Although Bruce and I had walked several streets of Lucca’s historic city center as well as the wall surrounding it, having a guided walking tour was a wonderful way to get a more in-depth look at this beautiful city.
(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)
Take the perimeter walls, for example. I knew they dated back to the 1500’s, but I didn’t know the walls were once hollow and filled in the early 1800’s. Then, in the 1900’s, car races were held on them! The walls are no longer a race track, but they are used for walking, running, and cycling.
The San Luca Palace Hotel, where we were staying, also had some interesting history. Back in the 1200’s, it was a hospital. After being abandoned and sitting empty for a very long time, it was renovated and opened as a hotel in 1999. The building across the street was also part of the hospital, and the original sign can still be seen on the wall stating it was built in 1257.
Within the walls of Lucca, although the population is only about 10,000, there are 100 churches, although most of them are currently used for other purposes. Why would such a small population need so many churches? Our guide, Simone, explained those churches once served as a place people could come for assistance when they made the pilgrimage to see the Holy Face of Luccaat the Duomo di San Martino (Cathedral of Saint Martin). So many people had made that pilgrimage that the cathedral was overwhelmed. The churches provided shelter and a place to recharge spiritually and physically.
Simone with a photo of the Holy Face of Lucca, the sacred wooden crucifix
Originally built in 1063, the front of the cathedral was rebuilt in 1204.
As we continued our walk, we noticed that many of the buildings had plaster facades with some exposed brick showing, much like we saw in Bologna and Parma. Originally, the buildings of historic Lucca were made of brick; however, they have been covered with plaster and painted with warm colors as a way to unify and brighten the town.
These are scenes from our walking tour and our afternoon of free time:
Piazza Dell’ Anfiteatro:This photo is a big fuzzy due to the panorama mode malfunctioning on my camera, but I wanted to give you an idea of the piazza’s charm.This is a picture I took when I visited Lucca in 2007. It was in the morning before the square got busy with tourists and the local lunch crowd.
Our guide, Simone with our tour leader, Ben.
We stopped in at Il Mercatino for some made-to-order paninis. After pointing to the ingredients we wanted for our custom sandwiches, the sandwiches were weighed and priced accordingly. I opted for pecorino cheese and sun-dried tomatoes; Bruce added meat. The sandwiches were so delicious and filling; and, they only cost about $7.50 for both!
Thanks to HGTV’s Property Brothers and other home shows, Carrara marble is in right now, showing up in kitchen and bathroom remodels everywhere. Have you ever thought about where it comes from and how it is extracted? I hadn’t until our group visited the Carrara marble quarries.
Situated along the Carrione River, Carrara is a town that was originally built by the Romans to house workers in the nearby quarries. The Apuan Alps, where the marble is extracted, is located just up the windy road from town.
(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)
We had a behind-the-scenes look at the extraction process, and it was explained by our guide, Marco, a former worker in the quarry until his family sold it eight years ago. His father, Luigi, retired long ago; however, he still visits the quarry regularly, as it was his life before he sold the business. It was all he knew for 48 years of his life.
Luigi and Marco Bernacca
Our tour group
Cutting the marbleThe block of marble this bulldozer moved was estimated to weigh 50 tons.
Carrara marble may be a luxury material, but the process to produce those beautiful countertops is far from luxurious. The work is hard, dangerous, dirty, and unhealthy. The quarries are the area’s only source of employment, though, so the workers accept the risks, including the high rate of silicosis and cancer from breathing in the dust and chemicals of the mines.
Speaking of marble dust, did you know it is used in toothpaste, shiny paper, cleaning products and even the Tums you take for an upset stomach? Check out the ingredients label on Tums; those tablets are made of calcium carbonate—marble dust!
Back to the business of mining marble, the quarries used to be owned by the locals; however, they are now owned by the Chinese and others from outside of Italy. Globalization of the industry has made it impossible for family businesses to compete, especially since the quarries are taxed 10% of the average value of the extracted marble, which is of varying qualities. The price per ton a quarry can sell their marble at ranges from $80 to $3,000 depending on the quality. When you think about the 15,000 tons of marble extracted on a daily basis and being exported, that’s a lot of money leaving Carrara.
What baffles me is the 15th-century rule, still in effect today, that stipulates that whoever finds marble in the mountains is entitled to keep the marble and establish a quarry on the premises, without having to pay taxes to the town or municipality. As a result, the quarry owners continue to get richer and richer, while none of the wealth generated by the quarries gets invested back into the town. This explains why Carrara is the poorest town in Italy!
Currently, 70,000 people live in Carrara, and only 1,000 of them work in the quarry, which used to be the second most important industry. In the past, the marble was worked from beginning to the finished product, but now, it is sold and exported after extraction. This has caused the extinction of the remaining industry and a high rate of unemployment. Verona, Italy is where the marble is worked now.
Following our tour of the marble quarry, our group of fifteen was divided up to visit three homes in Marina di Carrara for a home-hosted lunch. Bruce and I were assigned to Nadia Pailla’s home, along with Martha and Craig. Nadia didn’t speak English, so Annita served as our translator.
We were treated to a lovely home-cooked meal, as detailed in this menu:
Craig, Nadia, Martha, Annita, and BruceBen took a photo of us before saying, “Ciao!”
It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know locals of Carrara, learn more about life in their town, and enjoy local cuisine. Our hosts got to know us as well! Nadia was curious about our families and how we liked Italy. She especially enjoyed the gifts we gave her. Martha and Craig had brought macadamia nuts from Hawaii where they live, and I gave Nadia some photo notecards I had made with photos I had taken in the U.S.A. Bruce had brought some fused glass earrings he had made, but neither Nadia or Annita had pierced ears. (We’ll bring necklace pendants next time we travel!)
Our time with them was so enjoyable, we didn’t want to leave. Nadia didn’t want us to go either, because when Ben called her to say he was coming soon to pick us up, she was sad. Hugs all around when we said, “Ciao!”
Upon our return to Lucca, Bruce and I set off to walk the perimeter walls—a 2.5-mile loop around the historic city center. Here are some photos of the views from the walking path atop the wall. More details to follow in my next post…
The walls surrounding the historic city center are lined with trees, a bike path, and a walking path– all added in modern times!
For the six of us who traveled the past several days with Oscar as our Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) tour leader, our arrival to Lucca marked the end of the pre-extension tour and the beginning of the base trip, Tuscany & Umbria: Rustic Beauty in the Italian Heartland. Bruce and I had enjoyed our time with Oscar very much, so we didn’t want to say goodbye. He assured us that our new tour leader, Ben, was the best, and we would like him. After all, he had been trained by Ben, the senior tour leader for OAT in Italy.
Upon our arrival at San Luca Palace Hotel, we said our Ciao’s to Oscar and were introduced to Ben. Yeah, Oscar was right; Ben seemed like a nice enough guy!
One step into our hotel room, and we both said, “Wow!” The room was huge (and very Italian!) and the bathroom quite nice. The location was perfect—situated within the walled historic city and close to everything. Ben gave us a brief orientation tour, and then we explored on our own, taking advantage of the beautiful day and our free time, before meeting up with the other nine incoming travelers joining the tour.
(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)
The view from our room window
Although I had been to Lucca previously, it was sixteen years ago while on a cruise shore excursion, and the walking tour just wasn’t enough; I wanted to see more. I had never forgotten Lucca, and it was one of the reasons I was drawn to this tour’s itinerary.
Giacomo Puccini, the great composer was born in Lucca
Lucca is known for several things: Its Renaissance-era city walls, well-preserved city center, the Piazza dell’ Anfiteatro (which dates back to the 1st century A.D.); and, the great composer, Giacomo Puccini, who was born in Lucca along with several other world-class composers. Lucca is also known for making paper—everything from toilet paper to high-quality writing paper. Additionally, the city of 89,000 hosts a fabulous summer music festival as well as a comics and games festival.
We were scheduled to take a walking tour the following day with a local guide; however, it would have to wait another day due to a schedule switch. (We will return to Lucca in Italy #11.)
Coming up next (instead): CARRARA MARBLE QUARRIES & A HOME-HOSTED LUNCH
Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools... and CHOCOLATE! 