Pisa and Lucca

On Saturday morning we met at the bus station at eight in the morning to head on yet another field trip (I’ve come to the conclusion that students studying abroad don’t really sleep…).  Our first stop was Pisa, Italy. We got off the bus and were given about 15 minutes to take the famous Leaning Tower pictures before our tour. A few friends and I decided that wasn’t quite enough time to get the perfect picture, so we ditched the 30-minute tour to continue taking pictures… oops! Everyone who went on the tour said we didn’t miss much, which is good news, and we definitely got the perfect Leaning Tower of Pisa pictures, so I was happy!

Another 30-minute bus ride and we were in the small town of Lucca, Italy. We were given about an hour for lunch, and me and some of the girls wandered off the beaten path and found an extremely small restaurant that served some AMAZING pasta and dark chocolate. We then met for our tour. Lucca is a very interesting city with a lot of history. The city is surrounded by walls that were there to protect its citizens from the Florentines. The small city was very wealthy due to its silk production, and it is known for staying independent throughout the battles of the Roman Empire. 10,000 citizens still remain within the walls, however they are no longer known for their wealth.

Our first stop on the tour was the Torre Guinigi. This is one of the many towers of Lucca that once belonged to wealthy family’s of the town. Towers were built to prove your wealth and power within the city; however, there was a rule established that all towers must be within certain height limitations so they weren’t dangerous. The Guinigi family got around this rule by planting trees on the top of their tower, so technically they have the tallest tower in Lucca. The view was absolutely breath taking from the top of the tower, and I absolutely fell in love with the city.

Our next stop was the Duomo (of course!). Lucca used to be known as the city of 100 churches, however many of their churches have been converted for other uses. The Duomo of Lucca holds a wooden crucifix that was said to have been built by angels themselves, so many pilgrims and travelers used to come to the Duomo to pray in front of the crucifix. Because of this, the Duomo became a shelter for travelers as they passed through the city.  

We continued our tour into the town square where there was a small ice skating rink. Once again, we decided to break off from our tour (apparently we were feeling rebellious on Saturday) to hang out in the town square. There was amazing music playing and a big group of us danced, ate Italian candy, and laughed for over an hour. It honestly felt like I was in a movie. The atmosphere was so happy/lively, and we were having so much fun.

When we were walking back to meet up with some other students we happened upon a communist party protest. Although I had no idea what they were saying, it was so interesting to watch something like this in another country!

Before we left we stopped for a quick drink/aperitivo. Both of these cities were amazing and I’m so happy I got to see them, but Lucca definitely holds a special place in my heart now.