Festive Lucca
After the wonderfully warm dry summer, it has been a long, grey, and very wet autumn and early winter in the UK so it was a very pleasant surprise when we stepped of the plane to be greeted with blue skies and warm Pisan sun. We didn’t linger long in Pisa, instead taking the PisaMova from the airport to the train station before getting a train for the 30 minute journey to Lucca, our base for the next few days.
The sun continued to shine on us as we made our way to our apartment in the historic old town, dropping our bags off, and heading out to explore the town as the light began to fade. By luck more than judgement, we had arrived on a local bank holiday, the Christmas lights having been first turned on on Saturday, and Monday evening was a local Christmas celebration, and it seemed like everyone in the whole town and surrounds had crammed into the town to eat, drink, shop and be merry.
Whilst enjoying our first Italian coffee, cakes and focaccia, we heard the beating of a drum and the clear deep boom of a tuba, we followed the sound and found the local brass band belting out some Christmas classics.
After listening to them in the square, they set off, still playing, through the streets and so we followed them.
We continued to wander the streets, exploring this pretty Italian town, enjoying the lights and festivities.
As the evening wore on, the crowds began to thin, and by the time we had had something to eat the main square that had been packed full earlier in the evening had returned to a scene of calm serenity and beauty, and we headed home, happy after the first day of our latest Italian escapade.
