It is evening time in this quaint city and we have just returned from a walk along a part of the wall that surrounds Lucca. The wall has stood for 2000 years and grants the city a safe, protected feel; you can weave in and out of tiny alley-like streets without huge impediment from vehicular traffic; pedestrians and cyclists all travelling between piazzas, shops, cafes, gelaterias and pizzarias. The kids usually walk ahead, hand in hand and discuss Pokemon and their future pet dragons, stopping only to stare into tourist shops or to beg for gelato – a delight that we have consumed everyday since arriving in Italy.
We have created a home base in Lucca and have used trains to visit neighbouring cities. In Florence we walked around the Duomo and spent a couple of hours at the Leonardo Da Vinci museum exploring his incredible inventions. The kids loved building a self supporting bridge (I think Nick enjoyed that activity too!), solving Stomachions, and constructing polyhedrons. Jake had his tongue out in concentration and was independently focused until he finished a dodecahedron, while Addy built a tetrahedron. While these experiences were both incredible, we felt that Florence was really too busy and after a delicious pizza lunch (thank you old Lonely Planet handbook) we headed back home.
Later in the week, to celebrate Nick’s birthday we ventured to Pisa to see what the ‘leaning’ was all about. Pisa is very close to Lucca and we were able to get there, take in the sights, get lost – find and eat gelato (this turned to be the second best gelato we have had so far) and make it back in time to buy pizza from two pizzerias nearby that we had been eyeing. To compare the pies we decided on an epic blindfolded ‘eat off’ for Nick b-day dinner. I am not sure that we picked a true winner, but we did discuss the subtle/delicious difference between the sauce, crust and toppings.
For our final day trip we headed on a longer train ride to Cinque Terre – this is a little further, but completely doable in a day. We got off in Monterosso the furthest fishing village and were happy that we had packed swimsuits because the sun was warm and the beach very inviting. We relaxed in the sand for a few hours and swam in the Mediterranean. We then walked towards Vernazza along a craigy path, up ancient staircases; through farms and vineyards. It was hot and the kids’ enthusiasm peaked when we encountered a man selling fresh lemonade – he tried to convince us to buy limoncello and homemade wine too, but we had more walking to do! We were so proud of the kids for pushing through the final climb and descent (glad we have Bruce Trail training :)) and they were rewarded with creamy, cold gelato..of course(this turned out to be the best gelato we have had so far).
We are saying goodbye to Lucca this week, but are excited that we are staying in Italy – onward to Jake’s city of choice (and more delicious eats…oh and gondolas) !
Wasup? Addy here! As my parents said, we love Italy! The food, architecture and music’s amazing! Gelato is one of the best things I have ever tasted and it’s everywhere! Lucca is a really nice city. And there is SO much shopping!!! I love our apartment because finally there’s a… TV!!! I also like it because in our kitchen there are three separate bins for organic, paper and plastic garbage! See y’all later! Bye!
Happy Birthday, Nick! So much pizza and gelato..sounds heavenly. A month in already and such incredible travels so far. Can’t wait to see where you head next.
Happy Birthday, Nick. I really enjoyed the tour of Lucca! And those are some great pictures, as well. And what do you know, … the Leaning Tour of Pisa (or is it Pizza :)!! Pizza in Italy must taste really good. And, the gelato is also a true Italian culinary experience. It always brightens up my day to check in on the intrepid travelers. Thanks for all the great news.