Today we took a walking tour of Lucca and also visited 2 beautiful gardens.

WALKING TOUR OF LUCCA:

There are very tall brick and rock walls that completely surround Lucca except for about 12 gates. On the inside there is a road where you can walk or ride your bike completely around the city. This road provides views into the city and out to the countryside.

I rented a bike and drove around the city in 30 minutes.

Lucca has a good supply of water – this canal runs through the entire city. There are also year-round springs that are captured in the valley and piped up to the city so this boy can drink right out of the faucet.

There are many churches in Lucca and the names I am unable to recite but the above photos show their beauty. Many of them were built 1000 – 1300.

Statue of Puccini and the plaque on the wall of the building where he was born.

Some trees around the perimeter road of Lucca:

Common Horsechestnut) (Aesculus hippocastanum)

Red Horsechestnut (Aesculus carnea)

Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

Lombardy Poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’)

Little-leaf Linden (Tilia cordata)

Holly Oak (Quercus ilex)

London Plane Tree, Sycamore (Platanus acerifolia cv. )

Oak (Quercus) (maybe red)

PALAZZO PFANNER

This villa was built in 1660 and the garden was used as the location of the film ‘Portrait of a Lady’ with Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich.

The water feature and the statues are the main accents in the garden.

View from the villa to the garden

The fragrance of the lemons is wonderful in the garden. All the lemons are in pots so they can be moved inside during the winter.

VILLA TORRIGIANI

The villa was built at the beginning of the 1500’s and in the 1600’s the grounds were redesigned by Le Notre (Versailles designer).

Front entrance and some statuary

Front and side gardens

Rear yard

Lemons in pots and water features

The grotto is at the end of the long path lined with boxwoods.

Interesting Plants:

Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)

Sycamore (Platanus acerifolia)

Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

Deciduous Azalea (Rhododendron)

Camellia japonica – 325 years old

Peony

Oxalis

Next: Cinque Terre