A Train, a Wall, a Tower and a Rooster
Today is moving day! We say good bye to Monterosso and Cinque Terre and hello to Lucca, Pisa and Greve!We start the day at the train station in Monterosso to catch a train that will take us to La Spezia and our favorite German driver in Italy, Monica. Monica will then drive us down to our final destination Greve. Along the way we are taking in some of the Tuscan sites we have not seen before, mainly Lucca and Pisa.
Lucca - City of 100 Churches, Ramparts, and Puccini
The city of Lucca sits on the edge of Tuscany and to many Tuscans they do not consider it part of Tuscany. Lucca has always been on the outskirts. Many blame it on their ability to stay independent from the rest of Italy to almost 1850, same say it is the wall running around the town protecting it from intruders, others blame the Lucchese people and their self-importance over the salt they were able to farm and charge the rest of Tuscany an arm and a leg for. To this day Tuscan bread is baked without salt...unless you are in Lucca.
Behind the walled city of old town lies many hidden gems........
Shopping
Lucca is home to a wonderful boutique lined shopping area and also many local merchant shops where you can find wonderful home made chocolate, cookies, salumi, etc.
Yep, the store is named after the orange Dodge Charger from the TV Show, Dukes of Hazard. Kel was pretty excited as it was her favorite show as a kid and she dreamed of growing up to be Daisy Duke. The store itself sold typical American fashions, Levis, plaid shirts, converse sneakers. Have to say, it is not something we expected to see!
Home of La Boheme and Madame Butterfly
Lucca is the birthplace of one of the most famous Opera composers, Giacomo Puccini. His family's home is still standing today and you can tour his home if so inclined. For our trip, Duane was happy to stand next to his idol's statue.
Land of 100 Churches
Lucca is well known for the many churches scattered through out the city. It seemed like around every street corner was another beautiful building! The city claims to have over 100 different churches. Below are just a couple of the ones that we popped in to.
San Michele in Foro
This church is dedicated to Archangel Michael and there has been some form of a church on this site since 795. The current structure was started in the 12th century with most of it completed in the 14th. The rectangular campanile is one of the more identifying pieces of this church. It was started in the 12th century and completed in the 19th.
The outside of the church is one of the best examples of Pisan Romanesque style architecture with a beautiful marble facade. For as decorative the outside is, the inside is the complete opposite, being more plain with little color.
The confessional is still in use today, I just hope there are some curtains...otherwise literally God and everyone will hear your confession.
The iconic St. Michael the Archangel can be seen watching over entrance to the church. He sits four small loggias built with iron materials to counter any strong wind gusts. Michael is a 4 meter tall statue and is guarded by two angles himself, one on each corner.
San Giusto
This church is located on a quiet side street and tucked around a corner. Similar to San Michele, this church was built in the mid 12th century. In the 17th century the inside was re-done in a more Baroque style.
The inside of this church looks similar to most churches of the time, marble, statues, a big alter etc. The ceiling is very well preserved and a very good example a wooden coffered ceiling.
I believe this marble statue is the resting place for architect Guidetto who is responsible for the entrance to this church and also building the San Guisto church in Lucca.
This church also holds a secret.... a complete multi century archaeological site below it. They do allow tourist to go below and view it. The cost is a 3 Euro donation to the church.....Well worth the cost!
Graffiti of St. Reparata's Legend from the 12th Century A.D.
Walking though several levels, is like walking through several centuries of history. You start with Roman ruins and end on 12th Century. One of the interesting pieces was the Graffiti of St. Reparata which in pictures and drawings tells the story of the legend.
Christian Mosaic from the 4th or 5th Century A.D.
As I stated you are walking through several levels of history. This happens to be well preserved mosaics from around the 4th or 5th century. Along with what we thought might have been part of a bath.
San Martino Cathedral
Perhaps the most well known church in Lucca is St. Martin. This church is also the main church for the city of Lucca. The church was started in the 11th Century.
The picture on the right is mainly to call out the famous Guinigi Tower. It is the tower in the far back of the picture with the tree on top. It is one of the best places to see all of Lucca and Tuscany..if you have the energy to climb the 227 stairs to the top.
This piazza used to be home to a Roman amphitheater. The original amphitheater floor is about 9 feet below. After Rome fell, the town turned this spot into the local market. On market day tents line the center selling produce, flowers etc. The buildings ringing the oval are various shops and restaurants. This is a great place to grab a bite to eat, sit, relax and watch the day go by in Lucca.
Ristorante L'Angolo Tondo
Our group chose Ristonrante L'Angolo Tondo based on a recommendation by our driver, Monica. She has not steered us wrong yet!
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| Full Bellies + Good Wine = Smiling Faces |
Our first really good white wine with our lunch. We are all fans of this Tuscan winery as they make a few good reds as well.
Jamie is very happy with his langostino linguine. Kelly was very happy with him getting a bib tied around his neck. For some reason she always finds that hilarious.
Lunch was good all around, from typical pasta and red sauce and pizza to seafood ravioli.
The old ramparts now provide a bike path around the walled city of Lucca. There are several places close to the walls where you can rent bikes to ride around the top of the wall. The entire loop is 2.5 miles. On a nice day it is a pretty popular spot for those wanting some outdoor exercise.
Pisa!!!
Pisa has always been on the list of sites when we travel to Italy. How can one go to Italy and not go to one of the most iconic sites??? This trip we were finally able to work it into our itinerary.
Torre di Pisa
The tower is probably one of the most recognizable pieces of architecture anywhere. It was build over two centuries by three different architects. Building started in 1173 and it started to lean almost from the start. Finally after centuries, the tower closed for 10 years starting in 1990 for some stabilization work. We of course had to get a picture in front of it
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| Us |
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| Not us |
Most people try to hold the tower up. Not us!
The base of the tower is as pretty as the rest of it. The base has a marble walk around area at the bottom. In the middle of the day when all the tourist are here the line to climb to the top will wrap around here.
Pisa Baptistery
The Baptistery is the largest in Italy. The pulpit is a good example of Pisano artwork.
The inside of the Baptistery is done mostly in marble with very decorative sculptures. It also has two levels you can tour. Many people will come in here test out what many say are the best acoustics in all of Europe due to the openness of the dome and all the marble.
Duomo di Pisa
The entire complex is called Campo dei Miracoli. In English, this means Field of Miracles. The green lawn of the complex is probably the best lawn in all of Italy. You are not supposed to picnic but you will see many sitting and enjoying the day on a blanket.
VITIQUE - Santa Margherita Tasting Room and Restaurant
After a long day of site seeing it was finally time to head home to our 2nd home, Greve! Since the last trip 2 years ago, Greve has added a new business, VITIQUE. VITIQUE is owned by Santa Margherita which is a well known winery in the states. We were very excited to stop and check it out.
Jamie was very lucky this rooster would not fit in a suitcase... if it did it was going home with Kelly
Antico Pastificio Ulisse Mariotti
We arrived to Greve one day earlier than our villa would be ready so we stayed one night at the hotel owned by the same people as the villa. We were no strangers to this place as we had spent time on the patio during our first trip back in 2011. Tonight though we were actually sleeping here as well.
Dinner Time - Il Portico, of course!
For our first dinner in Greve we of course had to visit one of our favorite places, Il Portico!
Water is always a good idea!
Water might be a good idea, but with one of our favorite wines, Nozzole available we won't be sticking with the water for long!
A wide range of dinner options are always available at Il Portico.
For us we split our meals between meat and pasta. Either way you can't go wrong!
Good Night Greve! - Piazza Giacomo Matteotti
After a long day of travel, site seeing, and settling into Greve we ended the night in pretty Piazza Giacomo Matteotti. Tomorrow is market day, so this quiet piazza will be turned into a very busy square packed with various stalls and people. Can't wait!
Go to 6/10/17
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