D030715 Lucca Barga

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Barga and Lucca

July 15, 2003

Dear Friends and Families,

Never arrange a summer visit in an Italian town between about noon and five pm. All shops and places of interest will or should be closed. The lighting is terrible for pictures. The sweat dripping down from sunburn-lotion-drenched foreheads disturbs vistas. No family conviviality can be sustained. Today, we saw two or three towns during just this period.

The plan was to drive the back roads from Pontremoli to Lucca with a side stop to Barga. In all fairness, we got a bit of a late start and, nevertheless, the early part of our drive was really quite pleasant. The top was down, the sun was shining, we were on small roads that fit our car, and the scenery was breathtaking. We wound up and down hills, looking out at the small set of mountains between us and the sea, mountains that include the famous quarries of Carrara.

We reached the walled village of Barga just before noon. Shops were just closing to avoid the mid-day heat but at least the thousand-year-old cathedral was open. This was our four-zillionth old European church. Nevertheless, it was OK, with an excellent 13th Century carved marble pulpit. As churches go, this one got a passing grade.

From Barga, we left the hills for the valley surrounding Lucca, a much older town. Our first confirmation of age was a 10th Century stone bridge alongside the river. We had been told the bridge was arched high enough for ships to pass underneath with sails still set.

Lucca itself is still a mixture of Roman layout and medieval walls and buildings. This is another town without central car parking, but we found something near the outer wall and walked into the center. Almost everything that could close was closed. It was 95F (35C) in the shade and there was too little shade. It's no wonder people leave work and sleep.

We did manage to visit the town "square", actually a ring of buildings still patterned after the Roman colosseum that originally occupied the space. We also dropped by the local cathedral and wandered the narrow, empty streets.

At that point, all we wanted to do was jump in the car and turn on the air conditioning, so we left, apologizing to this wonderful town and promising to come back when the weather is more inviting.

As tour days go, this one wasn't the best but primarily because we tried to do too much and tried to do it at the wrong time of a hot summer day. We're learning.

Take care, avoid mid-day sun, and drink plenty of water.

John and Marianne

ps: websites

Regional tourism: www.luccaturismo.it

The church at Barga's famous 13th Century pulpit.

A thousand-year-old (or older?) bridge built to allow sailing ships to pass beneath.

The center square of Lucca is an oval arrangement because it follows the shape of the Roman colosseum that originally occupied the space.

In mid-summer, even main Lucca streets are empty.

Lucca is also famous for a church and baptistry- as it seems are most Italian towns of any size.

I did like the ceiling of the church. I've noticed that Italian churches and chapels place more emphasis on ceiling art work than do their northern counterparts.

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	The church at Barga's famous 13th Century pulpit.		A thousand-year-old (or older?) bridge built to allow sailing ships to pass beneath.
The center square of Lucca is an oval arrangement because it follows the shape of the Roman colosseum that originally occupied the space.		In mid-summer, even main Lucca streets are empty.
	Lucca is also famous for a church and baptistry- as it seems are most Italian towns of any size.		I did like the ceiling of the church. I've noticed that Italian churches and chapels place more emphasis on ceiling art work than do their northern counterparts.