Lucca & Pisa, Tuscany

Not a travel weekend, nevertheless the wanderlust struck, and I definitely wanted to visit Lucca and Pisa before we left Italy. Besides, with spring fever hitting me, I felt the need to go south, and what better place at this time than Tuscany. Friday, 13 March (yes, I know – the 13th!!), Emma and I headed toward Castelfranco to catch the train to Padua and then to Prato and finally to Lucca. Abbey was assistant trainer for the LIFE executive program for the weekend, so it was just the two of us.

Not having made the ticket reservations beforehand as I usually do, I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to make the connections. However, the automated ticket machines proved quite easy to use for the regional trains. The friendly Trenitalia ticket man quickly booked us the IC (InnerCity) from Padua to Prato and saved us money by recommending a different Eurostar from Florence to Padua on our return. As a result, we enjoyed a 50% discount!! He has waited on me several times and is always pleasant, remembering always the previous bookings he has made for us.

Other than a fast connect at Prato Centrale for Lucca (Emma afraid that I wasn’t going to get on the train in time), we had an uneventful trip, arriving in Lucca about 1:30. Spring was definitely here. In the Veneto, traces can be seen with crocuses, daffodils, forsythia, and early blooming fruit trees; however, the magnolias and early summer flowers are visible everywhere in this part of Tuscany. The air smelled like spring – fresh, clean, warm.

Emma and I went first to the TI (Tourist Information) by the train station for a city map, and the man gave us a lot of information about sights to see and events. Breakfast having been a so-so sandwich on the train, we stopped at a pleasant caffe/ristorante just inside the city walls. The weather was warm and sunny, so we were able to enjoy eating outside. Emma had one of her favorits, penne all’arrabiata (red sauce with pepperocini), and I had fresh salad with grilled vegetables. Afterward, we made our way to Piazza Napolean (he was here in Lucca too!!!) and Piazza San Michele, turning onto Via Roma and then onto Via Cenami to our hotel, Al Tuscany, a bed & breakfast.

Isabella, the afternoon staff person, greeted us and showed us to our room – complete with a kitchenette. Because the building the hotel was in was undergoing renovations, we had a back room that was quiet and roomy. Emma and I quickly settled in, and then we began exploring this delightful town, scouting out restaurants for dinner. Frances Mayes is right: in Italy, one is no more through with lunch than he or she is already contemplating dinner!!

Lucca is charming. About the size of Siena and as old, it has less the Medieval characteristics that Siena has. Or perhaps, those characteristics are defined differently because of geography. Both are walled cities – with walls intact. Both are old cities, with ties to the Roman era and before. However, while hilltop Siena’s steep grades to keep those leg muscles in shape and has retained its somber, grey architecture in true Medieval fashion, Lucca’s streets undulate and its impressive buildings complement the many budding gardens within the city walls. Siena seems to enclose itself, separated from the Tuscan countryside; Lucca embraces the gentle green hills that slope westward towards the sea and eastward towards Florence. I loved both cities, so I suspect my appreciation for Lucca was connected in part to spring fever.

The Guinigi family who put Lucca on the Renaissance map with the silk industry evidently loved gardens. Even their tower rooftop features a garden with full-sized trees. The walls of the city are wide, about 3 miles around. To ensure enemies were unable to camouflage themselves, the Luccans cleared several hundred feet of brush and trees. Today, this immense circular green serves as a field for hikers and pet owners. The wall also features arrow-shaped jut-outs, that once were for weapons and defense and now provide locals and tourists with glorious views. On this warm Friday afternoon, Emma and I enjoyed a walk on the ramparts with spring-filled Tuscan hills and plains on one side and terra-cotta Luccan rooftops on the other.

We found small pizzeria-ristorante for dinner, deciding to bypass the more expensive trattorias. Chiana beef is popular here; remembering how exquisite it was in Cortona, I ordered the taglia al rucola (rare sliced beef on arugula with garlic and olive oil). Emma opted for a hearty Tuscan soup, much like the ribollita of Siena – a vegetable soup with chunks of bread. Back at the hotel, we read for a bit – Emma with Mathilda and Diary of a Wimpy Kid; I with Bella Tuscany.

Saturday was another beautiful day – perfect for the antique market in Lucca’s streets. Like most markets, there was the usual “junk”; however, the antique markets also draw some vendors with quality merchandise. I saw many things that I would love to have – but no way to transport them. Lucky for the checkbook!

We found San Giovanni church, where the Puccini concert is held every evening at 7:00. Our hotel provided us with complimentary tickets, so we decided to do the concert tonight. Then on to the Duomo, San Martino, an incredibly big, beautiful church. Because it is being renovated, inside and out, the scaffolding and curtains discouraged picture takers, so I bought a postcard depicting what the church looks like “normally.”

After San Martino, we walked to Torre Guinigi, the Guinigi family’s tower. Rather than castles, many of the wealthy, powerful people of the late Medieval and early Renaissance periods built towers as residence; these were, essentially rooms upon rooms with the stairs connecting them. The Torre Guinigi is not particularly tall; however, its 270+ steps certainly provide exercise. Can you imagine just going out the front door to discover you’d left something on the top floor?? Most of the tower’s steps were the original stone, but towards the top, steel risers had been installed. Quite a few frescoes still remain, particularly on the lower levels, as does a huge fireplace, perhaps one that was used for cooking. The highlight, however, is the rooftop garden, complete with two tall trees. The view of Lucca and its environs are beautiful from there, especially the wall.

Time for lunch, which again, we enjoyed outside. Then bike riding on the ramparts! The flat top of the wide walls is easily accessible from the several porti, or gates into the city. It’s a local favorite for joggers, walkers, and bikers – and obviously a draw for tourists as well, particularly on such a beautiful day. Nearly 3 miles around, the 16th century walls offer shady tree-lined areas and warm, sunny picnic spots on the 8 or so arrow-shaped jut-outs. After 2 times around, Emma and I regained some strength with a gelatto break, and then did another go-around before returning our bikes.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was the Puccini concert. Lucca is the composer’s birthplace, and his house is a small museum that contains among other items the piano that he used to compose Turandot, one of his famous operas. Sadly, the museum is temporarily closed; evidently some family dispute with either the city or among themselves. Anyway, the city celebrates Puccini with a nightly concert in San Giovanni church, featuring arias from his works plus selections from other composers such as Mozart, Verdi, and Mascagni. A soprano and a tenor were the soloists this evening, and the pianist was the music director. The soprano was incredible; she was French, although most of the performers are Italian singers, all of whom are professional. Her voice was strong and full but with a rich clarity that prevented any heaviness in tone some sopranos have. One of the numbers was “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi, one of the songs that Abbey does; also songs from La Traviata and La Boheme.

Next morning after breakfast – off to Pisa, about 20-minute train ride. Again I panicked Emma inadvertently by getting off the train at the 1st Pisa station (which would have been alright) instead of Centrale (main station); I barely made it back on the train. Since it was Sunday, no TI was open for a full map of the town, I was glad to have brought the Rick Steves’ map from his travel book. Set along the Arno River, Pisa features the tiny 12th century church, Santa Maria della Spina, whose Gothic spikey spires are more typical of the grand duomos, such as the one in Milan. On Sunday several of the streets are pedestrian only, making an afternoon passagiata pleasant for everyone. Also of interest is Piazza dei Cavalieri with a frescoed palace and statue of Cosimo I de Medici (with an intense expression), ruler of Pisa in the 16th century.

Pisa was a major power during the Middle Ages; its proximity to the sea presented an advantage that its neighbors, Florence and Siena, did not have – a harbor not far from the city proper. However, as the many city-states shuffled for power and independence, Genoa would become the mightier port city by the early 14th century. During the Renaissance, Pisa was controlled by Florence (hence the Medici statute) – a good thing for art but bad for governing independence. Today its claim to fame is, of course, its leaning tower and its Duomo and Baptistry, all in the Campo dei Miracoli, Field of Miracles.

Approaching the Field of Miracles from Via Santa Maria, I was immediately awestruck with the whiteness of the buildings – all marble. The style is called Pisan Romanesque, according to the guidebooks, a blending of the weightier features a Romanesque design with the white marble and an airiness in the design space. Definitely celestial! I was also amazed to find that the Leaning Tower didn’t lean – ahem, from my perspective. A quick few steps revealed just how much it does indeed lean!

The Tower’s slant is due to the sandy soil. Built at the end of the 12th century, the Tower evidently begin its sideways descent before construction was completed.; today it is nearly 18 feet from vertical! As an iconic symbol of Pisa, the Tower has attracted people throughout the ages from all countries., including Galileo who used it to conduct velocity experiments. 15€ gets one to the top for a lovely view of the city; however, the price as well as the warnings about the slant and rather unsubstantial railings deter some people – myself included. Brunellschi’s Dome in Florence was well worth the 8€ and 476 steps for the stunning panorama WITH secure railings. I wasn’t so sure that I could do Pisa’s Tower!

After lunch in the warm sunshine, Emma and slowly meandered back, stopping to watch crewing on the Arno. With an eye to the pocket book, we bought some cheese, crackers, fruit, and a Chianti (for me) at a small market, and ate in while I finished grading student reports.

Monday morning we were to catch an 8:33 train to Florence, stopping there to pick up a Tuscan pitcher that Kathy wanted. Marina, the B&B manager/owner, prepared breakfast a little early so that we would have something. Her grandparents were from Lucca; however, Marina was born and raised in Scotland and speaks with a decided Scottish brogue. She is friendly and runs a pleasant, comfortable establishment that I would recommend. We said our goodbyes, walked the short distance to the station, and were off to Florence.

Checking our bag at the Florence station, Emma and I explored the Straw Market as we made our way to the pottery shop on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio and Arno. Errand completed, we stopped for lunch at the Duomo caffe where we had eaten last fall, and then back to get our luggage and catch the train to Padua and then to Castelfranco. By 5:30, we were home, catching up on news with Abbey, and thinking about school the next day.

Already, I miss Tuscany.