Holiday thoughts

I have returned from a week's holiday in the beautiful country of Italy and thought I would share with you my impressions of my first visit in twenty years.
We were based in Lucca in Tuscany and it gave us an opportunity to visit some of Italy's most famous destinations.
Lucca is a city with a long history that dates back to the time of the Romans. The ancient amphitheatre was directly opposite the flat we were staying in. Where once gladiators battled in front of baying crowds there are bars, restaurants and shops catering for the visitors to the city. The ancient stones are mostly gone but you can still see remnants of the Roman structure in the buildings.

The Piazza dell' Anfiteatro in Lucca

Lucca is a walled city and within those walls the streets are narrow and filled with expensive shopping opportunities. The Italian sense of style is a part of the national identity. In Lucca it's not only the clothes that are stylish, even the shops are the very essence of elegance and glamour. To wander down the Via Fillungo, the main shopping street, is to stroll back in time. The shops are small and there are few of the usual high street names that you would find in any shopping mall in Britain. In Italy small is beautiful.

The Di Simo is just one example of the stylish shops.

The trains in Italy are a lot cheaper than the UK. This gave us the opportunity to explore Tuscany in all its glory. We visited Pisa, its tower still defying gravity and offering one of the true wonders of the world.

The Leaning Tower

We also visited the spa town of Montecatini Terme. It was our first visit there and it was an amazing find. You can ride a funicular railway to Montecatini Alto which sits high in the hills above the main town. The views from the top are stunning, the red roofs of the farmhouses and towns stand out from the green of the olive groves as the full pallet of Tuscan colours are displayed.

The Tuscan landscape

Also on our itinerary was Viareggio, which is a lovely seaside town with a beautiful beach. We had stayed in Viareggio on previous visits so there was a little bit of nostalgia when we spent a day in this coastal idyll.
No visit to Tuscany would be complete without a trip to the Renaissance treasure that is Florence. It was my third visit and I never tire of admiring the artistic and architectural achievements that are displayed in that wonderful city.
Other highlights of our stay were Puccini's house in Lucca and the Palazzo Pfanner with its incredibly beautiful gardens.

The garden at the Palazzo Pfanner

At the heart of Florence there is a bronze statue of a wild boar. There is a tradition that states if you rub the boar's nose, one day you will return to the city. We all hope that it proves to be true.

Note: All photographs are my own so please if you would like to use any of them drop me a line.