Wednesday November 16 - today was a day of exploring the northwest side of Lucca inside the walls. We started by walking to the Cathedral of St Martino, which was not open. So we proceeded to go to the street market on the western part of the town next to the wall.
There were many merchants selling food but primarly clothes. I found an Italian hair item for a gift. The streets were very crowded and we watched a lady chase a boy, and force him to wear a hat, and then the boy cried.... we were not sure if he was being abused or if he was being just a kid and misbehaving.
We walked around for quite a while seeking the few sights on the northwest, but there is really not much in that sector, but for me there were plenty of doors to photograph, and faces of the Italian dogs (my theme for this trip). We stumbled into a mercato that was ending- see the picture of the blue graffiti, as that was the entrance. Unfortunately, the fruit and vegetable market would have to wait for another day, as they were closing down and not much to see.
It was then lunch time, so we tried several places and I was really getting tired as it was about 2pm.. So we went in search of a restaurant. Surprizingly Carol is a much pickier eater than I am... usually I can find something on a menu that I will eat... so after testing Cafe Gigi, a wine bar, and several restaurants, we stopped here at Restorante Da Francesco.
I had rigatoni/meat sauce, a salad and we split a Caprese salad. We then came back to the apartment as I had a couple of hours of work to complete. Carol decided to walk and go in search of Annunziata's house, since she had invited us for dinner tonight. Annunziata lives outside the wall, and I had a conference call that was scheduled to occur 30 minutes before were were supposed to be there. Finding internet places has not been so easy. In Italy, you have to show ID/passport to use the internet -- some strange country law designed to reduce terrorism, if the tralvel web sites are correct. Carol was very nice to find an internet place (A Western Union office) near Annunziata's house.
I left the apartment at about 5:30 to go to the Western Union place -- Carol gave lousy directions, but after stopping several people, I got pointed in the right direction. The Western Union place told Carol (and me when I entered) that have Skype.... but it didnt work. Three computers later, I was a bit frazzled. Adjacent to the first computer, a woman talking on Skype, with her husband sitting behind her, taking part of my space.... I shufflfed a bit and asked him to move. My Skype account has about $30 in credits for calls, so I was trying to protect it from his snooping eyes, as he didnt seem to be paying much attention to his wife. After three computers, I decided that it was time to just use a regular old phone, which Western Union had several booths. My telcon ran very long, so after 20 minutes on the call, and being 10 minutes from Annunziata's house I had to hang up. This had to be about the gazillionth time since my first day in Catania I missed my Iphone.
The walk from the Western Union office was not 10 minutes but rather closer to 20 at my slow pace. When we got to 708 Via Vincenzo Consani and the house was dark. I thought for sure that Carol had not found the right place. I didnt see anything around that looked like a house and it was dark and cold. We walked to what looked like the house behind another house, and it was also dark, but Carol rang a bell... and it turned out to be the right place.
Annunziata has a great house - 2 bedroom, studio, bathroom, dining room, kitchen, and laundry room. The house was freezing cold. But I was in heaven -- she has 2 cats: an orange tabby/longhair and a sort of siamese. Another cat person in the Vigilante family -- a family that is not big on pets. She has just arrived home before we got there, so we were afraid that we were disrupting her schedule. Annunziata cooked us dinner - a chicken fillets, breaded olives with meat inside (wow were these great), salad, bread, and a potato/artichoke salad. Carol is not one to eat this type of food.... but she tried just about everything. Annunziata speaks very littke English, so Carol really carried to conversation tonight as I just could not seem to form sentences. We talked about all of the family visits to Italy - our aunts/uncles as well as our cousins. Annunziata had several stories about the visits of the aunts and uncles. I had only met Annunziata once in about 2005 over a dinner before I flew from Naples to Venice, so it was really fantastic to get to spend time with her.
We left her house around 9pm and it was very cold walking back -- Annunziata lives outside the walls, south of the train station. I forgot to pull out my camera so no pictures.
I had some work to do, but the files had not arrived.... so I went to bed around 11pm.
Thursday Novembe 17. - this morning I stayed in bed until around 7:30 but got about 3 hours of sleep. We left the apartment around 9:30 so that we could see a few more places before the afternoon closures. We started with Cathedral St Martino, but it was not open yet... so we walked up to St Fredino to see the inside, and found that there was a gregorian chant there this evening, so we rearranged our ill-defined schedules and planned to attend.
I wanted to do some shopping, since Carol seems not be a shopper -- but neither am I, I was tired churches.... so we separated so that could be done before meeting at the apartment at 1pm. I found a number of gifts but also bought myself a forintinian purse. I also took a few more pictures along the way. On my way back to the apartment, I stopped and went through the cathedral.
The Cathedral of St Martino was begun in 1063. Of the original structure, the great apse with tall columnar arcades and the fine campanile remain. The nave and transepts of the cathedral were rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 14th century, while the west front was begun in 1204 by Guido Bigarelli of Como, and consists of a vast portico of three magnificent arches, and above them three ranges of open galleries adorned with sculptures. In the nave a small octagonal temple or chapel shrine contains the most precious relic in Lucca, the Volto Santo di Lucca or Sacred Countenance. This cedar-wood crucifix and image of Christ, according to the legend, was carved by his contemporary Nicodemus, and miraculously conveyed to Lucca in 782. The chapel was built in 1484 by Matteo Civitali, the most famous Luccan sculptor of the early Renaissance. The tomb of Ilaria del Carretto by Jacopo della Quercia of Siena, the earliest of his extant works was commissioned by her husband, the lord of Lucca, Paolo Guinigi, in 1406.
For lunch we went to Antica Osteria, a nicer restaurant - where we shared Pidgeon rice (yes, Carol conviced me to try it... and the rice was good, but the meat tasted like what I would think a flying rat would taste) and then I had fried chicken. So far this was the least stellar of our restaurant choices and I did not like either of my dishes, but the wine was good. What would lunch be without a gelato.... so a gelato later, we were back at the apartment. I did some work while Carol walked the wall.
At 5:30 we walked back to Basilica St. Fredino, where the gregorian chant was to be held. Tonight as we walked, the evening passigata had started. The picture above looks rather empty on the street (Via Filungo) but it was very crowded.
The Basilica of San Frediano is a Romanesque church located on the Piazza San Frediano. Fridianus (Frediano) was an Irish bishop of Lucca in the first half of the 6th century. The church acquired its present appearance of a typical Roman basilica during the period 1112-1147. In the 13th-14th centuries the striking façade was decorated with a huge golden 13th century mosaic representing The Ascension of Christ the Saviour with the apostles below. When you look up at this facade, you can see how the facade curves up to the roofline -- my picture just doesnt capture it.
Berlinghiero Berlinghieri designed it in a Byzantine/medieval style. Inside, the basilica is built in richly carved white marble. It consists of a nave and two aisles with arches supported by columns with Roman and Romanesque capitals. The Roman capitals, as well as other parts of the basilica were recycled from the nearby Roman amphitheatre. The highlight at the entrance is the huge 12th century Romanesque baptismal font (the Fonte Lustrale). It is composed of a bowl, covered with a tempietto, resting on pillars, inside a circular basin. The counterfaçade houses the 16th century organ in the exquisitely carved. gold-plated choir from the 17th 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.
Christmas lights had been strung along Via Filung, but so far the lights have not been turned on and a worker indicated that it might not be turned on until December 1st.
We came back to the apartment and Carol has been glued to her computer and chuckeling as she writes her traveloge. I worked for a few hours. I also watched the movie Bad Bosses which I had downloaded to my Ipad.... so I was giggling as I worked on the Blog.
Friday November 18, 2011: I got a late start this morning, as I did not get to sleep until around 3am. After oing some laundry, we went for a stroll. I am now focused on improving the quality of the pictures I have taken an trying to see anything new that I have not already seen. I was hopin to go to an Opera today (Puccini of course), but they start at 8pm and I have a 7:30 telecon.... so maybe when I get to Milan, I will go to La Scala to see an opera.
After walking a bit, Carol and I had lunch in the Anfiteatro - in an outdoor restaurant as the day was sunny and geting warm. It was a tourist trap, so the food was mediocre, tho' after speaking to two american couples at a nearby table, we helped them figure out what they were going to do with their short 1 day in Lucca. Carol volunteered to be their guide for the day, but they did not take her up on it. These two guys played while we ate.
We decided to split up and walk separately. Carol sez that she ran the wall and walked around. Me, well I strolled the city. In St Michele square they were bringing in several large and old olive trees and a lemon tree -- a many who I asked what was going on, said they are for Christmas.
Found another villa, where two young boys were playing with an air gun and I scared them silly as I acted as if they had shot me. I fell on the ground and didn not move for at least a full minute. One kid ran our of the courtyard and the other just stood there staring at me. When I finally go up, he ran off.
After spending my aftenoon walking, it was time to return to the apartment to do some work. Had telecons at 7pm and 10:30. So inbetween the calls, since Carol does not eat dinner, I ventured out in search of entertainment and food - walking around the city in search of a pizza and wine. At 8pm, there was not much open in our sector of Lucca, but I came across this restaurant Restaurant del Teatro who made me a nice pizza. Their wine was good Il Selvatico with a deer's head on the label.
Michelangelo, my Naples cousin, and family arrives tomorrow for the weekend.
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