Goodbye Lucca!

Goodbye Lucca

Music is a big part of the daily life in Lucca.  Not only do they have opera on a nightly basis, we found out we were a year late to see the Rolling Stones.  Being late by a whole summer, we settled for a second opera.  I will say the singers have amazing voices.

Our bed and breakfast place was located close to the tower with the trees on top.  It’s a nice 10 minute climb to the top and worth the effort if you enjoy commanding views.  ‘My’ three wild women enjoyed the view and the wind in their hair.

There is a drawing on the wall of LaRomea, our bed and breakfast showing what Lucca looked like to visitors such as overly optimistic conquering armies in medieval and renaissance times.  Cliff Notes:  In Italy, medieval times were from 1200-1400 A.D., and the renaissance times were from 1400 to about 1600.  I would not want to live during either period, but greatly enjoy stories of knights, castles, Da Vinci, and Michelangelo and all that come with them.

In any event, Lucca was a city state with it’s own army for centuries and had to defend itself.  The old city where we always stay has a continuous wall that is 3 miles in circumference.  The drawing shows a moat outside the wall.  

So Lucca was a city with a moat, not just a castle with a moat.  It helps explain why Lucca was never successfully conquered.  Remember this is a wall with a moat, not just a wall.

The treed tower was the lookout tower and the lucky soldiers stationed atop it were to warn the Lucca army of possible invasion.  Looking at this view from the tower, they must have had incredible eyesight.

Outside the wall, grass has replaced the moat and visitors invade the city daily for the beautiful simplicity and relaxation it offers.  

The Lucca part of our trip has been extra special.  We stayed in a bed and breakfast place recommended by Dave Nelson and Pam Gossett of SunRiver.  The place is old, like many, but, the hosts treated us like family.  The senior member of their family, Lilly, was the breakfast cook and a good one at that.  Lilly told me she was a 100 years old to make it easy to compliment her on her looks and age.  She is witty, pleasant, helpful, and kind.  And her beautiful and smart daughter, Gaia (Guy-ya) ran the place with the help of the rest of the family.  Lilly often reminded me of my dear mother, Irma (also an Italian, also witty, pleasant, helpful, and kind).

Goodbye Lilly and Lucca!