Lucca's spot

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Tourist for a Day: Siena.

Last Saturday 28 dec,  I was free from arrivals and business matters so I decided to take a day off! … A whole day only for me and my boyfriend. We decide to be "Tourists for a Day": we will go to Siena!!  … just like all my guests do… just to understand if it is really worth it! 

Last time I visited Siena, I was very young. I went there on a sunday - trip with my parents and sister.. 25 years ago? Maybe 30? I know! It’s unbelievable … but as always happens…. you choose to massacre yourself with a 24 hours flight … and you leave the beauty of your country to the others… we are really stupid.
Anyway!! Yes. Siena is beautiful as described in all the books, guides, websites …blogs and so on. It is worth it. And if you come to Tuscany you cannot miss a day-trip there.
It is very similar as Lucca and at the same time very different….It is slightly smaller than Lucca.  Lucca is completely flat. Siena is "up and down". I am sure my guests will love to know it. It is much more crowded than Lucca. On the other side it is a jewel… and when you start walking throughout the daedal of medieval streets … you forget everything, you forget similarities and differences, you forget where you have parked the car, and you forget how to come back to the train station… (now I can understand why so many guests get lost so often!!) When the cathedral  appears to your eyes  at the end of the narrow and shadowed road.. it is vibrant…. it is really exiting. It’s beautiful. Nothing more than beautiful. 

After a first quick glance to the cathedral, we went  straight to Piazza del Campo.. almost desert in this end of the year.. ( a very good reason to come to Tuscany off season is that the number of people you share your emotion really decreases. In my personal opinion this increases the value of your experience) 

..  We walked all the Palio track… admired the majestic buildings overlooking the square .. until I found myself to take pictures to pigeons on the Fonte Battesimale more than to the monument itself. We all are always surrounded by pigeons. Tuscany must be the favorite place of all the pigeons on the world… … while taking pictures to pigeons.. I felt..  from my shoulders something was calling me: Sure! La Torre del Mangia was calling me. With my passion of climbing everything is possible to climb.. could I miss it?  So we decided to walk up to the top of the tower. Almost 90 meters high.. I don t know how many steps… I haven t counted them..  but many!! We were so lucky to find a sunny and clear day.. without any wind.. despite it is the end of december the weather was really pleasant… it helped to enjoy the breathtaking view on the town and the surrounding countryside. Unforgettable. 


We stayed on the top for 20 minutes… ( have a look at the couple! They have kissed for 20 minutes. I have arrived and they have already kissed. I was going away and they are still kissing. Twenty minutes is a very long time, isn't it?) 



































We took our way back to the Square… Some Shots in the Square… a quick piece of pizza.. and go!!! Straight to the Museum of the Cathedral… Could I miss the just restored marble mosaic floors and the Libreria Piccolomini? I could not!  Amazing. The Church is incredibly decorated, pretty impressive. You realize that the 2 euros paid for the visit become acceptable. I mean:  it's not good you have to pay for visiting a Church. I have never liked it and I have always though that art and history must be open to everybody and free.. but when you get into such a place you immediately understand that the strength and the work to preserve everything from the time and the ruin must be rewarded. The restoration of the original pavement is the result of an enormous work… The preservation and the maintenance of the decorated walls in the Piccolomini Libreria is another enormous art… this room is a huge treasure..  We were really astonished.. If I can use an italian common say: A Bocca Aperta…  without any mentions to all the other riches in the church… from the marble pulpit to the the cupola with its golden stars, the altar itself…  The visit to the Cathedral took more or less an hour, maybe slightly more… and it was becoming late… but it has not finished yet.

























We have been miraculated. Just out the Cathedral we were admiring the simmetry, the colours and the sunset light on the culumns of the facade… and our eyes bumped into … never the less than Steve McCurry exhibition  which I knew it was ended at the beginning of november. I have accepted it: I’ve lost it!! I could not imagine such a gift from this Christmas!!  It is still open til january the 6th. It was my day. Memorable.




Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Season Greetings from LUCCA!

I wish you all a   M e r r y   C h r i s t m a s  .. and a very Happy, Healthy, Peaceful… New Year.
All my best to all of you!
Merry Christmas

Happy New Year

Peace

Joy 

Health!!!

.. maybe some Luck???

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Children always Welcome!


Walking Tour of Lucca for KIDS


Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of entertainment for kids in Lucca, so I’ve thought of a tour just for them!

We will discover together the city through the exciting legends and stories of Lucca, discovering the fascinating animal and mythological figures that ornate the churches, visiting the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ of Lucca and finishing off by tasting some of the best chocolate in the city, or during the hot season, a great local gelato! This tour will give your kids the possibility to learn something on the culture and history of the city, but in a fun and unusual way, while also giving you a chance to enjoy a couple of hours to yourself! 

Not Only: 

What do you think about a "cooking class" for kids? 

This is another fun entertainment for your kids! 
We will get together at one of your apartments (the most appropriate) and make some simple but fun traditional food, like a Ricotta and chocolate cake, biscotti, home-made focaccia or fresh pasta/gnocchi (we will decide together beforehand). 
Your children will enjoy the art of cooking fresh, genuine dishes, while making new friends and getting busy in the kitchen. To finally enjoy the result of their ‘hard work’!














Friday, February 22, 2013

A nice warm review

It is always a pleasure receiving good reviews... Bob and aw are two my old friend.. they have already stayed in Lucca three times... that's what they write after their third visit.


As always, our two weeks ini Lucca were wonderful, and a major part of the reason is the lovely apartments in which we have stayed. 

We stayed at Calandrino for two weeks in September, 2012. It was our second stay at this location, and our third visit to Lucca. The apartment itself is fantastic, a perfect home away from home. We love being inside the walls. And Calandrino is the perfect location. Each morning we crossed the street to the tiny bakery, that always had wonderful fresh breads, pizza etc. A block away is a small grocery store that could easily fulfill all our needs. For bigger shopping trips we took a short walk to the supermercato outside the walls, again, an easy and fun excursion. Evenings were spent on our terrace, window shopping on nearby Via Fillungo, or listing to opera at the Church of San Giovanni, again an easy walk. Everything is so handy. And what a city for walking in. We enjoyed different restaurants each afternoon, and walked off the calories along the wall, people watching every day. Lucca is our favorite city in Italy, small but big enough to provide history, culture, and good food and wine. 

And staying at one of Debora's apartments means a worry free vacation. Everything is exactly as described, fully furnished and exceptionally clean. And Debora is the perfect host, readily available to assist with any questions or concerns. Grazie Debora!

We are looking forward to our 2013 visit. 

Dow and Bob 


THANK YOU!!