Italy Day 4 - Lucca and Villa Grabau
Met everyone for breakfast at the hotel buffet, then to start the orientation for the trip, introductions, etc. Our guide for Lucca, Antoinella arrived and we set off on a walking tour of the city walls and the different areas – the Cathedrals, the old Roman Forum, the palace where Elisa (Napoleon’s sister) lived while she ruled Lucca, and the statue of Giacomo Puccini outside his home. We bid farewell to Antoinella at the old Roman Coliseum (now an oval Piazza) and made our way to the Guinigi Tower (the one with the oak trees at the top) to take some pictures and then to find a quick lunch. Antoinella was a great guide – she knew a great deal about the city and its history (apparently, you have to pass a pretty tough test to become a tour guide – and you only get one shot at it). She spoke excellent English, and her accent was an interesting mix of Italian and British English; she seemed to randomly switch between the two.
At 2PM we were ready to go on our first ride – to the Villa Grabau. The ride took us onto the city walls and then outside the city, along a river, and up to the Villa. The ride wasn’t too difficult, other than dealing with the traffic, narrow roads, and being in an unfamiliar place. The villa itself was pretty, but the tour could use some work – not very informative and not a whole lot to see. There was a beautiful garden, but again, not much to see. We rode back to Lucca the way we came, and managed to avoid most of the rain. In town, we stopped a the local bike shop to get Kyle’s bike looked at, pick up some cycling jerseys, socks, and gelato.
After we got back to the hotel, Fred, Lisa, Patrick, Anna, and I went for a quick run around the city walls to work up an appetite.
Dinner took us to the same restaurant, not that it bothered me. We had bruschetta for appetizers, rissoto and tordelli for the first course, and the hare and sliced beef for the second. Dessert brought two types of cakes – one with a ricotta cheese and mixed berry filling, and another with walnuts and figs.
We did not make it out tonight, even though it was Saturday. We were all too full, too tired, and we all had to pack for tomorrow’s ride to Pisa and Casciana Terme.
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