We became quite attached to Lucca. This beautiful and charming walled city was a perfect place to immerse ourselves in Italy. Before arriving on the 9th of March we had spent our final week skiing in Claviere. Sitting virtually on the French border (about 50 meters walk from our Hotel), Claviere was one of the sights used for the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. Unfortunately, we booked our stay through a British company online and let’s simply say they overstated the “amenities”, under delivered on their commitments and grossly overcharged. The snow conditions had deteriorated since it didn’t snow in all of February and the mountain was really not that great for skiing. The boys had no problem snowboarding the same run hour after hour and day after day. Other than that we had a great time. So rather than ski the last week we planned we headed to Lucca a week early. Not really having excercised much, I was able to connect with the local tennis pro and play some tennis on indoor red clay courts. The pro, Michaelangelo, was very nice and not having played for over 3 months I was sore in places I never knew existed after one hour of play. Tennis became a healthy part of my social life and my Italian language education. The house we stayed in was virtually across the street from the train station. So between guests coming to stay, day trips to beautiful places and schlepping bags around it was the perfect location.
Kyle got to practice with Dan Crozier,s club soccer team and that was a dream come true. Four bikes came with our villa and we used the bikes to get everywhere. It’s been great going the last several months with no car. Our friend Alex Crozier went home to SLO after 3 months here and immediately bought 2 new bikes to use. I’m sure we’ll be biking a lot more when we get home as well. We were able to make side trips to the Italian Mediterranean area of Cinque Terre – incredible, as well as San Gimignano, Florence and Sienna. These are all places that are amazingly stunning and historic at the same time. I would recommend anyone going to Italy to visit these places at least for 1-2 days each. Rather than go into detail just take a look at the photos we’ve taken as they come marginally close to reflecting the true beauty and charm of these magical places.
In front of Coliseum with Theresa
Going to Rome was like being a farm boy in New York city for the first time. It was fast, busy and bustling with activity. We were lucky enough to be pitched for a tour outside the coliseum by the many high pressure salesman. I was skeptical that we would even get a tour after handing this guy 90 Euro but he brought us right through the long line into the coliseum and joined us up with our guide. So rather than looking unwittingly at an ancient ruin we were given the context of the rise and fall of the Roman empire and the significance of the building, usage and history of the coliseum. This was followed by an incredible historic description and tour of Palantine Hill where the Romans got their start. Of course the most educational, and these were all VERY educational tours, was of the Vatican. Now imagine two boys ages 12 & 14 preparing to go into an art museum. There was no outward resistance for which we were grateful but in their heads Nate and Kyle were dreading this 3-4 hours of sheer boredom. Once again the guide was incredibly knowledgeable, enthusiastic and funny. Knowing the context of t he artist, the type of person he was and the circumstances under which he would do his work brought everything to life and the boys loved it. I can’t imagine a more interactive way to get the history lesson of a lifetime. Yet, after 3 days of sightseeing we were all ready for a little change so we took the train through Naples to Sorrento on the beautiful Amalfi Coast of the Mediterranean. The beauty and juxtaposition of this place overtook us. Perched on 300’ high sheer cliffs sits a town of about 13,000 that dates back to Roman times. The VERY narrow streets designed for horses and pedestrians give Sorrento the feel of an ancient City. We were lucky enough to find one of the cutest little casa’s to stay in the center of town. We made a day trip to the island of Capri which is home to the Blue Grotto and many Roman ruins. It’s surrounded, like Sorrento, by the crystal blue Mediterranean. We took a small boat to the Grotto and since it was high tide it made the entry that much smaller.
Once inside we could see how this natural wonder had earned it’s name with it’s rich blue water. It’s a must for anyone going to that area. The other highlight were the very cool towns of Capri and Anacapri (where we took a chairlift to the highest part of the island and saw the 180 degree view and the sheer cliffs upon which people were thrown to their deaths in the distant past), and the small harbor front. Yes, this was an area we had not planned on visiting yet we were very glad we did.
