Lucca's spot

Friday, June 20, 2014

The first travellers, the pilgrims are back in Lucca

How many miles have you done in your excursions in Lucca, Florence, Siena or wherever during your stay in Italy?


Did you expect it? I believe you can be tired but hopefully you are even more satisfied of your efforts. Was it worthy to see that Cathedral, that tower or that square, wasn't it?


Now think for a minute how it could have been in the past, in medieval times: no trains, no cars, no planes... just your two feet and stick. You would have been called nor a traveler, neither a tourist, but a pilgrim. 


That's the main event this weekend in Lucca: the Via Francigena, a medieval route 1600 km
long from Canterbury to Rome

For three days the city will become again a place where the pilgrims can find a shelter, a place to rest, to have some food and something to drink, so that the day after they can continue their path towards Rome. Don't get wrong they won't stay in a hotel or in a b&b, but there will be some lucchese family that will open the door of their houses, exactly how it was in the past.

On Saturday at 12.00 you can attend the opening of the new museum dedicated to the Via Francigena on walls at The Headman's House on the San Salvatore bulwark.The pilgrims will have lunch later in San Francesco square.


On Sunday evening at 21.00 to end the event there will be a free concert in San Michele's church with a choir and an orchestra: The Masters of the Saint Cecilia Chapel (Cathedral of Lucca) between 1800 and 1900".


A quite unusual and interesting even this weekend is held in Camaiore, a village in the Versilia area, that you can easily reach by train or by bus from Lucca.




Long coloured sawdust carpets called "pula" in dialect will cover the centre to celebrate the religious Corpus Domini. The artisans need usually some months to prepare them: choosing the theme, that can be religious, social, geometrical or flower decoration, then they have to select the colours and finally they can do the mixture of sawdust and aniline. These carpets can be 200 meters long.


Probably this tradition has started in the 1800, the Borbone family used to do these carpets with flowers to welcome their noble guests. Later on sawdust has replaced the flowrers.


The Camaiore artisans are very proud about this event. They stay awake all the night before to arrange them and so you have to be there quite quickly on Sunday morning because during the day the procession will walk on them... As everything that it is beautiful, they are ephemeral.


Please read here if you need more information.





Tomorrow Summer will officially start and Tuscany has decided to welcome the Solstice with many events in the whole region. From Florence to Pisa, Lucca to Siena please check this website for the program. Unfortunately, I have to admit the city of Lucca itself has not proposed so much, so you might better check the province as Viareggio, Forte dei Marmi or other cities as Florence, Siena and Pisa.


Have a great weekend and on Tuesday at 18.00 you'd better support the Italian football team! ;)


Last but not least do not forget to have a look at the Guinness World Record dinner on the walls on Friday!