DAY 59 - LUCCA (Rest Day) - 18 June 2026

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After our usual hearty breakfast, we exited our accommodation by pushing the clearly labelled button. We appreciated the thoughtfulness - in one place these long distance walkers from regional Australia had to ask their host how to get out!

We always like to start in a high point so that we can get our bearings. In Lucca we achieved that by walking around the walls. There have been walls in Lucca since Roman times, but these particular walls were expanded by Napoleon's sister Elisa and made into green space for locals and tourists to enjoy. 

We descended from the walls to have a coffee and cool water in one of the piazzas. It was great to sit for an extended period and watch the world go by, or in this case, tourists flushed with the heat.

Being second-hand book dealers, we had to explore the old book piazza, twinned with the Paris 'bouquinistes'. Regretfully we couldn't buy anything as we still have a long way to walk. 

Next we visited the birth house museum of Giacomo Puccini. We saw the actual piano on which he composed 'Nessun dorma' and many other operatic classics. Apparently hunting was his other passion. 

We had our lunch right next door to the museum in the appropriately named Osteria Tosca. As we didn't have to walk 10km after lunch, we had some delicious pasta and risotto dishes. 

At the Cathedral of San Martino we found the labyrinth, which is a symbol of the pilgrimage, carved into the portico. Both inside and out, the cathedral was magnificent, even with its major treasure, an 8th century life-size cross, removed for restoration. We received a stamp for our Via Francigena credentials in the nearby cathedral museum. 

We climbed back up the walls to complete some of the remaining circuit before returning to our accommodation for planning and quiet time. 

In the evening we took a 'passeggiata' to mail some postcards and then enjoyed an aperol spritz in the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro.

Press here to get out 
The impressive walls which encircle Lucca
Some views from the walls
Looking down on the Porta San Donato, through which the Via Francigena enters Lucca
About to descend from the wall into the old town
View from our coffee stop on Piazza San Michele
First view of the Piazzetta del Libro
The Piazzetta del Libro has a varied collection of secondhand books including some in foreign languages
One of the pleasures of life - secondhand book-browsing 
Puccini statue outside the Puccini Birthplace Museum
Wandering through the museum
Fascinating decorations on the walls of the Osteria Tosca
Lunch at the Osteria Tosca
Some highlights of the Cathedral of San Martino
More of Lucca
Sending some postcards
Piazza dell'Anfiteatro
Bits and pieces 
Birds
Day 59 - Map

Day:                               59
Distance:                      0 km
Walking time:               0 hrs 0 mins
Elevation gain:             0 metres
Cumulative distance:  1192.00 km

Comments

  1. Anonymous19 June 2026 at 02:43

    Birds today: suspect they are Barn Swallows but not really sure

    ReplyDelete
  2. Barkers19 June 2026 at 05:50

    Thanks Murray!

    ReplyDelete

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