Off to Lucca, Collodi and Pisa

 [June 1999]

After leaving Siena, Susie and I drove to Lucca where we spent a couple of nights. At one point our hotel landlord invited to a lunch he prepared (he and his daughter worked the place by themselves) outside on the back patio. It gave us a grand opportunity to work on our Italian and frankly we were both pleased with how well we managed. Of course he was quite patient with us, but still. . . 

promenade around the city on the medieval walls

We enjoyed strolling around the city using the promenade on top of the old walls and the historic center was a lovely space to spend an afternoon. We decided to eat one of our evening meals inside the walls at a place suggested by our host. Our other supper was another suggestion of our landlord's at a lovely little osteria just north of the city, a drive that took us up one of the gorges leading into the hills north of the city.

We also drove to nearby Collodi. If that name is familiar -- and it should be -- Carlo Collodi was the pen name of Carlo Lorenzini who wrote Pinochio; he spent much of his childhood in this lovely little part of northern Tuscany where his parents worked as domestics. Susie and I strolled the gardens of the Villa Garzoni and explored a bit of the nearby Pinochio Park.

Villa Garzoni

gardens of the Villa Garzoni

Pinochio Park

We also drove over to Pisa -- it was really quite close -- to pay our respects to the eponymous tower.

Off to France!