Lucca

We had a driving day today, made a bit more difficult by the copious amounts of rain, but we managed! Instead of the autostrada, the big freeways denoted in green, we took the national route, a road that snakes through hills and towns, denoted with blue signs. They allow for a more leisurely perusal of the countryside and locales. Our first discovery was the train station at Montacatini Terme, a wonderful example of modern architecture by Angiolo Mazzoni. He was a Fascist and Futurist, and built a succession of public works during the '20s and '30s. We passed it in the car, then both looked at each other and turned around for a more detailed look. It was well worth the deviation. It was detailed and still in its original form, with strong horizontal position marked off by a dramatic knife of a tower. The stonework was also detailed.

Lucca is a popular Tuscan destination, and why not? It's an old walled city with towers and churches and good food. Inside the walls the land rises up to meet them, and there's a popular strolling and jogging path along most of it.

Our first stop was the Cathedral of St. Martin. It was a Sunday, and there was a large antiques fair in the piazza in front of the church and snaking around the surrounding area. It was a bit bedraggled with the rain, but they were making the most of the opportunity. Inside, the church contains some wonderful pieces, nothing famous but several glorious paintings, including one by Ghirlandaio, The Virgin Mary with the Holy Child among Saints Peter, Clement Papa, Paul and Sebastian, that rewarded close attention.

We wandered around looking for a suitable lunch place and came across the lovely San Michele in Foro with an intricate facade of columns and arches and statues and more detail than you could ever hope to drink in just on one visit. I'd like to get a book with more detailed descriptions of this Pisan type of architecture. We did find our restaurant, Osteria de Leo, where we sat outside under an enormous umbrella where we were protected from the rain. Luckily, it wasn't cold, just wet.

After that, it was just a simple stroll back to the car, though we did stop at the amazing Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, which is the site of an old Roman amphitheater. Now, it's just a square, but in oval shape and surrounded by the most lovely collection of buildings. They're not fancy, just all of a piece, and it's a marvelous spot just to sit and relax. We took the autostrada home after that, and then had dinner at the same restaurant we did the day previously. This time, I focused more on meat than vegetables, and had a lovely Florentine steak, aged dry as they tend to do, but softened with a touch of olive oil and some tender tomatoes. Oh, and we did have a drink in the piazza before dinner, but inside the bar, which was dark and wooden with arched brick vault ceilings. Much fun. Today, it's off to Pisa!