Rick Steves Village Italy in 14 days
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Volterra/Lucca
Day 9
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Volterra
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Walking tour
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Etruscan archway
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Alabaster Factory
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Lunch on our own
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Bus ride to Lucca
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Orientation walk around Lucca
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Free afternoon and evening
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It was day 9 of our tour and we were off to Lucca, but we had a surprise stop on the way. Tricia posted that today had a guide's choice stop on the itinerary. She picked Volterra as her village of choice. We had a great view of this ancient village with its bell tower and the tiled dome of the baptistry, as we made our way up the windy roads leading to the city. Rick Steves mentions in his video that Voltera is his favorite Tuscan small town.
Tricia explained that Volterra was founded by the Etruscans and as the Roman empire assimilated the Etruscan culture, it became a Roman city. We were able to view substantial structures from both eras. The first is an Etruscan arch, the Porto all'Archo, which was built approximately 400 BCE. Tricia told us the story of how the citizens of Volterra protected the arch from being bombed by the Nazi troops. The people of Volterra worked together to fill the arch with stones, rocks, and pieces of cement overnight. With the entrance into the city blocked, the Germans had no reason to bomb it and the arch is standing there today as it did thousands of years ago.
Click any photo to take a closer look
Tricia then took us to the edge of Volterra to view the ruins of a Roman theater and remains of Roman baths. These ruins were a rather recent discovery. Excavation of the ruins was completed in the early to mid-1900s. I was interested in learning more about the ruins and I ran across a link that caught my eye. The website was for the Volterra-Detroit Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit organization working to give students a way to study the amazing architectural history of Volterra. Their website shows an artist's digital 3D model of what the theater may have looked like in its prime.
Click first photo in each group to enlarge entire gallery
Our next stop was the Camillo Rossi Alabaster factory where we learned about the soft white rock quarried nearby. Alabaster looks similar to marble but it is much easier to carve. The walk through the shop was fascinating. There were sculptures, busts, bowls, sketches, big machinery, and small tools laying about. It seemed as if some of the art had been abandoned and was waiting patiently under a fine layer of alabaster dust just hoping to be re-discovered. We learned that the Etruscans had used alabaster for many things including funeral urns, tombs, and decorations.
After the alabaster factory tour, Tricia sent us off to stroll through Volterra for a few hours on our own. It was fun to look through the shops and appreciate the pedestrian-only streets. Bryan and I stopped for lunch in a small restaurant just off a main street. The food was very good and the waiter suggested a rosé wine from a local winery. We had not tried an Italian rosé and we enjoyed it so much, we bought a bottle to enjoy later.
Lucca
Day 9 Continued
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Stroll through Lucca with Tricia
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Evening and dinner on our own
Day 10
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Lucca history tour with Gabriele
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Lunch at La Visona Olive oil cooperative
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Free evening
The group relaxed and enjoyed the Tuscan landscape as we traveled from Volterra to Lucca. Mario parked just outside the thick, squat wall of Lucca and we unloaded our luggage and walked a short distance to our next hotel, La Luna. We all checked into our rooms and then gathered for a welcome cocktail and snacks before our orientation tour through Lucca with Tricia.
I spotted two of these blue, scuba masked pieces of street art in Venice and then more in Ravenna, Volterra, Siena and the last few on our walk with Tricia that first day in Lucca. I later learned that the art is done by an anonymous artist known only as Blub and that there are more of these unique pieces posted in cities all over Italy. Maybe I should go back to Italy and search for more?
We had the remainder of the afternoon and evening free. Bryan and I spent a few hours doing laundry down the street from our hotel. We sat across from the laundromat at a little place called Bar Martini where we enjoyed a glass of Vermentino, which is a white wine of the region while snacking on salami and homemade bruschetta. It was the most fun I have had doing laundry. We had such filling snacks earlier that we decided not to go out to dinner that night. I opted for gelato and Bryan ordered a pizza for take-away at a neighborhood pizzeria.
After our light dinner, we went for a walk so I could take some night photos. We turned down some smaller, quiet neighborhood streets. The light and sounds filtered down from the open windows of the homes above. I just stopped to listen. We could hear bits of Italian conversations and dishes clanking in kitchens. I imagined that the conversations were about the family’s day, children finishing their homework, and being told it was time to get ready for dinner. It "sounded" just like a conversation from our home with our daughters. Family sounds like family in any language.
Lucca is my favorite town on the tour. It is not just a tourist attraction, but a town where people work, live, and raise their families. I enjoyed living among these families even if it was only for a few days.
A thunderstorm woke us on day 10 of our trip. The shutters were open in our room and we could hear the thunder roll and the rain hitting the cobblestone street below. The forecast had been predicting rain for the last week or so, but our wishful thinking had kept it at bay until that morning. We gathered outside our hotel to meet our local tour guide Gabriele. By the time we all set out together, the rain had stopped and we had another great day in Italy ahead of us.
Gabriele guided us through the arch of the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro. The piazza is formed by a ring of connected buildings that sit on the footprint of a Roman amphitheater. A piece of the original Roman amphitheater has been preserved by the modern buildings built around it. Our next stop was the Basilica di San Frediano. The exterior of this Romanesque church is adorned only with a colorful mosaic of Jesus ascending into heaven. The interior had a nave formed of two rows of arches supported by beautiful columns. The outer walls are lined with many smaller chapels all of which are exquisitely decorated. One of the other notable features is the large ornate baptismal font. It has the story of Moses carved around the massive circular base.
Gabriele then escorted us to the thick city wall that surrounds Lucca. As a group we had entered the city by going through the wall, some of us had walked and biked on the wall, now Gabriele took us into the wall. The tunnels into the wall had been used for military purposes, but now they are well-lit pedestrian passages. We said grazie to Gabriele and joined Mario at the bus for our trip to the La Visona oil mill.
We were welcomed by our hostess Elena who had prepared a lovely lunch for us. Tricia translated while Elena explained the history of the frantoio (oil mill). A local group formed the co-op and restored the old mill so they could produce cold press extra virgin olive oil from the olives they grew. Elena also demonstrated the method for tasting olive oils. After lunch, we went into the production facility. We were told that the olives are collected and brought to the mill by each individual family. Their olives are weighed, sorted, crushed, and the oil extracted by the cold press method. The whole process occurs in a single room and it takes less than a few hours to complete. We were given the opportunity to purchase the oil produced by the co-op before returning to the bus.
We had the afternoon and evening free back in Lucca. Bryan and I visited the San Martino Cathedral. St. Martin is the home of the Volto Santo, the Holy Face. The Volto Santo is a wooden crucifix that is believed by legend to have been carved shortly after the crucifixion of Jesus. Many miracles have been attributed to this crucifix and each year Lucca honors this artifact with a city-wide festival. I was in Lucca the previous year for the celebration. The citizens of Lucca line windows and buildings with candles and lights. The crowds gathered after sunset to watch the parade and wait for the wooden crucifix to go by. It was quite amazing to see.
Click any photo to take a closer look
Bryan and I rented bikes later that afternoon to ride around the circular park on top of the wall. At the beginning of the ride, we had the park almost to ourselves. Gradually the path became more and more crowded and we were dodging dogs on leashes, joggers, and small children who were darting about. I was wondering why it was becoming so busy, then I realized it was the time of the evening for la passeggiatta.
When the workday is finished, the Italians like to take an evening stroll. I love this time of the day in Italy! Tricia said this is the time to see and to be seen. Once you know this happens, you start noticing. Elderly gentlemen in nice jackets and ladies, looking so “Italian,” walking arm in arm together down the street. Women walk home from the stores with their arms draped with pretty bags full of their new purchases and young parents chat with their neighbors as the beautiful babies sit or play nearby. It is so much fun to watch. Oh, and don’t forget the puppies and dogs. Even the family pooch comes out to visit and to be seen. I hope we can come back to Italy and spend every evening sitting at an outdoor cafe, enjoying a spritz and the pageantry of the passeggiatta.
