Lucca..Birthplace of Puccini and many others

Lucca is located near the Sercchio River, about 80 kilometers from Firenze near the Apuan Alps. Our visit to Lucca kept us there well into the night. We enjoyed the sites, sounds and flavors of this spectacular Medieval city. A walled city like most Medieval towns that I visited while studying in Italy, Lucca has a unique round piazza. The top of the walled areas are paved now and people stroll by holding hands, older men like riding bicycles and looking at girls. I was told by locals in the years past, they held car races around the promenade. That would be a crazy but fun event to watch. I am just not sure where you would have the safest vantage point. Before the car races they held horse races on the promenade.
Lucca and this part of Tuscany is extremely rich in culture and has a much different geological landscape. I really wanted to go see marble being cut away from the mountainsides but we ran out of daylight. The Serchio Valley and Garfagnana regions are full of gentle peaceful hills and majestic mountains of marble and rock that loom over the valley bottom along the winding river. Roads wind their way and unexpectedly open out into sunny areas with small ancient villages, settled on green hills, that reflect in lakes with magic images, the drive is quite beautiful. Lucca the capital of the province is an example of perfectly preserved city walls, it has maintained its characteristics since Roman times until today. The cathedrals all have Romanesque elements of design and archictecture. I saw one of the earliest Fiat's ever made while in Lucca, the photograpgh of the dog is funny to me. He only responded to me when I started to speak in Italian to him. Go to the link below if you are interested in the life and work of the great Italian composer, Puccini.
Un saluto!


http://www.landofpuccini.com/eng/life.asp