little while. It’s also a unique vantage point from which to see Lucca—peering into gardens, walking by laundry lines, looking out over rooftops.
Speaking of rooftop views, all the guide books will tell you to climb Torre Guinigi for the best city views. But we discovered something better…
… which is to climb the tower of the Chiesa e Battistero de San Giovanni e Santa Reparata. (Try saying that 10 times fast.) With 110 steps, it’s an easier climb than the Torre Guinigi’s 230 steps. Plus, you actually get to see the Torre Guinigi from here. Kinda like going to the Top of the Rock, not the Empire State Building, for the best views of New York.
San Giovanni also has ornate ceilings, a small chapel to St Ignatius (of interest if you’re Jesuit-educated, like myself) and a multilayered history. This 12th century church was built on top of a church from the earliest days of Christianity, which was then built on top of a Roman temple, which was then built on top of even older Roman houses. Still with me? The entire archaeological excavation is on display for your viewing pleasure.
Here are a few other highlights from our day in Lucca, the walled city.
While we’re on the topic of churches, worth a look-see are the elaborately carved facade of the Chiesa San Foro…
and Chiesa San Frediano with its Byzantine mosaics. We also scored a great deal on a stainless steel Italian cafetiere on a little kitchenware store just opposite San Frediano—so that’s something for all you bargain hunters and espresso lovers.
Another thing that struck me about Lucca: so many bikes! After living in Amsterdam, I feel an instant connection to bike-friendly cities.
No, this isn’t lens distortion. The apartments lining Piazza dell’Anfiteatro follow the shape of the ancient Roman amphitheater it’s built on, thus the curve.
As much as we try to limit Tala’s sugar intake, photo ops of our “vampire” baby with “bloody” frutti di bosco lips were just too funny to resist. Besides, try keeping gelato away from a determined toddler!
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