The City of 100 Churches

Not knowing how much free time I’d have once the rest of my group arrived, I used my first morning in Lucca to do some sightseeing. I started with Lucca’s most prominent landmark: the city walls. These beautifully preserved Renaissance-era walls are a mixture of stone and earth and encircle Lucca’s old town. The current structure, which was rebuilt in the 16th century, replaced Roman-era walls that date as far back as 180 BC. Atop the wall is a wide, pleasant path that spans the entire length of the wall, which is about 2.5 miles in circumference. Normally, this would be an inviting spot for a morning run, but anticipating the rides ahead, I settled for a lazy stroll (I mean, I don’t want to exhaust myself before the cycling even starts, right?).

After energizing myself with my walk, it was time to enter the old town itself. There were no walking tours available (it’s a weekday in the off season), so I used an interactive map to guide me to all the sites, starting with the Guinigi Tower, which was built in the 14th century by a wealthy merchant family. Aside from the fact that it’s one of the few towers that remain in a city that was once full of them, Guinigi is unique because it’s the only one with a garden of oak trees on top of it, which are meant to stand as a symbol of rebirth. I climbed the 233 steps to the top of the tower and enjoyed a beautiful view of the terracotta roofs below and the mountains beyond.

After a quick stop for a cold cappuccino (it’s warm and humid here!), I went to see the gorgeous Chiesa di San Michele in Foro, a Roman Catholic Church with a facade built in the 13th century (but the church itself dates as far back as 795 AD), followed by the Duomo di San Martino, which was built in the 6th century. These were followed by several more notable churches (this place isn’t called “The City of 100 Churches” for nothing, folks), several piazzas, and many more cappuccinos. It was a long morning of sightseeing, but I felt satisfied that I hit everything that I should see, thus clearing the path for socializing and cycling.

I realize I breezed through that quickly without a lot of preamble, but I wanted to give Lucca a bit of love before I become distracted. Tonight I meet my friends for dinner and tomorrow, we kick off our cycling adventure.