It’s just so... Italian!

I have fallen totally and irreversibly in love with Italy. The language which sounds more like song than speech, the food which leads to taste explosions on your tongue, the people who talk as much with their hands as their mouth and end up yelling at each other to get across just how passionate they are about whatever they happen to be saying. This country is totally crazy, full of life and it feels exactly the place I should be.



Beautiful Sculpture in Lucca

My first, day long experience of an Italian city was in Lucca. Jumping on a train from Monticatini, I arrived 30 minutes later in Lucca and only 4.26 € poorer. I later learnt that Italian’s apparently love their cars, always wanting to drive instead of using the train, and so cheap trains are used as a motivation. And well, that’s fine by me!

Across the road from the station, you can see the city of Lucca, or rather the walls that surround it. They are the only remaining Italian city walls that can be walked around in their entirety, 4.2km in length, wide, very high and are impressive to behold. Grass lines the top width of the wall creating a place to sit and eat or just look at the view.

 

Walls of Lucca

Once I had walked through the gates I headed straight ahead in the approximate direction of the centre. Though I had purchased a tourist map I didn’t bother looking at it. I have always been useless with maps, having to turn them around and upside down multiple times just to figure out where I am. Getting from A to B proves even more of a challenge, so I decided to just walk and see where I ended up.



My First View of Lucca (after the walls!)

Before I had even arrived at the first “sight” I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the place. I just kept thinking, “It’s just so... Italian!” Everything I had ever seen in movies, or heard about was all there in front of me. Tall buildings lined the narrow, cobbled streets all in light browns, yellows, oranges and pinks with contrasting blue and green shutters. There were usually no footpaths, but if there were any, they were so narrow that few people bother using them anyway. The streets are a free for all, cars, bikes, pedestrians, vespers and even trucks (if they are not too wide!). Above me clothes hung from lines against the side of the house, and flowers poured over the window sills. As I took a photo of a clothesline full of clothes, I wondered how many peoples clothes feature in the collections of tourist photos, and how the owners of these clothes felt about them being made the subject of a stranger’s photo!



Even the doors are beautiful!

 

 

Somebodies Laundry!

 

  

 

 

 

Streets of Lucca

After about 10-15 minutes of slow walking in no particular direction the street opened up into San Martino Square. It was surprisingly empty, apart from a few Australians I had met on the train. Passing the large circular fountain, I headed for the large marble building that turned out to be Lucca’s earlier cathedral, the Church of San Giovani and Santa Reparata. It was a slightly odd structure, butted up against the neighbouring building, and with three outer arches, the first the same size, and the third much smaller. I have always been a fan of things being geometric and even, so I was unsure if I would like it or if they asymmetrical structure would annoy my OCD side too much. Nevertheless I paid my 3€ and headed inside, through the left-hand side. Inside it was geometric, and beautiful paintings lined the walls. After spending 5 or so minutes looking at these, I headed into the centre and came to a rather sudden stop. I had never seen anything like it. It was more than beautiful. It was magical. Two line of columns ran down the length of the Church towards the back, where an incredible painting filled the end dome. It depicted a scene from heaven, with gold light pouring from the centre, over the clouds and the people/angles who rested upon them. The painting was done with such skill that it actually looked like their feet were coming out of the wall down towards the floor and I half expected it to start moving. This would be my first experience of many churches that would time and time again take my breath away and make me wonder at the amazing things we humans can create.

  

 

 

Church of San Giovanni and Santa Reparata

 

 For the rest of the day I continued to wander the streets, letting them take me where they would; by the Church of San Frediano and San Michele Suare, into the oval Anfiteatro Square and through a colourful street market, at which I purchased a much needed pair of sunglasses. I had be blessed with a sunny and warm day, making a gelato stop inevitable. I chose strawberry flavour, and wow. It actually tasted like strawberries! It was full of flavour, not too sweet and perfectly cold! I savoured every spoonful, enjoying it more than I had an icecream in a while.



The Church of San Michele in San Michele Square

Anfiteatro Square

 

 

 

 

Street Market

 

 

I had a total of 5 hours in Lucca, and got to see so much of this amazing city but not nearly enough! If one thing is certain it is that I will being going there again to see it all again and keep on exploring.

 



 One of many bike in Lucca



Simply Beauty Throughout Lucca



Lucca Street Artists