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Great Day Trips
Even good
guide books don't do justice to
all that Italy has to offer. Some of the following trips can be found in
some of the books, but some are simply based on our own pleasant
experiences. Together they suggest the wide range of activities
available in Northwestern Tuscany.
If you are a fan of English
poetry, you may remember that Byron, Shelley, Keats and others fell
madly in love with the towns on the Gulf of Spezia. As a result,
the gulf became known as the Bay of Poets. You can reach La Spezia in
about an hour from Lucca. It has some great shopping streets and a huge
open air market with foods and clothing available in the stalls
stretching for several blocks. The shopping streets are closed to cars
so it's possible to window shop at your leisure. As in most cities, however, the shops close for
siesta from 1 o'clock until 3:30 or 4 pm. so plan your day accordingly.
Stylish clothing, leathers, costume jewelry and children's clothing can
be good values if the exchange rate is favorable. Most shops have someone who can understand English and the
shopkeepers will go out of their way to make a sale.
Of course, the English poets didn't come here for
the shopping. They sought out the picturesque villages along the coast
for their adventures. Portovenere is a charming fortified village built
on the south end of the gulf. From here, on a clear day, you can
see the cliffs of the Cinque
Terre.
Near the ancient church in Portovenere is the rocky shore where Byron
would plunge into the sea to swim to Lerici
to visit his friend Shelley.
There are lots of places to eat along the shore
and in the narrow streets that wind through the village up near the old
church. We had a delicious cold lunch here in a little bar just a few
yards from the church. The barkeeper took pity on us, foolish Americans,
who could not remember that bars and other shops are closed in the
mid-afternoon. She served us heaping platters of fresh anchovies, cold
meats and vegetables drenched in olive oil accompanied by pitchers of
vino di tavola. Talk about poetry!
Many of the shops sell good pottery and trinkets. Cinque
Terre
vintages can be found in many shops. This is a beautiful village to just
stroll, window shop and stop for an occasional sample of the local
cuisine.
On the east side of the bay, are the villages of
San Terenzo and Lerici.
A nice stroll between these two gems is found along the beaches
affording an extended view of the lovely harbor and its fishing fleet.
On either end of this walk, are the village castles dating from the 13th
century. On the Lerici
end is a small shopping square from
which you can obtain boat passage to the Cinque
Terre.
Of course, there are lots of places to
eat here. Just up the Via Doria pathway off the Lerici
square, toward the Doria
Park Hotel, on the right through
the arch, is a wonderful seafood restaurant, Il Pescatore.
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About 6 km northwest of La Spezia, you will find
Riomaggiore, the first village of the Cinque
Terre
perching on rocky cliffs above the sea. Riomaggiore is a tiny
fishing village of multistoried, pastel houses, with narrow, steep
streets winding down to the sea. This village and its four companions on
the coast were completely isolated until the advent of the railroad. Now
the five villages are linked by train as well as by the ancient footpath
that runs along the coast.
A leisurely walk between two or more of the
villages along the footpath offers absolutely breathtaking views of the
sea and surrounding mountains. The cliffs are terraced and planted with
vineyards and vegetable gardens. It is easy to imagine what this area
must have looked like two centuries ago, for the houses and terraces
have not changed.
The path, although poorly maintained in some
areas, is fairly level. As you look back, you can see the houses and
shops of the last village set against the terraced and manicured hills.
Look ahead to see another village in an unspoiled setting. The trail has
plenty of spots for great photo opportunities. There are several spots
where the path drops to beach level and the climb back to the main
footpath level can be moderately taxing. The blue Mediterranean sea is
very inviting but swimming is probably not advised. However, there
are several spots where one can safely wade, and the northernmost
villages of Monterosso and Vernazza have some nice swimming beaches
which are typically not crowded.
You may want to plan a lunch in Manarola, the
second of the villages. The local restaurant serves a delicious fritto
misto as well as some lovely risottos and pastas. The fritto misto we
experienced was served on huge platters and was light and delicate and
perfectly fresh. The pastas were wonderful and full of mysteriously
tasty sea food. We enjoyed our lunch while seated on a covered deck
looking out at the Mediterranean surrounded by charming buildings and
cooled by a soft breeze.
After lunch, you may want to continue on to the
next village or return to Riomaggiore by train. The train runs about
every hour and stops in each of the villages. If you do continue on, you
may want to take a gelato break before returning. Each of the villages
has a few shops for trinkets and postcards, a restaurant, gelato bar and
a wine shop. The Cinque
Terre
is known for its wine which may be purchased in any of the villages or
in any of the larger cities. It's fairly expensive, but makes a lovely
souvenir, if you ignore the conventional Italian wisdom - wine travels
best in the stomach!
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A short 45-minute journey north from Lucca to
Carrara will acquaint you with some wonderful scenery as well as provide
a glimpse into the ancient practice of quarrying marble from these
mountains. Carrara means marble and Michaelangelo thought of marble
quarrying as an art just as serious as the actual shaping of the stone.
A trip to the most famous marble quarries ("cavi") in the
world will undoubtedly increase your appreciation of both the arts of
quarrying and carving this beautiful stone.
The rivers and streams in Massa Cararra run white
with the dust from the quarries, some of which have been active since
Roman times. There are many quarries open to the public. It is possible
to drive to several (simply follow the signs in the town below) and there
are several related exhibits in town including the Museo del Marmo.
Not far away, is the great Marina di Carrara, the
marble port from which the famous stone is shipped all over the world.
Just to the north is the ancient Roman site of Luni, a colony built as a
defense against the Ligurians, and now an exciting archeological
exploration. If diggings are your interest, this may be worth a separate
day's trip.
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No opera
buff can
visit this region without a trip to the shrine of the master, Giacomo
Puccini. All of his operas except his final one, Turandot, were written
here. Puccini's villa is on the banks of the picture postcard Lake
Massaciuccoli and he, his wife and son are buried in the chapel next to
the villa. These may be visited from 9-12 and 3-7pm during the summer.
This might be a lovely setting for a picnic lunch and lazy afternoon nap
or one might explore the nearby resorts of Viareggio, Marina
di Pietrasanta and
Forte dei Marmi. All of these destinations are within a 30 minute drive
from Lucca. And don't forget Puccini's home inside the walls of
Lucca.
It is now a wonderful museum, well worth a visit.
For opera lovers, each summer in July and August, a
Puccini opera festival is held at the site of the Master's final
residence on the shores of Torre del Lago, near the sea just west of
Lucca. The schedule for the upcoming season is normally available in
late Spring/early Summer. For information on the schedule, tickets,
history, etc., click here: Puccini
Festival.
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If you arrived via Pisa, you may
have seen its most famous monument, the leaning tower, from the air.
Even if you did, the city, which 900 years ago was known as "the city of
marvels", is worth a day's exploration. The great cathedral complex of Pisa, the Campo
Dei Miracoli, "field of Miracles", was begun about 1060
AD. Over the next two centuries, the duomo, the baptistry, mideival cemetery
(Camposanto) and the leaning tower were created by some of the greatest
architects and artists of the time, reflecting the history and
aspirations of their creators. The baptistry is the largest of its kind
in Italy. The Duomo is one of the first and finest examples of
Romanesque architecture. The Duomo and Baptistery include pulpits
by the father and son masters Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, recognized as
creators of modern figure scupture.
And, of course, you need to decide for yourself whether the tower leans
by accident or by plan. Some believe that the entire complex shows such
sophistication and advanced mathematical knowledge (for example, the
cathedral has the first elliptical dome in Europe), that the lean of the
tower must have been precisely designed. As you are probably aware, in the last couple of
years, through removal of material under one side of the tower, the lean
has actually been stabilized, and the public is now allowed to climb the tower again.
The Campo dei Miracoli also includes two
museums and a cloister for additional exploration. There is a festa on
June 25th, (Giacco del Ponte) which culminates in a giant tug of
war over the Arno river. As in all Italian cities, food is plentiful
though not necessarily cheap. It's probably best to leave your car in
the car park near the Campo dei Miracoli and walk.
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Florence
ranks near the top of our favorite
Italian destinations. It
can easily be reached by train, bus or car from anywhere in Northern
Italy. The, train/bus stations are centrally located and Florence
is compact and flat enough for easy
walking. Florence
is a lively cosmopolitan city, the birthplace of the Renaissance - a
cradle of Western Civilization. There are simply too many gems to list
here! A good guide
book will help you make the most
of any visit to Florence.
The city is has some good shopping streets and some fun markets in
addition to more good art than any city in Europe. You must see
Donatello's "Magdalene", a wood carving at the Duomo Museum.
Have an espresso at a table in the Piazza della Signoria. After a brief
tour of the Uffizi gallery, you can stroll across the Ponte Vecchio to
the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens. Depending on the time of
year you are there, advance tickets for the major attractions are
recommended. Contact
Us for how you can get them.
But, whatever you do, don't forget to, visit the
flea market, Mercato Nuovo, near the Duomo and rub the nose of Il
Porcellino, the bronze cinghale (wild boar) and wish fervently to
return to Florence! Check out this site - with
live views from the Duomo!
Just a note of caution - having a
car in Florence
is a little like having a bad cold --
you are going to feel miserable, no matter what you do about it. Parking
in Florence
is expensive and difficult at best and
driving through the city is, well, challenging. To top it off, maps
are often inaccurate regardless of how much they cost. When we drive in,
we usually park under the Stazione Centrale di Santa Maria Novella
(main
train station), so even if you drive you start at the same place as if
you had taken public transport.
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Barga and Bagna di Lucca are within an 1/2 hour
north of Lucca by car. Via autostrada, Genoa is about two hours, Milan
is about three hours and Venice
and Torino about four. The Italian
Riviera, that stretch of coast
from La Spezia north to Genoa, has world famous beaches and resorts.
Leisurely drives up the valley to Barga and Bagna di Lucca and through
the mountains of the Garfagnana region to Castelnuovo di Garfagnana and
beyond will afford you some spectacular scenery. And you will certainly
want to spend some time exploring the morning markets in the mountain
villages surrounding Lucca. Each morning a traditional market is held in
a different village. A schedule of these is given to you at the time of
arrival in the Lucca area. Local produce and wares are offered for sale.
Festas celebrating the local churches' patrons take place in each
of the villages throughout the summer months. These candlelight
processions are followed by traditional songs and dances and, of course,
a hearty offering of local delicacies.
Horseback riding and bike rentals can be arranged.
There are many musical events help throughout the year in Tuscany; we
can provide schedules and telephone numbers if you wish, and in the
Lucca area, assist you in obtaining tickets. The Lucca opera season is
in September and October, while the Puccini festival at Torre del Lago
occurs in August of every year.
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Of course, one option, and, frankly, by far our
favorite activity, is to spend the day relaxing at your villa, enjoying
the local food and wine and la dolce far niente - the sweetness
of doing nothing.
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