Via Francigena 2022: Rest Day: Lucca

19 km around Lucca — 31^oC and sunny

(By Jim)

Lucca is a beautiful medieval city with Renaissance-era fortified walls still intact. I found it similar to Siena except that Lucca is smaller, much flatter and had a few less tourists. We entered the old city on a cobblestone walkway at Baluardo San Colombiano, just behind the Duomo. It was blazing hot so we didn’t stop to admire the 11th century church but made our first stop a bar just up the street. We drank the usual 1.5 liters of acqua frizzante in the shade of a street umbrella and watched the tourists hustle by on their way to the Duomo.

Across the street from the bar was another church, Chiesa di San Giovanni. Laurel could read a poster that indicated a concert would be performed there this evening. So before we even dropped off our backpacks, we had tickets to attend a performance of selected Puccini works (turns out that Puccini was born in Lucca). Everything I know about opera I learned from the Bugs Bunny Show: What’s Opera, Doc? I set my expectations high! The poster had a picture of a mustachioed Puccini who reminded me of Freddie Mercury, which I thought boded well for our Night at the Opera.

Our accommodation was on the exact opposite side of the old city, near Porta Santa Maria. We transversed the city labyrinth like a live-action game of Pac-Man, following only the shaded streets, powering up with gelato, while avoiding the smoking pedestrians. A shower and siesta revived us, so we then returned to Chiesa di San Giovanni where we were first in line for the rush seats. The concert was an experience that I truthfully enjoyed, not as much as Bug’s Barber of Seville, but enjoyed nonetheless. A soprano, a tenor, and a pianist performed the greatest hits of Lucca’s favourite son, Puccini. Surprisingly, I did recognize one as a World Cup Soccer song: Nessus Dorma.

After the concert we talked about which songs we liked and how amazing the venue was, but it was the Freddy Mercury hit “Bicycle Race” that was running through my head. Lucca is FULL of bicycles of every vintage and not the kind that require Lycra to ride. They are functional bikes that kids and grandparents alike would ride to school or to the store to get groceries. The flat terrain and elevated 5 km path that encircles atop the city walls makes it a natural haven for bikes. 🎵 I want to ride my bicycle … 🎵

Rest days are not all glamour like pizza and opera. We usually spend an hour or so in a laundromat properly cleaning the clothes that we, otherwise, wash every night in our bathroom sink with shampoo. Also today, Laurel was successful in procuring a knee brace for her other leg.

Lucca was a place we both enjoyed and would be happy to return to if the opportunity should present itself. And who knows? Maybe it will ….