Livorno the Port / Lucca

Look who is playing in Lucca at the Summer Music Festival ?? (Along with Crosby, Stills & Nash and Van Morrison)




The Lucca visit included a morning of riding bikes on the ancient city wall that is flat and 90 ft across on top. The wall is brick faced on both sides but filled with soil that is held in place mostly by tree roots. The top of the wall is a type of botanic garden with different types of trees planted in groups that change as you travel along. Parts of the tree system have been killed off by blights that only attack certain type trees, so those areas are sunny as the young replacement trees grow, other areas, under the old, tall trees are very cool and shady. At one time, a moat circled the outer walls of the town next to the wall.

Lucca has an oval piazza at it's center and the streets of the old town are laid out circling the piazza. The town has so much charm that several movies have been filmed there. One of the most recent is one I have not seen yet, called "Poitrait of a Lady" that was filmed in the mansion behind where I am standing. If anyone wonders what that lump is in the center of my chest, it is my credit card zippered wallet that I kept on a chain around my neck and tucked in my 'undergarments'.


LIVORNO


The Lighthouse in Livorno at dusk.




From a bridge, Sara and I watched this Livorno fisherman mend his nets for quite a while. He looked up at us and seemed mildly amused that we were watching and taking pictures.

The Wind Surf, with sails down, in the Port of Livorno, Italy.

We have been two days in Livorno and it is a HUGE port. Biggest that i have ever seen. One Italian said it is the biggest container port in Italy and biggest on the Med. Sea. I have never seen such ships and cranes everywhere. They also ship in and out paper products, newsprint, and bundled paper for recycling so you see huge open sided warehouses of that. The rolls of newsprint are just stacked in the open like haystack rolls.
Livorno had humongous ferries also that go off to the vacation islands that all of Italy takes holiday on. The ferries are painted in brilliant colors w/ creative paint job designs and the docks are decorated to match. All very colorful and in contrast to the ancient ruins all still here and there in the port. In general, Italy is a very clean place, so even tho this is an industrial area, it is a beautiful area. There are flowers and statues and sidewalk cafes amongst the industrial docks.

This morning I bicycled in Lucca, the charming ancient town that has been used in many movies. It has an oval open plaza in the town center. Sara went to the gym and had a consult with the personal trainer. She is getting the followup exercise machine training w/ him right now for about 30 min then we plan to go ashore for an hour or so before the boat pulls
out this afternoon.
Yesterday we went to Florence and Pisa, lots of walking.

Fabulous weather every day.
Millie, I have gotten charms for my charm braclet in most places we have visited. Tower Bridge in London, Pisa's Tower, a Fleur de Leis for Florence, a Sun for Cote de Azul, etc...lots of fun and will be a great souvenir.
L.