Livorno is everyone’s gateway to Tuscany and all the tourists flock from Lovorno to Florence and maybe Pisa. So while maybe 6 to 7 thousand visitors waited in line to get into the Uffizi or did the stupid photo op keeping the leaning tower steady, we chose to visit the town of Lucca with this woman:
Angelika with her stick
If you like tourists as much as we do, you will love visiting Lucca. It seemed as if we were the only visitors there that morning. The place is closed to personal motor vehicles so you won’t feel like you have to take out extra insurance while you stroll the quiet streets. My recommendation if you’ve been to Florence and Pisa is to check this place out. Angelika was our guide to Lucca and you cold tell she liked visiting this town.
Lucca City Walls (Renaissance era)
Just one of three wall systems, Lucca was founded by the Etruscans and became a Roman colony around 180 B.C.
Behind the first wall area are structures like this near the Roman era walls
The principle mode of transportation in Lucca
The Church of San Michele in Foro
This church has a huge facade made out of white local marble; It’s the kind that Michelangelo preferred 9 out of 10 times!
Church detail
Silk trade house
The secret silk making process was hidden in Lucca (after they stole it from the Chinese, of course) for many years.
Getting ready to party
The annual ‘Settembre’ festival is starting up in a few days! Too bad we will miss it as we must be on our way to Rome tomorrow! Above, the windows are decorated with glass jars that will have candles lit at night during the festival’s ‘Luminaria di Santa Croce’
Giacomo Puccini’s house
On the right, I believe. It’s not quite ready to view inside, but it will be a museum in the future.
A Statue nearby of Giacomo
Note the cigarette in his right hand; Puccini died of throat cancer in 1924.
Napoleone gave his sister the town of Lucca for her birthday! The Piazza is the place for music festivals; In July this year ZZ Top and Crosby, Stills and Nash performed in the Piazza.
San Martino
Inside this dark church you can view a number of paintings on the walls if you put a 1 euro coin in a slot that will activate an electric lamp for about 40 seconds. Then at another part of the church is this:
Volto Santo di Lucca
This sculpture of probably the happiest looking crucifix we have ever seen was placed in this very spot by a miraculous event involving un-guided oxen or something like that. Check this link for more info.