Albergo Diana Lucca

... and we stayed until we were ready to retire for the evening.<br><br>Sat 14 Nov<br>Next day we had a sleep-in and then went for a run around the 4km city walls. Twice around was enough for Kim and I managed a 3rd. After a shower we were back in town for more meandering and I had one of the best Cupuccio's (Capuccino) ever!! We found a few hours during siesta to catch up with the ...

I had thought about going to a town which was half an hour away by train to look at a chocolate shop there which was supposed to be quite unique, but I didn&#8217;t feel very well and the thought of being on another local train didn&#8217;t appeal to me. I decided to look at the local chocolate shop in Lucca but it was closed on Mondays. The ...

... walked through to get to the marina where we had lunch at a ristorante while we watched a fisherman mending his nets. The marina is overlooked by a castle and there are many lemon groves on the hillsides. This is where limoncello is made and was popular in the shops. After lunch we decided to go for a walk along one of the tracks that overlooks the village, but it got too steep before we got a very good view. We caught the train to Corniglia where we ...

Just realized those not on facebook haven't seen pictures from Pisa and Florence. No long recap of Anthony and I's weekend in Tuscany, for obvious reasons. Also note that "Anthony and Alison's Great Adventure" was like taking a knife.<br><br>Love you guys! :)<br>

Woke to a beautiful day so decided walk into Lucca along the street where there were markets. They were probably typical of markets everywhere with stalls selling clothes, bags, junk and also food. Us girls all bought a cheap bag and I also bought a knitted top which is made in Italy. The food was typical Italian meats and cheeses with a couple of things that were a bit different. There was some sort of very large ...

... walked from if we had a good map)) but went on to Centrale where I knew we could get a bus to the Piazza dei Miracoli. Even with instructions from my friend Kate who had just been there, it still took us a while to work out from the signs where exactly we had to get the bus, and once we got on it was crowded and stuffy. Once we got there, it was all good as we got our tickets and had 40 minutes before we were to climb the ...

... Medieval City Walls. <br><br>A trolley took us through Pisa center toward the Arno River which divides the city. We passed by the Gothic Church della Spina, the old port, the Town Hall, and the Piazza dei Cavalieri. A short stop at a local restaurant near the Field of Miracles offered a drink of Tuscan area wine. Here, we couldn't pass on purchasing a bottle of local Limoncello which we thought we would enjoy while relaxing ...

... for "Madame Butterfly". As we make our way back down Via Fillungo, the streets are alive with people. Everyone has come out to shop, eat, and generally enjoy themselves during the festivities. It begins to rain, and it is at this moment that we stumble upon the purveyor of some of the best bread we have ever tasted! Amedeo Giusti...it's a local ...

Today was our day of crazy ladies. We started in Florence with plans to head to a quaint, medieval town of Lucca. So what is all this about Crazy Ladies? First, we decided to climb to the top of the Duomo in Florence to get a better view of the incredible ceiling and also a panoramic view of Florence. Consider that the stairwells are narrow and dimly lit...and 467 stairs. The travelers up share the same stairwell with those traveling down ...

... with him! So I have a ton to look forward to its just hard to say goodbye to my life here. The thing is, I will get to take everything I have learned about myself and who I am back to my life in the states. That is the most important thing. I really feel like I have grown up so much after being here and I cannot wait to share my experiences with my friends and family! Now I just have to survive the rest of finals week! (6 days till I'm home!)