Lucca, Italy - December, 2022
I stepped off the train in Lucca, pulled out my phone to find out where I was, and found I had NO SERVICE.
Luckily, of all the cities to be stranded in without a map, this was the right one. Lucca is ringed by old fortified walls, so no matter which way you walk you'll eventually run into one, and the wall will lead you right back to Porta San Pietro and the train station. It's a city that more or less can't lose you.
I only had five days in Florence, and I'd nearly talked myself out of spending the first one on a day trip. But Lucca, an hour away and known as the "city of 100 churches," wouldn't leave me alone. So there I was, on Boxing Day, with no map and nowhere to be. I put the phone away and just started walking.
My first stop found me before I found it: Piazza San Michele, built on the site of an ancient Roman Forum. The church, San Michele in Foro, had an ornate facade and soaring bell tower dating from the 12th century.
Then I stepped back out onto the streets and noticed just how quiet the whole city was away from the main squares.
I decided that the locals must have been huddled up indoors, recovering from Christmas. The streets were almost all mine. I'd been so hopeful about the bakeries, picturing deliciously warm focaccia for breakfast and lunch, but every one was shuttered for the day. I was a little heartbroken about that, but truly, not enough to really be bothered. It's hard to be upset while wandering a medieval city in Italy!!
I continued wandering, and stumbled upon a little street art, too.
And then, somewhere along the way, amidst my aimless wanderings, an alleyway opened up into Piazza dell'Anfiteatro.
It took me a moment to understand what I was looking at. The golden-yellow buildings curve around the square in a perfect oval, because they were built right on the outline of the Roman amphitheatre that used to stand here. I could imagine it humming in summer, tables spilling out, everyone talking at once. In winter, only a few of the restaurants and cafes had their doors open, and the main attraction was a giant Babbo Natale sitting in the middle of it all, looking very pleased with himself.
A few steps on, there was a livelier little square, with a Romanesque church and tower standing at the top.
By that time, I’d stumbled upon one of my must-sees in Lucca, and I wanted to see it all from above.
In the 1300s, Lucca bristled with almost 130 towers, built by wealthy families to show how powerful they were. Only a few are left, and Torre Guinigi is possibly the most unique. The original owners had the wonderful idea of planting Holm Oak trees on top, so at 45 metres, it's a tower with a garden on its roof.
From up there the whole city spreads out, uninterrupted, all the way to the horizon. It was magical. I couldn't help thinking I'd like to come back and watch the sun set from this exact spot.
Back down at street level, I walked up onto the walls that once kept people out. In the 19th Century, the walls were transformed into a public promenade, and now they're a long tree-lined park looping around the entire city, where locals and tourists walk, run and cycle.
From up there, I spotted another big cathedral, so I headed down once again, and wandered through a few streets until I found it. The Duomo di San Martino was imposing and elegant all at once. Tucked away under the portico of its Romanesque exterior were beautifully decorated doors, and a stone-carved labyrinth I'd never have seen if I'd stayed up on the walls.
By then, the day was heading back toward the station, which is exactly where Lucca said it would send me. And of course, this was the moment I finally found a bike rental that was open. Almost all of them had been closed for Boxing Day, and I'd been wishing I could ride the whole wall, watching everyday Lucca roll past.
Next time. I'll bring an appetite for focaccia, and I'll stay for the sunset.