November might seem like an off month to take a vacation, but it proved to be an excellent time to visit Lucca in Tuscany. We had the most wonderful weather ranging from 65-70 degrees during the day and dropping into the 30’s and low 40’s at night – great for fires and sleeping. In addition, our room rates were lower than “in season” prices, and we never fought crowds.
We flew into Rome, took a day to acclimate to the time change, rented a car and drove north, stopping in Orvieto for a few hours. Orvieto is a small city on a rock cliff where I wish we had had the opportunity to spend more time. We checked out the Cathedral (dated from 1290) and had lunch but missed one of the main attractions: the Pozzo di San Patrizio, a 16th century well shaft that looked well worth the many steps.
Arriving in Lucca in the late afternoon, we met our host, who led us up a steep, bumpy hill just outside the walled city to our farmhouse villa, Brigante House. Two Fiats could barely pass each other on this “road,” which went from paved to rock to dirt tracks through a thick grove of trees – really more of a farm cart path where a rock wall or barn could completely restrict the view of an oncoming car – and wound around switchback turns through olive groves until we finally saw the sign, leading to the house on the hill. Getting there was half the adventure. The other half was experiencing a lovely, rustic Tuscan farmhouse with views of olive groves and vineyards for days, just exactly what I’d always of dreamed of when a Tuscan farmhouse is mentioned. Not that it comes up in everyday conversation, but, well, there was that book and movie, Under the Tuscan Sun. If a similar experience is on your bucket list, look up “Brigante House.”
Lucca is a wonderful small city by the Serchio River surrounded by Renaissance walls on its broad tree-lined pathways. We took walks, rented bikes, stopped for our 2-year-old grandson to play on playgrounds, and explored the interior a little bit more every day. Our “schedule” was not to have one. We got an early start every day (and for those of you with young children, you know it’s not really an option), played and explored the area surrounding our house, usually leaving late morning to drive the 10 minutes into the walled city to explore.
The tree-topped Guinigi Tower, one of the few remaining towers within the city walls, was basically a status symbol, as towers were for wealthy families of the time. The Basilica of San Frediano was another marvel, dating from 1112-1147. When we wandered in, we had no idea of its history as the outside of the church is a bit mundane. But once inside, we were honestly very surprised to find St. Zita, a fairly intact saint from the 13th Century: “On the right hand is the side chapel of St. Zita (1218-1278), a popular saint in Lucca. Her intact mummified body, lying on a bed of brocade, is on display in a glass shrine. On the walls of the chapel are several canvasses from the 16th and 17th centuries depicting episodes from her life.”
Each day we went into the walled city, we made new discoveries, found time for cappuccinos with cornettos (an Italian version of a croissant with fillings), and watched as our grandson chased pigeons around the elliptical-shaped piazza.
We spent one day driving to Chianti for a lunch and tour of one of the Frescobaldi vineyards. It was yummy and historically very interesting and spectacularly beautiful. There are many wine-tasting tours you can take – we chose this one, and we continue to buy the wine at our local Total Wine. There are so many small towns and cities to see nearby, and a few more we saw on this trip, but I’ll have to leave our wanderings there for another article.
