at the entrance of the Duomo di San Martino

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The entrance to the Duomo was a contrast of light and shade as people gathered about the doorway.

Walking the Via Beccheria

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With the buildings of the Renaissance layered over a medieval town, itself built on a Roman village, a walk along the streets provides a constant reminder of the length of history and the brevity of the individual.

night cafe at Piazza Antelminelli

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The pale stonework of the city becomes brooding in the low light of night, and this cafe, close to the cathedral, provided an island of light and liveliness.

morning walk on the Via Vittorio Emanuele II

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This view is near the little grocery store that we frequented.  Its floors were linoleum, but the ceilings were frescoes, celebrating a glorious past.

Afternoon at San Michele

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This open piazza in the center of Lucca was always filled with people and interesting light.  I would walk through in the late afternoon and admire the shadows on the buildings.

San Michele in Foro, Lucca

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The piazza next to the  San Michele church was smaller than the nearby Piazza Napoleone, but its intimacy made it seem livelier and allowed the adjacent buildings to cast their changing shadows on their neighbors, like a slow moving play of shadow puppets.

Pietrasanta cafe

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In the principal square of Pietrasanta, this busy cafe gives patrons a chance to consider the cathedral and the busy activity of the piazza in front of it.

Near Pisa, Alberga Villa Marta

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On the walls of Lucca

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As we finished our walk along the walls one morning, we spied this young couple having a quiet tete-a-tete before school.

San Martino in the afternoon

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The afternoon sun would rake the front of the cathedral, creating echoing shapes of the arches of the church. 

At the foothills of Lucca

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A range of mountains separates the Renaissance rivals of Lucca and Pisa.  Cycling along the river, this collection of houses would have been the first to see the rivals coming.

Along the Serchio

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On a sunny day, we rented bicycles and made our way to the river, the Serchio, which meanders close to the city.  Across the way, a church anchors a village.

Checking the phone near San Martino

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Near the principal church of Lucca, a side entrance offers steps and shade for a student to check his phone.

Morning Shopper along the Via S. Paolino

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First thing in the morning, we have a cup of coffee, have a walk, and proceed to the local bakery.  We meet other early shoppers on similar routines. 

waiter in the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro

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There are a range of cafe's around the perimeter of the space where a Roman theater once stood.  With daily specials, the waiters watch like hawks for possible patrons.

A light rain in Pietrasanta

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We stopped in Pietrasanta on our way to Lucca.  A soft, intermittent rain arrived and the umbrellas bloomed around us.

Piazza Napoleone, Lucca

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Piazza Napoleone is a large piazza in the center of Lucca, in front of city hall.  It is often the site of markets, like this one which operate for several days and then disappear. 

Next to San Michele, Lucca Italy

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