Lovely Lucca.

This past Sunday was a rainy day throughout the entire region of Tuscany. But instead of sitting at home in my apartment being unproductive I decided to make the most out of my time here in Italy and take a little trip to the town of Lucca. With my trenchcoat and umbrella in tow I made my way to the train station where I hopped on an hour and fifteen minute train ride. Lucca is an amazingly beautiful town that is mostly famous for its still in-tact Renaissance city walls. I headed inside of the city walls only to find myself completely dumbfounded by the map I found. Finally I found the courage to ask a woman for help and with a bit of terrible Italian, Spanish and English we somehow communicated and she walked me to where she was meeting her friends for coffee which was right where I wanted to be. I love that in a town where I knew no one I found such a friendly face. I spent my rainy Sunday exploring the winding cobblestone streets of Lucca and entering every church and viewing every piazza possible.

not my photo, but still

 Lucca was built by the Etruscans and eventually became a Roman colony. Traces of the ampitheater can still be seen in Piazza dell Anfiteatro.  One of the highlights of my day was seeing Il Volto Santo (The Holy Face of Lucca) which is a huge relic supposedly carved by Nicodemus and finished by angels.  I ended my journey with a trip to the very famous Antico Caffe di Simo, (where Opera composer Giacomo Puccini used to go) with an amazing cappuccino.

Although the rain masked some of Lucca's beauty, it gave my day an eerie and ancient feeling that went along perfectly with my coffee and my journal. It's these hidden gems of Italy that I keep discovering that make me fall more and more in love with this country and my travels.
xoxo, Emily