Nighttime at the San Martino Cathedral in Lucca
The floodlit Medieval wall. This is the inner wall, that is now inside the "city."
A young couple flirts next to their bicycles
At Caffe di Simo, supposedly Puccini's favorite place!
Zookie even got a treat!
Piazza Afiteatro...a Roman Amphiteater used to stand here, but the stones were cannibalized by locals to build houses and other buildings. So what is left is a beautiful square in the shape of an amphitheater.
Back at San Martino Cathedral. Notice how the facade really is assymetrical--the clocktower (to the right) was already in place when the cathedral was built, so the architect cheated on the right-side to make it fit the space!
Lucca spent nearly a third of its income for over a century to constuct the Renaissance wall and ramparts. Since it kept away the warring Florentines and Pisans, it was considered a fine investment.
...and today, it serves as a place for people to walk or bike with splendid views of the city.
Lucca is well known for its parks and gardens, which are all along hte ramparts
The beauty of all the nature was just spectacular...
...especially because the leaves were changing colors in Autumn
Zookie was tired and thirsty from all the excercise....the entire circuit of the ramparts is 2 1/2 miles.
We tried to see if he wanted to ride in Kimberly's basket instead...
....but the answer was a resounding "NO!"
Yes, those really are trees on the top of the Torre Guinigi
The famous Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) in Pisa
Inside the Baptistery, the largest in Italy, which is known for its acoustics. If you stand in the middle and sing, it echoes for ten seconds (a ten second delay) ...meaning that you can sing harmony with yourself!!
In building the Duomo, architect Buschettto created the style of Pisan Romanesque, which is lighter and more decorative than traditional Romanesque. It set the tone for the Baptistery and Tower.
Notice the geometric designs, Byzantine mosaics and horseshoe arches, and striped colored marbles inspired by mosques in Muslim lands.
The inside of the Duomo was equally impressive
And the highlight is Giovanni Pisano's pulpit, the last, biggest, and most complex of the four pulpits by the Pisano father-and-son team.
Come on...we had to take this picture!
Dan on the top of the tower....look at how slanted it really is.
And Kimberly too.
Bells at the top of the tower
