After some free time this morning we boarded a train for Lucca. About an hour and a half from Florence, this lovely town gave us another insight into Tuscany. The historical center is completely walled with 100-foot wide mound of dirt faced with brick - completed in 1650. The flat top of the walls are now a beautiful park for walking, cycling or running (we walked!). Stretching 2.5 miles around the town you can get a great overview of Lucca. One of the last of the 160 tower houses that once stood here is open to climb to the rooftop garden (227 steps) - Jim and Judy did it! We stopped in Puccini Piazza to say hello to the statue of the famous opera composer and then on to the Anfiteatro Piazza. This was once the site of a Roman amphitheater now filled with shops and cafes and one of the beautiful features of Lucca (and one of my favorite places in all of Italy. We had a late lunch, browsed the streets, shopped, ate gelato and made it back to the train station for our ride back to Florence. Truly a lovely visit in lovely Lucca. More later . . .
