Lucca is most known for the ramparts or renaissance wall that surrounds the center of city. The walls are 2.5 miles in diameter, and a popular place for walking and running. The city has had protective walls for more than 2000 years.
On the ramparts (does a certain song go through your head?):
There was an exhibition while I was there that allowed you to see the rooms and tunnels inside the walls. It was pretty cool.
Had to have a picture of this church. The bell tower was built and then the church. They obviously miscalculated the space needed for the church because you can see the arch on the right side is smaller than the others in order to fit, throwing off the symmetry customary to churches.
Roman amphitheater: after the fall of Rome the amphitheater, which seated 10,000, was cannibalized for its stones. Today's street level is 9 feet above the original arena floor.
Pisa, known for its famous tower is known for not much else. The tower is 200 feet tall, 55 feet wide, and leans at a 5-degree angle to the south (15 feet off the vertical axis). The leaning tower is one of four buildings that makes up the Field of Miracles (Campo dei Miracoli). The other buildings are the baptistery, the Duomo and the Camposanto Cemetery.
The baptistery, Duomo, Tower:
From the back of the Duomo:
This is the baptistery, which leans six feet to the north. Obviously, the whole field was not a good place for any building. It is 180-feet tall and topped with a statue of John the Baptist. Began in 1153, the round architecture of the building is based on the circular domed Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem as seen by Pisan Crusaders who occupied Jerusalem in 1099.
The acoustics of the baptistery are notable. This is due to the 250 foot-wide dome. A sound made inside will echo for a good 10 seconds. A person singing within the dome can make three tones within the 10 second period.
The Duomo, begun in 1063, was designed by Buschetto:
This octagonal pulpit was designed by Giovanni Pisano is 15 feet tall and is the last, biggest and most complex of the four pulpits. Each side unfolds the life of Christ and no stone is left uncarved.
The Duomo's nave, 320 feet long, was the longest in Christendom when it was built. The coffered ceiling has shields of Florence's Medici family. This family took over Pisa once it had fallen in prominence.
Don't know what it is about doors, but there is a lot of them. These bronze doors are at the back of the Duomo and were designed by Bonnano Pisano. There are 24 different panels depicting Christ's stories. These doors were the inspiration for Lorenzo Ghiberti's bronze doors in Florence that were included in my Florence part 1 post.
These adorable triplets entertained me during lunch. They wanted to make friends with the dogs sitting next to me on the steps.
Viareggio is a coastal town whose beach front property didn't look much different from the coastal towns of the United States I have seen.
Most of the beach is private except for about 20 feet just to the side of this pier. The water here did not look inviting so I chose instead to walk down the pier to the end. Along the way I was wowed by old wrinkly Italian men in speedos laying out to get some sun while waiting for a fish to bite. Not something I really wanted or needed to see. I found a quiet spot with out any old men in my periphery and sat down to read in the warm sun. It was lovely.
A faithful fishing companion:
