Lucca.. LOVE.

Sunday is my day off and per recommendation of Tut, the helper before me, I spent the day in northern Toscana, in a town called Lucca.

Highlights:
•walking on top of the ancient wall in the rain
•eating delicious pastries and cappuccino for under 4€
•cruising on a Classico bike around the entire city on the ancient wall and then thru town...what a better way to explore! How have I not done this in Italy yet? (this fun has solidified my decision to go big for the vespa tour to Chianti...stayed tuned)
•Climbing the 230 mostly very scary and dungeon-esque stairs up Torre Guinigi to a beautiful (green!) view of town (this is the tower with ilex trees on top)
•wandering through tiny stone paved streets to enjoy the beauty with a relatively low amount of tourists
•the ancient outdoor amphitheater (now a buzzing piazza of shops and restaurants)
•beautiful churches, beautiful buildings
•found the perfect gift for my host...embroidered napkins that I got to watch get made!

*Fun Fact: Lucca is where famous composer Puccini was born!