Cavalieri Park Lucca

We arrived from Lucca just in time for a sublime sunset... it was like the sky was on fire!! See photos!!<br>I was a bit pooped so I opted to stay in the scoobs reading and relaxing while Kim headed into the village to scope it out. <br>Next morning started with a beautiful sunrise which was quickly replaced by some storm clouds. Fortunatly the storm passed over without parting with a drop of rain and we had sun again when we both headed ...

Kim had taken her grandma to Lucca last November and had fallen in love with the place. <br><br>We found a park not far from the city walls and then headed in for a look. We came across a chocolate festival in one of the piazzas and sampled a few beforw buying a hot cocolate drink...literally hot chocolate in a cup. It made me feel a bit sick.<br><br>Walking Lucca is like a big ...

... bridge to survive World War II) over the Arno River. The jewelry shops that line the bridge are still owned by descendants of the original owners from the 15th century. <br><br>After completing our walk, we hunted our notes for a fun place to have dinner on our last night in Italy. We found just the place at Il Latini. The wait staff does their best to not hand out any menus, and they basically give you whatever they feel like ...

... For almost a year, Chris and I have been referencing our Tuscan dinner whenever we have some extra spare change to tuck away: this is for our Tuscan dinner! Well, tonight was the night and it was soooo worth the wait. It's truffle season in Tuscany and there are few things we love more than truffles. Three hours later, we closed the place after an amazing five course meal near a roaring fire. It was yet another "pinch me" moment.<br><br>:)<br><br><br>

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>

... to visit &#8212; it was so nice to see them, and to be able to show off the villa that I&#8217;d been raving about for the past few weeks. I think they were just relieved to see how happy I am here. We visited the Accademia and the Uffizi, where I tried to remember some random facts I&#8217;d learned in art history so they&#8217;d think that I was becoming an art aficionado &#8211; I don&#8217;t think I fooled them!

... guiy next to me had a 7 days sweat stink. And he talked, and when he talked he'd life his arms, and they stank. Really, really stank. For and hour. And trains were still late. We got to the town at about 10pm, late because we had to change our route. And trains were late. (Did I mention that?) But after walking all over town, we found a place to ...

... for over 2 weeks, so I was going crazy. So what if now, there's some italian mixed in, at least I can jam to Christina:) I cranked up the AC and curled up into a ball to sleep and it was fantastic. Last night I walked around a bit and took picutres. Today I went to the Duomo, to all the markets, and then to some gardens, which were great, but I am so wiped out, so instead of going to Rome immediately, I'm going to go ahead and divert myself ...

... Lucca around 5:15 PM. Lucca is a great little city only about a half hour from Pisa. It still has its complete medieval wall and ramparts fully intact, and today they make an excellent park for walking, jogging, biking, or just hanging out. Everyone I talked to, when I told them I was going to Lucca said, "What's in Lucca?", or "I've been there, there's not much there". That's the beauty of it: what is in Lucca is Italians, and not tourists. The ...

... walk, which I stopped along the way to take in the countryside scenery. It was a beautiful day for the walk. Just at the edge of town I found the Ristorante La Castellana with its outdoor tables facing the valley. The menu had a nice variety of dishes. Lunch was excellent. I ordered just a primi: Pappardelle al sugo di cinghiale (wide pasta with wild boar meat), water, and a glass of red wine; cantucci and vin santo for dessert - all for 20 euros ...