Lucca,
Italy (in Tuscany) is an ancient, walled town that's dripping in history. It’s been around
for at least two thousand years, and Jenna Ives and I had a chance to visit
this spectacular place a few weeks ago. (She dragged me to a Rolling Stones
concert there, but I mainly went along for the chance to visit relatives I have
in Italy…)
Lucca
was a Roman colony as far back as 180 B.C. In 56 B.C. Julius Caesar was known
to have struck an importance political alliance there. On the site of an old
Roman amphitheater (where gladiators fought and wild animals killed each other)
is now an oval of shops and apartment buildings, but you can still see the
shape of the ancient battlegrounds.
Luckily,
Lucca’s earthenware city wall (about 40 feet high and about 20 feet wide) is no
longer used for defense. In fact, these days it’s been turned into a pedestrian
walkway (which is a lot easier to navigate than the warren of Lucca’s narrow
streets).
Lucca
is full of historical churches, including the Duomo di San Martino…
And
the church of San Michele in Foro…
But
maybe the best way to get to know this city is by getting lost in its maze of
quaint, tiny streets… You never know what you might see!
Jenna
and I only spent three days in Lucca, then it was off to see my relatives in
Southern Italy. But Lucca is such a unique and special place that it stays with
you long after you’ve said “Arrivederchi, Italia!”
Ciao,
Leigh
No comments:
Post a Comment