Grand Tour of Italy: Lucca

By now, you should have this map memorized:

The afternoon we went to Pisa, we went to Lucca first in the morning.

They're only 19 km apart, so it was a no-brainer.

The very first thing we saw as we entered the city was the Basilica of San Frediano.

It sits on the Piazza San Frediano, built in 1112-1147.

In the 13th century the golden mosaic was added,

representing The Ascension of Christ the Savior with the apostles below.

And all we did was walk pass it, with only enough time to snap these photos (above)!

We continued walking, on a mission, passing things that caught my eye, 

like the terrace on another piazza (right-center)...

which happens to be the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro.

[Wiki image]

Don't you love the AGE of these old, Medieval cities!

We even passed the statue honoring Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), born in Lucca 

and called "the greatest composer of Italian opera after Verdi."

But our mission that day was another basilica:  the San Michele in Foro,

first mentioned in 795, built over the ancient Roman forum.

It's dedicated to the Archangel Michael.

I was fascinated by the front facade, seeing it from the back.

I see "the stairway to heaven," don't you?!

While the others stopped to eat lunch at a café by the corner of the church,

Astrid and I walked around it....

and then went inside.  That was more important to us than eating!

(We had brought fruit and nuts, which was enough.)

Do you see anything missing...like maybe...pews/chairs?

But there's an altar...

and, yes, a pulpit and organ!

What more could you ask for!

Astrid and I don't need to know what every little thing is or means,

because we know we're going to forget it anyway (which is what Google is for).

We were in Lucca for only 2 hours before getting back on the bus to Pisa.

But are we glad we got to see it?  Are you kidding me?  How can we forget it!

Grand Tour of Italy: Siena

Do you feel like you're going around Robin Hood's barn yet?? HA!

We're back to Tuscany, where we've already seen Pisa, San Gimignano and Florence.

Today it's Siena, the afternoon of the day we saw San Gimignano.

There are so many impressions when you walk into any one of these cities.

I especially liked looking down the side streets as we walked towards city center.

But at the get-go, from afar, we saw what we were there for:  the Cathedral and Town Hall square.

In our under 3 hours (which included lunch), we were on a mission.

It so happens that the Town Hall on the Piazza del Campo came first.

It's hard to get fancier than that, as far as tall towers are concerned.

But the piazza itself was humongous and captivating.
We entered it from a street above, through a narrow archway (top-left).

It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday that April 6th.

Look at the Fonte Gaia ("Fountain of the World") off to one side of the piazza, built in 1419.

I wonder now if people are allowed to cool off in it on hot, summer days?

From the Piazza del Campo we made our way to Siena's cathedral.

I have no clue what we passed along the way...

but when I saw the Duomo/Cathedral, I knew why we were there.

It was consecrated in 1215.

The many faces of this cathedral...

with a Romulus and Remus statue to the left of the front entrance.

Now go inside!

I always start with the nave, both front and back...

and then up.

And down.

And then I look for the pulpit...this one made of Carrara marble,

sculpted by Nicola Pisano and others between 1265 and 1268.

I found two organs for Mom.

Everything has a name and is important, I'm sure.

One could spend hours, days, weeks inside and still not see everything.

Then there's the Piccolomini Library, adjoining the cathedral...

housing illuminated choir books and frescoes.

Talk about the cherry on top!

Did I mention that Siena's city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995?

Did I mention how very worthwhile this tour has been for us,
even if we only got snatches of every place we saw?!