I arrive in Lucca after a very long day of train travel. The train from Naples starts out late due to problems on the track, which makes me miss my other two connections in Florence and Pisa. Yet, I arrive in Lucca to find a graffiti-covered train awaiting, telling tourists to go home. Since I’m …
Today Pisa is hosting the 67th annual Regatta of the Ancient Italian Maritime Republics. A great day to visit the city. I headed to Pisa’s Field of Miracles. I was here earlier this summer, but this time I decided to actually visit the monuments despite the throngs of visitors. Early in the morning the place …
Each night in Lucca, an opera concert takes place in the Church of Santi Giovanni e Reparata. It is a treat to hear Puccini arias, along with Neapolitan folk songs, in this beautiful church, especially with my friend Jacqueline Janssen and her husband Mike Morrissey, who have come to Lucca for a visit.
Thunder and lightening all morning sounded like a bombing raid and caused the lights to flicker and me to scour the apartment in vain for candles. After a few hours, the sky suddenly cleared, and Pontremoli resumed setting up its medieval fair. I took advantage of the lull to search out candles at the supermarket …
Something old, but new to me, seems to always catch my eye as I walk the twenty minutes or so to language school. Many of the places I pass by were once religious buildings. Remnants remain of their original purpose. According to the Roman numeral calculator, MDLX translates to 1560. This fellow looks like he …
Today I decided to ride a bike, joining so many others in Lucca who take to two wheels. The nearest bicycle rental store is next to the train station, so I walked through the tunnel exit under the wall and headed for the shop. Outside Lucca’s wall stand rows of Liberty Style buildings built during …