HOW TO GET TO LUCCA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAn hour and 46 minutes Bucharest-Pisa flight, a train ticket bought at an airport counter, then hop on a small subway-like train, which took me from the airport to Pisa Centrale Station in 5 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/italian-train-ticket-machine-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf I have learned anything from the\nmany train journeys through Italy, it is that you must validate your ticket at\nsuch a machine in the station or on the platform, BEFORE you get on the train.\nOtherwise, you are fined! And it doesn’t get validated anyway, you have to\nalign it to the left!…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was lucky because I stood on the platform next to the controllers and, when I asked\nthem where the hell the machine was (as there was none on the platform), they\ntold me to forget about it, because I would miss the train. They said to skip the\nvalidation, because I look like a serious person,\nwith a valid ticket, which I will not use again later…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After 27 minutes of traveling with such\na very slow regional train that I counted all the branches from the trees, I\narrived in Lucca!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first time I came here from Florence. By train. 30 minutes. I didn’t know anything about Lucca, but I was fascinated by the information that \u201eyou can walk on the city wall\u201d. How come?!? I couldn’t really imagine how, so, as soon as I left the station, I went straight towards the wall… And I was extremely surprized when I discovered it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WALLS OF LUCCA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/city-wall-of-lucca-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>2016 fall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/lucca-city-walls-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>2023 winter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe wall surrounds the city, with everything it has that is most beautiful and worth visiting…<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/walls-of-lucca_1-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom place to place, there are access paths on the wall, you can practically climb it from many parts of the city. You go up and you get… into a park! Because the wall is so wide, trees, buildings, bastions, walkers, runners, cyclists, people with dogs or even groups of tourists can all go on it. A parade would fit here too!…<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/walls-of-lucca_3-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/walls-of-lucca_4-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou have benches where you can rest,\nyou have water pumps, so you don’t die of thirst, you have a beautiful view of\nthe city, so definitely, I found it fascinating!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are 4 kilometers of wall that\nsurrounds the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can keep walking on the wall,\nuntil you return to the point where you started. If you lose interest, you can\ngo down to the city at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/porta-san-pietro-lucca-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>Porta San Pietro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe clearest ways to access the wall are the city gates, but there are also steps or paths that take you up the wall at other points in the city as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/walls-of-lucca_5-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn the beginning there was a wall\nbuilt by the Romans \u2013 I learned from the tour guide I just caught at one of the\ncity gates (Porta San Donato). There are still some traces of the Roman wall.\nMoreover, Lucca owes the concentric plan of its center to the Romans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can find some more traces of the\nwall built in the Middle Ages \u2013 because one was also built at that time. Some\nremains are right here, at Porta San Donato.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/lucca-gate_tourism-office-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>Porta San Donato, dating from the Middle Ages <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBasically, there are two gates here \u2013\nthe old one, from the Middle Ages, which today houses the tourism office \u2013 and\nthe new one, of the wall built during the Renaissance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Middle Ages, the wall was 11\nmeters high and 2 meters wide. Two meters only?? Well, naturally, during the\nRenaissance, needs and ambitions increased. Man, let’s build a wall like never\nseen before, it seems that the people said to each other then. And that’s how\nconstruction began (in 1544), a construction that lasted for 106 years! Kind of\nlike in Bucharest on the subway, in the 21st century J.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/lucca-city-wall-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe current wall, the one that people built in the Renaissance, almost 500 years ago, is 12 meters <\/strong>high and… 30 meters <\/strong>wide at the base!!! \u201eThree-zero\u201d, yes, you read that right.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThey\ndug as much as they dug, and they collected tons of earth. Basically, how did\nthey do it? They created mountains from the earth, to help them with the wall.\nThis is why the trees grew so well! If the outer part of the wall is made of\nbrick, the whole inner part of the wall is a mound of earth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/lucca-wall-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>on the wall, fall 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/walls-of-lucca_2-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>on the wall, winter 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis\nnew wall kept Lucca away from any enemy. It was very complicated to come and\nconquer it. Before hitting the high and thick wall, you would come across a\ntrench dug around it, where the inhabitants put water, in case of threat. And\u2026\nready, set, go to swim!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover,\nno construction was allowed on the large land outside the wall, no trees were\nplanted, so the visibility was one to envy! They saw everything that moved\naround!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For\nthis reason, I understand that Lucca had a parallel history with Florence. It\nwas not conquered, and the powerful De Medici family did not manage to mark its\nterritory here either…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lucca\nresisted until Napoleon Bonaparte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wall still\n\u201cresist\u201d today and, if in 2016 I walked only a part of it, now I have set my\nambition to walk the entire length of 4 km, starting from one point and\nfinishing the walk at the same point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What a \u201cwalk\u201d,\nma man, it was like a marathon! 45 minutes of brisk walking took me to finish the\nentire tour. And it also took all my clothes becoming wet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/torre-guinigi-within-the-city-walls-of-lucca-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/baluardo-san-martino-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBut I enjoyed everything I saw from above \u2013 Torre Guinigi, which I can’t wait to tell you about \u2013 and I photographed everything that came my way on the wall, such as the Bastiones or the Mint Museum!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PFANNER PALACE<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/palazzo-pfanner-gardens-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/palazzo-pfanner-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom the city wall, I admire a huge\nvilla, with a beautiful garden, even now, in winter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s not \u201cvilla\u201d, I’m told, but \u201cpalazzo\u201d.\n\u201cPalazzo\u201d = winter residence, while \u201cvilla\u201d = summer residence, outside the\ncity. Ok… Good, I’ve learned something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pfanner Palace <\/strong>dates back to the 17th century and belonged to a rich\nfamily that dealt with the silk trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThen\nit was bought by an Austrian, Mr. Pfanner, who just jumped the fence to come\nhere, because he lived close to the Italian border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This\nman made one of the first breweries in Italy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What’s\ncool is that the family of the Austrian Pfanner still owns the house. They live\non the upper floors, while the first two floors and the gardens are open to the\npublic. You pay 6.5 euros (full price, as there is also a reduced price) and\nyou can take a walk around the house and the yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What’s\neven cooler, is that, on the road, as we followed our guide like sheep, we met\none of the owners! Ha! A guy in his 50s, very normal in attitude and attire. I\nwanted to ask him when he was putting the palazzo up for sale, but I decided to\nwait until I won the lottery first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dog_lucca_1-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dogs_lucca_1-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dogs_lucca_2-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nLucca\nhas about 89,000 inhabitants and a lot of dogs! I have never seen so many dogs\nper square meter in my life. They kiss, they growl, they smell each other,\nnothing out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However,\nit seemed unusual to me that 90% of the Lucca people stay outside the walls and\nonly 10% inside! I thought I was smart enough to say that, probably, because of\nthe prices. Not necessarily because the houses here are more expensive, the\nguide tells me, but because outside the walls you could have facilities that\nsome people really care about. For example, you can have a garage for your car.\nOr a yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When\nyou ask a Lucca person where he lives, you ask him: \u201cdo you live inside or\noutside?\u201d J<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All tourist attractions are inside the\nwall. And I am determined to (re)discover them. Compared to a few years ago,\nwhen I only stayed for a few hours, on a train escape from Florence, now I’ll\nstay for several days!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CATHEDRAL \u2013 DUOMO DE SAN MARTINO<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWhen I came down from the city wall for the first time, in 2016, I went to the very center of the city, where I was impressed by the church<\/strong> San Michele<\/strong>. So I got to work: making selfies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-michele-in-foro_me_2016-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nExcept that San Michele is not the most important in Lucca, but the Cathedral (Dome). So let’s go to the Cathedral first!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-martino_lucca-cathedral-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt is one of the few cathedrals in Italy that is not dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-martino_lucca-cathedral_me-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI, a wrinkled virgin hihi, start to listen to info about the Dome, to read and to observe…<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-martino_lucca-cathedral_detail_2-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-martino_lucca-cathedral_detail_1-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/lucca-cathedral-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe asymmetrical facade of the\nCathedral (the left side is larger) is especially famous for its engravings\ndating from the 12th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see San Martino on the facade, and I\nalso find him inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking of the interior: 3\neuros is the entrance fee to the Cathedral (January 2023). But you can also buy\na combined ticket, for 10 euros, which allows you access to several places\nrelated to the Cathedral, such as climbing the bell tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\nme tell you what I found interesting from what I saw and learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-martino_lucca-cathedral_interior-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe stained glass windows in the\nCathedral were broken during the Second World War. BUT, those from the altar\nwere removed in time and therefore saved! They date from the Renaissance, so\nit’s worth taking a look at them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you enter the Cathedral, the left\nside is full of paintings about the life of the Virgin Mary. The right side is\ndedicated to the history of Jesus. Among the paintings on the right side, there\nis one signed by Tintoretto<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLAST SUPPER TINTORETTO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/last-supper-tintoretto-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nA painting made in very vivid colors, in which there are servants, women (one breastfeeding), an otherwise different Last Supper, where the table is not horizontal, as in the classical representations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
VOLTO SANTO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/volto-santo-lucca-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn the middle of the nave there is an\noctagonal chapel meant to house the precious Volto Santo (Holy Face), a cedar\ncrucifix that is said to have been carved in the image and likeness of Jesus by\nNicodemus, who witnessed the Crucifixion. (Another theory is that two angels\ncarved it.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I did not see it, because its\nrestoration began in September 2022, inside the Dome, in a closed area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the pandemic, the carbon sample\nwas allowed and, thus, they were able to establish that the Holy Face dates\nfrom the 8th century! It is the oldest wooden sculpture in Europe!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the Lucca people, Volto Santo is\nthe most important! But, for other Italians, something else in the Cathedral is\nof major importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TOMB OF ILARIA DEL CARRETTO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a cunning\ngentleman in Lucca. His name was Paolo Guinigi (you will hear this name again).\nThe gentleman in question was one of the governors of the city of Lucca in the\nmedieval period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had 4 wives and they all died…\nWhen the second one, Ilaria, died, Guinigi commissioned\na sculptor from Siena to create a marble sarcophagus. It is said that he\nloved the woman enormously and for this reason he wanted something special for\nher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Ilaria-del-Carretto-grave_lucca-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIlaria’s monument is the most precious sculpture in Lucca and one of the most beautiful in Italy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Ilaria-del-Carretto_lucca-cathedral-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe dog at her feet represents Ilaria’s loyalty, fidelity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THE LABYRINTH<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nAt the exit from the Cathedral, I see a labyrinth on one of the pillars. I look at it like an intelligence test that I fail with flying colors…<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/labyrinth_lucca-cathedral-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nHaving the Greek labyrinth as a model, it is related to Theseus, a character from Greek mythology, who kills the Minotaur and manages to find the exit from the labyrinth in which that one was kept, using a thread given by the daughter of King Minos, Ariadne. Extrapolating, the lesson is that it would be good for all believers to rely on God to show them the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I read that this labyrinth also had\nthe image of Theseus and the Minotaur, but they were erased over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Done with the Cathedral (Dome), I’m\ngoing back to San Michele.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On my way from one to another I come\nacross some churches. The city is full of them! Churches and towers, that’s\nwhat people built here. There is not much left of the towers, but what is left\nis worth considering, so I will return to the subject…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do you know, among the churches I\nsee in Lucca, is one Romanian Church!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/biserica-romaneasca-lucca-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/biserica-romaneasca-lucca_interior-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nMany Romanians come\nhere on holidays or simply for service. They even come from Florence!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I saw the interior, I realized\nwhy: you feel like home and it’s probably the place that soothes your longing\nfor your loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I happened to get there in the middle\nof the religious service. It’s January 1, Saint Basil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SAN MICHELE IN FORO<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-michele-lucca_me-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-michele-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-michele-in-foro_lucca_1-1-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI liked it from the\nfirst moment! As soon as I saw it. And\nclearly this is due to the facade and the position in the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had no idea that it\nwas built on the ruins of an old Roman forum, in the 11th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-michele-in-foro_facade-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nStaring at it and at all the details of the facade, I realize that it is modeled after the Pisa Cathedral (white, gray marble, arches), only that the Lucca people, as far as I understand, also wanted to leave their mark and added to the Romanesque style of Pisa a… original touch \u2013 for example, the columns are different in model, colors. I saw this at the Dome too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-michele-in-foro_lucca_interior_1-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-michele-in-foro_icon-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-michele-in-foro_statue-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-michele-in-foro_painting-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe interior is less attractive \u2013 both the guide-book and the guide-person say this. This is because people spent the budget on the outside… But I am convinced that there are also cool stories about certain things inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-michele-in-foro_detail-1-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-michele-in-foro_detail-2-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/san-michele-in-foro_lucca_interior_2-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nLike, for example,\nthe medieval graffiti on the poles, which I looked for as if choosing my pole\nfor a pole dance…. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I found two, but next\ntime I’ll try harder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not\nfar from the Church of San Michele is the Puccini Memorial House. I’m not\npretending to be cultivated, because I\u2019m not, but at least I should become, I\ntell myself J.\nAnd I’m heading towards the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PUCCINI MUSEUM<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe famous composer Giacomo Puccini was born right here, in Lucca, in 1858.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/giacomo-puccini-house-lucca-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe house is easy to find. The square with the statue of the composer helps me. And as I sit facing the statue, I see a banner on the red building in the corner. That’s the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/puccini-museum_ring-bell-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI\nget to the door and… oops! Although I see Puccini Museum written on the\nbuttons, I admit that I did not press it, as I have never seen such an entrance\nto a museum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\ndoor opens and someone comes out with a bicycle. I take the chance and enter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/giacomo-puccini-house_block-hall-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI\nam practically in a block of flats hall. I entered illegally…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A\ntenant coming down looks at\nme as if he was waiting for the postwoman with the pension money and he doesn’t\nunderstand why she looks like that… I leave. I discover that the ticket for\nthe memorial house must be bought from the square, from another building. The\nsellers encourage me to go back to the red house and ring the doorbell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m ringing. \u201cHello, Mr. Puccini, open the door, I’ve come for a coffee and a song.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/giacomo-puccini-house_interior_3-2-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/giacomo-puccini-house_interior_1-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/giacomo-puccini-house_interior_2-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/giacomo-puccini-house_interior_4-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBorn\nin the family bedroom\u2026 wait\u2026\nthat’s not what I meant, although it’s true, he was born in this bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So:\nborn in a family of musicians with a long tradition \u2013 5 generations! \u2013 it was\nunlikely that Giacomo Puccini would stay away from music. As a child, he\nlearned to play the organ and sang in churches. The Super Bowl didn\u2019t exist\nback then\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now\nspeaking seriously, the kid sang in churches to help his mother, who was left a\nwidow with 7 children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When\nhe was 17 years old, he went to Pisa to see a performance of Verdi<\/strong>‘s Aida<\/strong>. Wow! Shock and euphoria!<\/p>\n\n\n\nPuccini\nwas simply blown away and, basically, that was the moment when he decided that\nthis is what he wanted to do: to compose opera music. The family told him he\nwas crazy… but they couldn’t shake it off him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Giacomo\nwent to Milan to study composition and did that for 3 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/giacomo-puccini-piano-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>Puccini’s most important piano! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/giacomo-puccini-piano_me-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a> No, no, I didn’t touch it, otherwise those people would have thrown me over the city walls! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPuccini\nwrote 12 operas, that’s all. With the third \u2013 Manon Lescaut <\/strong>\u2013 he met the celebrity. He was 34 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHe\nbecame very rich and damn lucky, enjoying success (and money) during his life\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/giacomo-puccini-painting-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/giacomo-puccini-photo-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI don’t know if the paparazzi of the 19th century ran after the \u201cstar\u201d Puccini, but I found out that he didn’t like to sit around as a model at all, when someone painted his portrait. For this reason, they managed to photograph him and thus make his portrait after the photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rita-dell-anna-portrait-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnd,\nspeaking of the painting, I admit that I would not have stopped in front of\nthis painting if I had not read about the lady in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rita della Anna <\/strong>was Puccini’s daughter-in-law. We owe her<\/strong> this memorial house! A few years after the death of her husband (Puccini’s son), she donated the house, along with many documents and pieces of furniture, with the aim of being transformed into a museum. It happened in 1974.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/puccini-autograph-photo-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>picture with Puccini’s autograph <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/puccini-autograph_score-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>
score with Puccini’s signature <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/giacomo-puccini-house_documents-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhether\nyou are passionate about opera or not, this house is worth visiting, for\neverything exposed in it and for the atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I,\na novice, spent half an hour in front of a single museum piece: an absolutely\nfabulous costume!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/turandot-costume-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/turandot-costume_detail-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt\nis the costume used in Act 2 of Turandot\n<\/strong>\u2013 Puccini’s unfinished work \u2013 in the first performance at the Metropolitan\nOpera House in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe\ndetails are\u2026 absolutely jaw-droppingly! I couldn’t take my eyes off the window.\nStanding nailed here, I promised myself that I would go see an opera by Puccini\nas soon as possible. Either one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nguide I had on the walk in Lucca told us that there was a Top of the most\nperformed operas in the world. It looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Verdi \u2013 Traviata<\/li>
- Mozart \u2013 The Magic\nFlute<\/li>
- Bizet \u2013 Carmen<\/li>
- Puccini \u2013 La Boh\u00e8me<\/li>
- Puccini again \u2013 Tosca<\/li>
- and again Puccini \u2013\nMadame Butterfly<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Cool,\nright?!?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/italian-train-ticket-machine.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf I have learned anything from the\nmany train journeys through Italy, it is that you must validate your ticket at\nsuch a machine in the station or on the platform, BEFORE you get on the train.\nOtherwise, you are fined! And it doesn’t get validated anyway, you have to\nalign it to the left!…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was lucky because I stood on the platform next to the controllers and, when I asked\nthem where the hell the machine was (as there was none on the platform), they\ntold me to forget about it, because I would miss the train. They said to skip the\nvalidation, because I look like a serious person,\nwith a valid ticket, which I will not use again later…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After 27 minutes of traveling with such\na very slow regional train that I counted all the branches from the trees, I\narrived in Lucca!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first time I came here from Florence. By train. 30 minutes. I didn’t know anything about Lucca, but I was fascinated by the information that \u201eyou can walk on the city wall\u201d. How come?!? I couldn’t really imagine how, so, as soon as I left the station, I went straight towards the wall… And I was extremely surprized when I discovered it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WALLS OF LUCCA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/a>2016 fall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a>2023 winter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe wall surrounds the city, with everything it has that is most beautiful and worth visiting…<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom place to place, there are access paths on the wall, you can practically climb it from many parts of the city. You go up and you get… into a park! Because the wall is so wide, trees, buildings, bastions, walkers, runners, cyclists, people with dogs or even groups of tourists can all go on it. A parade would fit here too!…<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou have benches where you can rest,\nyou have water pumps, so you don’t die of thirst, you have a beautiful view of\nthe city, so definitely, I found it fascinating!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are 4 kilometers of wall that\nsurrounds the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can keep walking on the wall,\nuntil you return to the point where you started. If you lose interest, you can\ngo down to the city at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Porta San Pietro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe clearest ways to access the wall are the city gates, but there are also steps or paths that take you up the wall at other points in the city as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn the beginning there was a wall\nbuilt by the Romans \u2013 I learned from the tour guide I just caught at one of the\ncity gates (Porta San Donato). There are still some traces of the Roman wall.\nMoreover, Lucca owes the concentric plan of its center to the Romans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can find some more traces of the\nwall built in the Middle Ages \u2013 because one was also built at that time. Some\nremains are right here, at Porta San Donato.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Porta San Donato, dating from the Middle Ages <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBasically, there are two gates here \u2013\nthe old one, from the Middle Ages, which today houses the tourism office \u2013 and\nthe new one, of the wall built during the Renaissance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Middle Ages, the wall was 11\nmeters high and 2 meters wide. Two meters only?? Well, naturally, during the\nRenaissance, needs and ambitions increased. Man, let’s build a wall like never\nseen before, it seems that the people said to each other then. And that’s how\nconstruction began (in 1544), a construction that lasted for 106 years! Kind of\nlike in Bucharest on the subway, in the 21st century J.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe current wall, the one that people built in the Renaissance, almost 500 years ago, is 12 meters <\/strong>high and… 30 meters <\/strong>wide at the base!!! \u201eThree-zero\u201d, yes, you read that right.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThey\ndug as much as they dug, and they collected tons of earth. Basically, how did\nthey do it? They created mountains from the earth, to help them with the wall.\nThis is why the trees grew so well! If the outer part of the wall is made of\nbrick, the whole inner part of the wall is a mound of earth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>on the wall, fall 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/a>on the wall, winter 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis\nnew wall kept Lucca away from any enemy. It was very complicated to come and\nconquer it. Before hitting the high and thick wall, you would come across a\ntrench dug around it, where the inhabitants put water, in case of threat. And\u2026\nready, set, go to swim!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover,\nno construction was allowed on the large land outside the wall, no trees were\nplanted, so the visibility was one to envy! They saw everything that moved\naround!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For\nthis reason, I understand that Lucca had a parallel history with Florence. It\nwas not conquered, and the powerful De Medici family did not manage to mark its\nterritory here either…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lucca\nresisted until Napoleon Bonaparte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wall still\n\u201cresist\u201d today and, if in 2016 I walked only a part of it, now I have set my\nambition to walk the entire length of 4 km, starting from one point and\nfinishing the walk at the same point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What a \u201cwalk\u201d,\nma man, it was like a marathon! 45 minutes of brisk walking took me to finish the\nentire tour. And it also took all my clothes becoming wet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBut I enjoyed everything I saw from above \u2013 Torre Guinigi, which I can’t wait to tell you about \u2013 and I photographed everything that came my way on the wall, such as the Bastiones or the Mint Museum!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PFANNER PALACE<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom the city wall, I admire a huge\nvilla, with a beautiful garden, even now, in winter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s not \u201cvilla\u201d, I’m told, but \u201cpalazzo\u201d.\n\u201cPalazzo\u201d = winter residence, while \u201cvilla\u201d = summer residence, outside the\ncity. Ok… Good, I’ve learned something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pfanner Palace <\/strong>dates back to the 17th century and belonged to a rich\nfamily that dealt with the silk trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThen\nit was bought by an Austrian, Mr. Pfanner, who just jumped the fence to come\nhere, because he lived close to the Italian border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This\nman made one of the first breweries in Italy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What’s\ncool is that the family of the Austrian Pfanner still owns the house. They live\non the upper floors, while the first two floors and the gardens are open to the\npublic. You pay 6.5 euros (full price, as there is also a reduced price) and\nyou can take a walk around the house and the yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What’s\neven cooler, is that, on the road, as we followed our guide like sheep, we met\none of the owners! Ha! A guy in his 50s, very normal in attitude and attire. I\nwanted to ask him when he was putting the palazzo up for sale, but I decided to\nwait until I won the lottery first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nLucca\nhas about 89,000 inhabitants and a lot of dogs! I have never seen so many dogs\nper square meter in my life. They kiss, they growl, they smell each other,\nnothing out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However,\nit seemed unusual to me that 90% of the Lucca people stay outside the walls and\nonly 10% inside! I thought I was smart enough to say that, probably, because of\nthe prices. Not necessarily because the houses here are more expensive, the\nguide tells me, but because outside the walls you could have facilities that\nsome people really care about. For example, you can have a garage for your car.\nOr a yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When\nyou ask a Lucca person where he lives, you ask him: \u201cdo you live inside or\noutside?\u201d J<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All tourist attractions are inside the\nwall. And I am determined to (re)discover them. Compared to a few years ago,\nwhen I only stayed for a few hours, on a train escape from Florence, now I’ll\nstay for several days!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CATHEDRAL \u2013 DUOMO DE SAN MARTINO<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWhen I came down from the city wall for the first time, in 2016, I went to the very center of the city, where I was impressed by the church<\/strong> San Michele<\/strong>. So I got to work: making selfies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nExcept that San Michele is not the most important in Lucca, but the Cathedral (Dome). So let’s go to the Cathedral first!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt is one of the few cathedrals in Italy that is not dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI, a wrinkled virgin hihi, start to listen to info about the Dome, to read and to observe…<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe asymmetrical facade of the\nCathedral (the left side is larger) is especially famous for its engravings\ndating from the 12th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see San Martino on the facade, and I\nalso find him inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking of the interior: 3\neuros is the entrance fee to the Cathedral (January 2023). But you can also buy\na combined ticket, for 10 euros, which allows you access to several places\nrelated to the Cathedral, such as climbing the bell tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\nme tell you what I found interesting from what I saw and learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe stained glass windows in the\nCathedral were broken during the Second World War. BUT, those from the altar\nwere removed in time and therefore saved! They date from the Renaissance, so\nit’s worth taking a look at them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you enter the Cathedral, the left\nside is full of paintings about the life of the Virgin Mary. The right side is\ndedicated to the history of Jesus. Among the paintings on the right side, there\nis one signed by Tintoretto<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLAST SUPPER TINTORETTO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nA painting made in very vivid colors, in which there are servants, women (one breastfeeding), an otherwise different Last Supper, where the table is not horizontal, as in the classical representations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
VOLTO SANTO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn the middle of the nave there is an\noctagonal chapel meant to house the precious Volto Santo (Holy Face), a cedar\ncrucifix that is said to have been carved in the image and likeness of Jesus by\nNicodemus, who witnessed the Crucifixion. (Another theory is that two angels\ncarved it.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I did not see it, because its\nrestoration began in September 2022, inside the Dome, in a closed area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the pandemic, the carbon sample\nwas allowed and, thus, they were able to establish that the Holy Face dates\nfrom the 8th century! It is the oldest wooden sculpture in Europe!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the Lucca people, Volto Santo is\nthe most important! But, for other Italians, something else in the Cathedral is\nof major importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TOMB OF ILARIA DEL CARRETTO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a cunning\ngentleman in Lucca. His name was Paolo Guinigi (you will hear this name again).\nThe gentleman in question was one of the governors of the city of Lucca in the\nmedieval period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had 4 wives and they all died…\nWhen the second one, Ilaria, died, Guinigi commissioned\na sculptor from Siena to create a marble sarcophagus. It is said that he\nloved the woman enormously and for this reason he wanted something special for\nher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIlaria’s monument is the most precious sculpture in Lucca and one of the most beautiful in Italy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe dog at her feet represents Ilaria’s loyalty, fidelity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THE LABYRINTH<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nAt the exit from the Cathedral, I see a labyrinth on one of the pillars. I look at it like an intelligence test that I fail with flying colors…<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nHaving the Greek labyrinth as a model, it is related to Theseus, a character from Greek mythology, who kills the Minotaur and manages to find the exit from the labyrinth in which that one was kept, using a thread given by the daughter of King Minos, Ariadne. Extrapolating, the lesson is that it would be good for all believers to rely on God to show them the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I read that this labyrinth also had\nthe image of Theseus and the Minotaur, but they were erased over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Done with the Cathedral (Dome), I’m\ngoing back to San Michele.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On my way from one to another I come\nacross some churches. The city is full of them! Churches and towers, that’s\nwhat people built here. There is not much left of the towers, but what is left\nis worth considering, so I will return to the subject…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do you know, among the churches I\nsee in Lucca, is one Romanian Church!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nMany Romanians come\nhere on holidays or simply for service. They even come from Florence!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I saw the interior, I realized\nwhy: you feel like home and it’s probably the place that soothes your longing\nfor your loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I happened to get there in the middle\nof the religious service. It’s January 1, Saint Basil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SAN MICHELE IN FORO<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI liked it from the\nfirst moment! As soon as I saw it. And\nclearly this is due to the facade and the position in the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had no idea that it\nwas built on the ruins of an old Roman forum, in the 11th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nStaring at it and at all the details of the facade, I realize that it is modeled after the Pisa Cathedral (white, gray marble, arches), only that the Lucca people, as far as I understand, also wanted to leave their mark and added to the Romanesque style of Pisa a… original touch \u2013 for example, the columns are different in model, colors. I saw this at the Dome too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe interior is less attractive \u2013 both the guide-book and the guide-person say this. This is because people spent the budget on the outside… But I am convinced that there are also cool stories about certain things inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nLike, for example,\nthe medieval graffiti on the poles, which I looked for as if choosing my pole\nfor a pole dance…. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I found two, but next\ntime I’ll try harder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not\nfar from the Church of San Michele is the Puccini Memorial House. I’m not\npretending to be cultivated, because I\u2019m not, but at least I should become, I\ntell myself J.\nAnd I’m heading towards the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PUCCINI MUSEUM<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe famous composer Giacomo Puccini was born right here, in Lucca, in 1858.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe house is easy to find. The square with the statue of the composer helps me. And as I sit facing the statue, I see a banner on the red building in the corner. That’s the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI\nget to the door and… oops! Although I see Puccini Museum written on the\nbuttons, I admit that I did not press it, as I have never seen such an entrance\nto a museum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\ndoor opens and someone comes out with a bicycle. I take the chance and enter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI\nam practically in a block of flats hall. I entered illegally…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A\ntenant coming down looks at\nme as if he was waiting for the postwoman with the pension money and he doesn’t\nunderstand why she looks like that… I leave. I discover that the ticket for\nthe memorial house must be bought from the square, from another building. The\nsellers encourage me to go back to the red house and ring the doorbell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m ringing. \u201cHello, Mr. Puccini, open the door, I’ve come for a coffee and a song.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBorn\nin the family bedroom\u2026 wait\u2026\nthat’s not what I meant, although it’s true, he was born in this bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So:\nborn in a family of musicians with a long tradition \u2013 5 generations! \u2013 it was\nunlikely that Giacomo Puccini would stay away from music. As a child, he\nlearned to play the organ and sang in churches. The Super Bowl didn\u2019t exist\nback then\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now\nspeaking seriously, the kid sang in churches to help his mother, who was left a\nwidow with 7 children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When\nhe was 17 years old, he went to Pisa to see a performance of Verdi<\/strong>‘s Aida<\/strong>. Wow! Shock and euphoria!<\/p>\n\n\n\nPuccini\nwas simply blown away and, basically, that was the moment when he decided that\nthis is what he wanted to do: to compose opera music. The family told him he\nwas crazy… but they couldn’t shake it off him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Giacomo\nwent to Milan to study composition and did that for 3 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Puccini’s most important piano! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a> No, no, I didn’t touch it, otherwise those people would have thrown me over the city walls! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPuccini\nwrote 12 operas, that’s all. With the third \u2013 Manon Lescaut <\/strong>\u2013 he met the celebrity. He was 34 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHe\nbecame very rich and damn lucky, enjoying success (and money) during his life\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI don’t know if the paparazzi of the 19th century ran after the \u201cstar\u201d Puccini, but I found out that he didn’t like to sit around as a model at all, when someone painted his portrait. For this reason, they managed to photograph him and thus make his portrait after the photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnd,\nspeaking of the painting, I admit that I would not have stopped in front of\nthis painting if I had not read about the lady in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rita della Anna <\/strong>was Puccini’s daughter-in-law. We owe her<\/strong> this memorial house! A few years after the death of her husband (Puccini’s son), she donated the house, along with many documents and pieces of furniture, with the aim of being transformed into a museum. It happened in 1974.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>picture with Puccini’s autograph <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/a>
score with Puccini’s signature <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhether\nyou are passionate about opera or not, this house is worth visiting, for\neverything exposed in it and for the atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I,\na novice, spent half an hour in front of a single museum piece: an absolutely\nfabulous costume!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt\nis the costume used in Act 2 of Turandot\n<\/strong>\u2013 Puccini’s unfinished work \u2013 in the first performance at the Metropolitan\nOpera House in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe\ndetails are\u2026 absolutely jaw-droppingly! I couldn’t take my eyes off the window.\nStanding nailed here, I promised myself that I would go see an opera by Puccini\nas soon as possible. Either one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nguide I had on the walk in Lucca told us that there was a Top of the most\nperformed operas in the world. It looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Verdi \u2013 Traviata<\/li>
- Mozart \u2013 The Magic\nFlute<\/li>
- Bizet \u2013 Carmen<\/li>
- Puccini \u2013 La Boh\u00e8me<\/li>
- Puccini again \u2013 Tosca<\/li>
- and again Puccini \u2013\nMadame Butterfly<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Cool,\nright?!?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a>The wall surrounds the city, with everything it has that is most beautiful and worth visiting…<\/p>\n\n\n\n From place to place, there are access paths on the wall, you can practically climb it from many parts of the city. You go up and you get… into a park! Because the wall is so wide, trees, buildings, bastions, walkers, runners, cyclists, people with dogs or even groups of tourists can all go on it. A parade would fit here too!…<\/p>\n\n\n\n You have benches where you can rest,\nyou have water pumps, so you don’t die of thirst, you have a beautiful view of\nthe city, so definitely, I found it fascinating!<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are 4 kilometers of wall that\nsurrounds the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can keep walking on the wall,\nuntil you return to the point where you started. If you lose interest, you can\ngo down to the city at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The clearest ways to access the wall are the city gates, but there are also steps or paths that take you up the wall at other points in the city as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the beginning there was a wall\nbuilt by the Romans \u2013 I learned from the tour guide I just caught at one of the\ncity gates (Porta San Donato). There are still some traces of the Roman wall.\nMoreover, Lucca owes the concentric plan of its center to the Romans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find some more traces of the\nwall built in the Middle Ages \u2013 because one was also built at that time. Some\nremains are right here, at Porta San Donato.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Basically, there are two gates here \u2013\nthe old one, from the Middle Ages, which today houses the tourism office \u2013 and\nthe new one, of the wall built during the Renaissance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Middle Ages, the wall was 11\nmeters high and 2 meters wide. Two meters only?? Well, naturally, during the\nRenaissance, needs and ambitions increased. Man, let’s build a wall like never\nseen before, it seems that the people said to each other then. And that’s how\nconstruction began (in 1544), a construction that lasted for 106 years! Kind of\nlike in Bucharest on the subway, in the 21st century J.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The current wall, the one that people built in the Renaissance, almost 500 years ago, is 12 meters <\/strong>high and… 30 meters <\/strong>wide at the base!!! \u201eThree-zero\u201d, yes, you read that right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\ndug as much as they dug, and they collected tons of earth. Basically, how did\nthey do it? They created mountains from the earth, to help them with the wall.\nThis is why the trees grew so well! If the outer part of the wall is made of\nbrick, the whole inner part of the wall is a mound of earth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This\nnew wall kept Lucca away from any enemy. It was very complicated to come and\nconquer it. Before hitting the high and thick wall, you would come across a\ntrench dug around it, where the inhabitants put water, in case of threat. And\u2026\nready, set, go to swim!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover,\nno construction was allowed on the large land outside the wall, no trees were\nplanted, so the visibility was one to envy! They saw everything that moved\naround!<\/p>\n\n\n\n For\nthis reason, I understand that Lucca had a parallel history with Florence. It\nwas not conquered, and the powerful De Medici family did not manage to mark its\nterritory here either…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lucca\nresisted until Napoleon Bonaparte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The wall still\n\u201cresist\u201d today and, if in 2016 I walked only a part of it, now I have set my\nambition to walk the entire length of 4 km, starting from one point and\nfinishing the walk at the same point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What a \u201cwalk\u201d,\nma man, it was like a marathon! 45 minutes of brisk walking took me to finish the\nentire tour. And it also took all my clothes becoming wet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I enjoyed everything I saw from above \u2013 Torre Guinigi, which I can’t wait to tell you about \u2013 and I photographed everything that came my way on the wall, such as the Bastiones or the Mint Museum!<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the city wall, I admire a huge\nvilla, with a beautiful garden, even now, in winter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s not \u201cvilla\u201d, I’m told, but \u201cpalazzo\u201d.\n\u201cPalazzo\u201d = winter residence, while \u201cvilla\u201d = summer residence, outside the\ncity. Ok… Good, I’ve learned something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Pfanner Palace <\/strong>dates back to the 17th century and belonged to a rich\nfamily that dealt with the silk trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then\nit was bought by an Austrian, Mr. Pfanner, who just jumped the fence to come\nhere, because he lived close to the Italian border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This\nman made one of the first breweries in Italy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n What’s\ncool is that the family of the Austrian Pfanner still owns the house. They live\non the upper floors, while the first two floors and the gardens are open to the\npublic. You pay 6.5 euros (full price, as there is also a reduced price) and\nyou can take a walk around the house and the yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What’s\neven cooler, is that, on the road, as we followed our guide like sheep, we met\none of the owners! Ha! A guy in his 50s, very normal in attitude and attire. I\nwanted to ask him when he was putting the palazzo up for sale, but I decided to\nwait until I won the lottery first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lucca\nhas about 89,000 inhabitants and a lot of dogs! I have never seen so many dogs\nper square meter in my life. They kiss, they growl, they smell each other,\nnothing out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However,\nit seemed unusual to me that 90% of the Lucca people stay outside the walls and\nonly 10% inside! I thought I was smart enough to say that, probably, because of\nthe prices. Not necessarily because the houses here are more expensive, the\nguide tells me, but because outside the walls you could have facilities that\nsome people really care about. For example, you can have a garage for your car.\nOr a yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When\nyou ask a Lucca person where he lives, you ask him: \u201cdo you live inside or\noutside?\u201d J<\/p>\n\n\n\n All tourist attractions are inside the\nwall. And I am determined to (re)discover them. Compared to a few years ago,\nwhen I only stayed for a few hours, on a train escape from Florence, now I’ll\nstay for several days!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I came down from the city wall for the first time, in 2016, I went to the very center of the city, where I was impressed by the church<\/strong> San Michele<\/strong>. So I got to work: making selfies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Except that San Michele is not the most important in Lucca, but the Cathedral (Dome). So let’s go to the Cathedral first!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is one of the few cathedrals in Italy that is not dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I, a wrinkled virgin hihi, start to listen to info about the Dome, to read and to observe…<\/p>\n\n\n\n The asymmetrical facade of the\nCathedral (the left side is larger) is especially famous for its engravings\ndating from the 12th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I see San Martino on the facade, and I\nalso find him inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of the interior: 3\neuros is the entrance fee to the Cathedral (January 2023). But you can also buy\na combined ticket, for 10 euros, which allows you access to several places\nrelated to the Cathedral, such as climbing the bell tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\nme tell you what I found interesting from what I saw and learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stained glass windows in the\nCathedral were broken during the Second World War. BUT, those from the altar\nwere removed in time and therefore saved! They date from the Renaissance, so\nit’s worth taking a look at them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you enter the Cathedral, the left\nside is full of paintings about the life of the Virgin Mary. The right side is\ndedicated to the history of Jesus. Among the paintings on the right side, there\nis one signed by Tintoretto<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A painting made in very vivid colors, in which there are servants, women (one breastfeeding), an otherwise different Last Supper, where the table is not horizontal, as in the classical representations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the middle of the nave there is an\noctagonal chapel meant to house the precious Volto Santo (Holy Face), a cedar\ncrucifix that is said to have been carved in the image and likeness of Jesus by\nNicodemus, who witnessed the Crucifixion. (Another theory is that two angels\ncarved it.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n I did not see it, because its\nrestoration began in September 2022, inside the Dome, in a closed area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the pandemic, the carbon sample\nwas allowed and, thus, they were able to establish that the Holy Face dates\nfrom the 8th century! It is the oldest wooden sculpture in Europe!<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the Lucca people, Volto Santo is\nthe most important! But, for other Italians, something else in the Cathedral is\nof major importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once upon a time there was a cunning\ngentleman in Lucca. His name was Paolo Guinigi (you will hear this name again).\nThe gentleman in question was one of the governors of the city of Lucca in the\nmedieval period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He had 4 wives and they all died…\nWhen the second one, Ilaria, died, Guinigi commissioned\na sculptor from Siena to create a marble sarcophagus. It is said that he\nloved the woman enormously and for this reason he wanted something special for\nher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ilaria’s monument is the most precious sculpture in Lucca and one of the most beautiful in Italy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dog at her feet represents Ilaria’s loyalty, fidelity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the exit from the Cathedral, I see a labyrinth on one of the pillars. I look at it like an intelligence test that I fail with flying colors…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having the Greek labyrinth as a model, it is related to Theseus, a character from Greek mythology, who kills the Minotaur and manages to find the exit from the labyrinth in which that one was kept, using a thread given by the daughter of King Minos, Ariadne. Extrapolating, the lesson is that it would be good for all believers to rely on God to show them the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I read that this labyrinth also had\nthe image of Theseus and the Minotaur, but they were erased over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Done with the Cathedral (Dome), I’m\ngoing back to San Michele.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On my way from one to another I come\nacross some churches. The city is full of them! Churches and towers, that’s\nwhat people built here. There is not much left of the towers, but what is left\nis worth considering, so I will return to the subject…<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you know, among the churches I\nsee in Lucca, is one Romanian Church!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many Romanians come\nhere on holidays or simply for service. They even come from Florence!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I saw the interior, I realized\nwhy: you feel like home and it’s probably the place that soothes your longing\nfor your loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I happened to get there in the middle\nof the religious service. It’s January 1, Saint Basil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I liked it from the\nfirst moment! As soon as I saw it. And\nclearly this is due to the facade and the position in the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I had no idea that it\nwas built on the ruins of an old Roman forum, in the 11th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Staring at it and at all the details of the facade, I realize that it is modeled after the Pisa Cathedral (white, gray marble, arches), only that the Lucca people, as far as I understand, also wanted to leave their mark and added to the Romanesque style of Pisa a… original touch \u2013 for example, the columns are different in model, colors. I saw this at the Dome too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The interior is less attractive \u2013 both the guide-book and the guide-person say this. This is because people spent the budget on the outside… But I am convinced that there are also cool stories about certain things inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like, for example,\nthe medieval graffiti on the poles, which I looked for as if choosing my pole\nfor a pole dance…. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I found two, but next\ntime I’ll try harder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not\nfar from the Church of San Michele is the Puccini Memorial House. I’m not\npretending to be cultivated, because I\u2019m not, but at least I should become, I\ntell myself J.\nAnd I’m heading towards the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The famous composer Giacomo Puccini was born right here, in Lucca, in 1858.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The house is easy to find. The square with the statue of the composer helps me. And as I sit facing the statue, I see a banner on the red building in the corner. That’s the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nget to the door and… oops! Although I see Puccini Museum written on the\nbuttons, I admit that I did not press it, as I have never seen such an entrance\nto a museum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\ndoor opens and someone comes out with a bicycle. I take the chance and enter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nam practically in a block of flats hall. I entered illegally…<\/p>\n\n\n\n A\ntenant coming down looks at\nme as if he was waiting for the postwoman with the pension money and he doesn’t\nunderstand why she looks like that… I leave. I discover that the ticket for\nthe memorial house must be bought from the square, from another building. The\nsellers encourage me to go back to the red house and ring the doorbell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m ringing. \u201cHello, Mr. Puccini, open the door, I’ve come for a coffee and a song.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Born\nin the family bedroom\u2026 wait\u2026\nthat’s not what I meant, although it’s true, he was born in this bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So:\nborn in a family of musicians with a long tradition \u2013 5 generations! \u2013 it was\nunlikely that Giacomo Puccini would stay away from music. As a child, he\nlearned to play the organ and sang in churches. The Super Bowl didn\u2019t exist\nback then\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now\nspeaking seriously, the kid sang in churches to help his mother, who was left a\nwidow with 7 children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When\nhe was 17 years old, he went to Pisa to see a performance of Verdi<\/strong>‘s Aida<\/strong>. Wow! Shock and euphoria!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puccini\nwas simply blown away and, basically, that was the moment when he decided that\nthis is what he wanted to do: to compose opera music. The family told him he\nwas crazy… but they couldn’t shake it off him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Giacomo\nwent to Milan to study composition and did that for 3 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puccini\nwrote 12 operas, that’s all. With the third \u2013 Manon Lescaut <\/strong>\u2013 he met the celebrity. He was 34 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\nbecame very rich and damn lucky, enjoying success (and money) during his life\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don’t know if the paparazzi of the 19th century ran after the \u201cstar\u201d Puccini, but I found out that he didn’t like to sit around as a model at all, when someone painted his portrait. For this reason, they managed to photograph him and thus make his portrait after the photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And,\nspeaking of the painting, I admit that I would not have stopped in front of\nthis painting if I had not read about the lady in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rita della Anna <\/strong>was Puccini’s daughter-in-law. We owe her<\/strong> this memorial house! A few years after the death of her husband (Puccini’s son), she donated the house, along with many documents and pieces of furniture, with the aim of being transformed into a museum. It happened in 1974.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether\nyou are passionate about opera or not, this house is worth visiting, for\neverything exposed in it and for the atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I,\na novice, spent half an hour in front of a single museum piece: an absolutely\nfabulous costume!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\nis the costume used in Act 2 of Turandot\n<\/strong>\u2013 Puccini’s unfinished work \u2013 in the first performance at the Metropolitan\nOpera House in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\ndetails are\u2026 absolutely jaw-droppingly! I couldn’t take my eyes off the window.\nStanding nailed here, I promised myself that I would go see an opera by Puccini\nas soon as possible. Either one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nguide I had on the walk in Lucca told us that there was a Top of the most\nperformed operas in the world. It looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cool,\nright?!?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPFANNER PALACE<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCATHEDRAL \u2013 DUOMO DE SAN MARTINO<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nLAST SUPPER TINTORETTO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nVOLTO SANTO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nTOMB OF ILARIA DEL CARRETTO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nTHE LABYRINTH<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nSAN MICHELE IN FORO<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPUCCINI MUSEUM<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a>
score with Puccini’s signature <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n