We said our goodbyes to our little piece of paradise on the Italian coast. I will miss sleeping to the rhythmic sounds of the waves lapping the shore and the smell of the sea air.
After a last breakfast on the terrace, we finished packing and hauled our suitcases down the 138 stairs!! Cinque Terre is not for the faint of heart or physically compromised! We decided to catch an earlier train to Lucca, since our experience with the timeliness of the regional trains in this area was sketchy, and we only had a few minutes between one connection.
The train ride through the countryside was lovely as we left the coast and headed inland. We arrived in Lucca as scheduled and took a taxi to our flat where our landlady was waiting to greet us. The flat will be perfect for our short time here.
We had made arrangements to meet Cindy (a high school bestie) once we had arrived and settled in. Both of our apartments are within the walled city of Lucca making everything easily walkable and close. She met us at our place and, with a glorious afternoon to greet us, we headed out into the beautiful walled city.
Lucca is a welcomed change of pace after the busyness and crowds of Cinque Terre. Although there are cars allowed within the wall, it feels more a pedestrian and bicycle city. Lovely. Our apartment is quite close to the wall and there are access points all along to get you to the top. We were surprised how broad the top of the wall was, very much like a park with pathways, benches, and open spaces. When we had heard you could “walk the top of the wall” this was not what we expected.
It was sweet to be halfway around the globe with an old chum!!
We continued our stroll (Cindy warned us that walking too fast was a sure sign that you were American!) atop the wall until we reached the part of the city where Cindy’s apartment was. A beautiful pied-à-terre flooded with light and a large terrace. You did have to climb 52 stairs to reach it, but it was worth the climb!!
After a tour of her place and a glass of water we headed on through the city. Consistently beautiful and a decidedly homey feel. We threaded our way through streets and plazas eventually finding our way to Undici Undici where we had a cocktail and an aperitivo.
We walked Tom home after cocktails and then Cindy and I continued our city stroll down the ‘Fashion street’, Via Fillungo, until we reached Plaza Anfiteatro. This is the very large public area used for markets and fairs, but where this night it was alive with the restaurants that encircled the plaza. There was no way to do it justice with a photo.
We enjoyed one more glass of wine and a long chat before calling it a night. We walked to a halfway point between our apartments and then we walked our separate ways home.
¡Ciao America! 