This afternoon we took our first train excursion to visit the lovely Tuscan town of Lucca. The trains are so easy to take from Florence to just about everywhere in Italy. Our ride was about an hour and fifteen minutes (a little longer for Peggy and Chipper - they'll tell you the story) and there we were. Lucca was a very prosperous (and still is) city during the Middle Ages and Renaissance with most of the income from the silk industry. Between 1550 and 1650 a defensive wall was built around the old city with embankments of dirt faced with brick. The walls of Lucca have become a beautiful park for walking and cycling around the two and a half miles circumference. Inside the old city we enjoyed seeing the charming piazza that once was the Roman theater along with the other interesting sights in this lovely town. Some of our folks climbed the Guinigi Tower and saw wonderful views of the town and surrounding area. The spring weather was nice and the green trees were an especially nice touch. God does beautiful work!
