Where We Be
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Lucca, Italy |
What makes Lucca special is its intact medieval
walls with trees and footpath on top. Built in the
16th and 17th centuries, the 12-meter-high walls
have wide tops that are generously paved down
the middle and lined with rows of trees on
either side. The footpath forms a 4 km (2½ mi)
loop around the historic part of the city and is
the perfect place for a stroll, jog, or bike ride.
The walls offer great views in all directions and
are the hub of life in Lucca.
The fact that Lucca miraculously escaped being
bombed during World War II means everything
inside the walls is pretty much intact and as it
has been for centuries. Many of the historic
buildings are now inhabited by restaurants with
umbrella-covered outdoor patios and countless
coffee shops and gelaterias. The result is a city
that's hard not to like. We certainly liked it and
could easily imagine calling it home.
walls with trees and footpath on top. Built in the
16th and 17th centuries, the 12-meter-high walls
have wide tops that are generously paved down
the middle and lined with rows of trees on
either side. The footpath forms a 4 km (2½ mi)
loop around the historic part of the city and is
the perfect place for a stroll, jog, or bike ride.
The walls offer great views in all directions and
are the hub of life in Lucca.
The fact that Lucca miraculously escaped being
bombed during World War II means everything
inside the walls is pretty much intact and as it
has been for centuries. Many of the historic
buildings are now inhabited by restaurants with
umbrella-covered outdoor patios and countless
coffee shops and gelaterias. The result is a city
that's hard not to like. We certainly liked it and
could easily imagine calling it home.
| Believe it or not, this is the top of Lucca's walls. The tree-lined path forms a 4 km (2½ mi) loop around the city. |
| The trees only just turned green with new spring growth a few days ago, so our timing was perfect |
| Lucca's city walls as seen from the outside |
| Lucca also extends beyond its medieval walls -- here we're looking outward |
| Lucca is our kind of place -- walkable, green, and vibrant |
| Silhouette image of one of Lucca's towers at dusk |
| This church with the wedding-cake facade is our favorite in Lucca -- it's the Chiesa di San Michele (Church of St. Michael) |
| Puccini, one of the world's greatest opera composers, was born in this building near Lucca's medieval center |
| The Archangel Michael is on top, slaying a dragon. Personally I think this is the most likeable archangel I've ever seen! |
| The Antifeatro's houses, raised upon the foundations of the one-time amphitheater, retain the curved shape of the original. |
| The Antifeatro is one of our favorite places in Lucca. It's an oval-shaped piazza that stands where a Roman amphitheater once stood. |
| In the evening we attended “Puccini e la sua Lucca,” a unique opera performance held each evening inside the Chiesa Giovanni where Puccini was baptised as a child and where he once played the organ in his early years. |
| The walls offer a great vantage point to see into Lucca |
| Lucca's walls encircle the original city and are planted with trees on top |
