Leaving the apartment at 9:45, we stopped at Gino’s Bakery for a cappuccino and sweet. Linda had an orange cheese cinnamon puff pastry and Dave had a chocolate croissant. We decided we should have stopped here yesterday, too. We certainly will tomorrow.
We crossed the Ponte Vecchio Bridge on our way to the mosaic museum (officially Museo dell’Opificio delle Pietre Dure). This was clearly Linda’s call and even Dave had to admit that it was pretty cool. We recorded a video of the process for any of you who are interested. The link to it is: Mosaic Video In addition to the mosaics on display were tools/ machines and walls full of labeled rock and granite. It was fascinating.
The 90-minute train ride to Lucca was pleasant as we passed rolling hills, miles of tree nurseries and saw tall mountains in the distance.
We visited the Cathedral of San Marino on our way to lunch. It cost €3 each and was well worth the money. We were stunned by the beauty as soon as we entered.
From there, we went to Buca Sant’Antonio for lunch. This is a 2020 Michelin restaurant; and it was wonderful. Linda had ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese in a butter and zucchini sauce. Dave had guinea fowl breast served with bacon and muscat grapes and roasted potatoes. Then, well we just had to have dessert, so Dave ordered the Millefoglio with mixed berries. Wow, we were glad we had it. Dave also had a delicious cup of espresso.
It was now time to walk off that meal. We started in the shopping area where Dave bought a phone charger (forgot ours at the apartment) and some dice to play Farkle.
We then stopped at Chiesa di San Paolino. It was a pretty church and we were fortunate that we got there just before they closed.
We exited the shopping area and began walking on the wall around the city. This is the ancient wall built to protect the city. As we walked, we saw mountains in one direction and the city on the other side. Both were a beautiful view.
We then walked past San Frediano Basilica where the luminaria procession will originate tonight, but more on that later.
We continued down via Filungo (the true shopping street). Linda found her second pair of eyeglass frames this trip. They were €49. She said she was using her birthday money and I owed her a dollar. Some of you will find this funnier than others. Some will recognize that Linda was channeling my dad while here in Italy.
After a short walk we found a bar. Linda had a Pisco Sour and Dave had a Sazerac. Both were excellent and quite a surprise since we haven’t found many true cocktails to be available.
We moved on to a bar/restaurant on the luminaria procession route, but had to give up our table before the procession began. We left as the bells began ringing about 19:40.
Now is probably a good time to talk about the luminaria procession. By chance, the procession was happening on the day of our Lucca daytrip.
Luminarias lined the path, shops closed their doors, bars and restaurants traded lights for candles. This was a Big Deal.
The Volto Santo procession occurs annually and goes from San Frediano Basilica to Cathedral of San Marino. The Luminaria di Santa Croce occurs along the procession route. Virtually all the electric lights are turned off along the route and instead is lit by luminaries of candles (and now days, cellphone screens … including ours). The procession begins at about 20:00 with the start of the procession being a large banner with the Volto Santo crucifix on it. Along the way laity from different parishes, service organization, bands, and clergy dressed in white robes march along the route. It was special to experience. We left at about 20:45 to catch our train back to Florence and it appeared the procession was nearing its end. Unfortunately, with little light available, pictures and videos were difficult at best.
It’s been a long day, as we didn’t arrive back in Florence until about 23:00. We caught a taxi, headed home, and went to bed.
2022 Italy Vacation 