Random Scenes Around Town, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

A nice stone arch setting for an indoor fruit and vegetable market. The greengrocer's young child bicycles around the stands as customers come and go. I love how Italians don't seem to sweat the small stuff, I mean really, so what if a kid rides a bike through the market? If you don't like it, go to another market.

This small fast stream quietly flows through town from north to south. And as always, someone bicycles by - young, old, or in-between. Often, little dogs ride in the front baskets.

This odd-looking creature, a Muscovy Duck, lives on the stream - he even has a doghouse styled home someone built for him. He has the best crown of feathers! Put a different face under that crown and he could be a rock star.

Even in the narrow lanes, a proprietor will set out a few tables for dining.  It is not necessary to be in a large piazza.

This piazza in front of San Martino Cathedral is quiet today..... 

....but not so on Easter Sunday as this procession begins to wind its way through town celebrating the Resurrection.

A line of parked motor scooters with their mirrors reflecting a bright overcast sky. This is another popular form of transportation within the walls as there isn't a lot of room for parking cars. That being said, it is not unusual to be wandering the narrow lanes with many other walking humans and have dogs, bicycles, baby carriages, motor scooters, cars, small buses, and delivery vans all vying for the same space at the same time - somehow it works out.

One of the bike rental shops offers these bright green models.

This was my patio view for our stay in Lucca. The church, one of nearly twenty within this small walled city, was formerly known as the Church of Santa Maria Forisportam. The name meant it was located outside the original Roman era wall.  Today, it is known as the Church of Santa Maria Bianca. It was built in the 11th -12th centuries.

A restaurant in town with an old vaulted brick ceiling. And speaking of restaurants, I have never seen a sign saying, "no shoes, no shirts, no service" anywhere around here.  I think the Italians are mostly far too classy to need such sentiments - in restaurants, they are often stylishly dressed, they laugh loudly, gesticulate wildly, hug and kiss, drink wine, and sometimes bring their dogs and children to the fun. They are animated and alive, not wrapped so tightly as many in the United States. It is a different culture here - there is a good reason they have been called  the birthplace of both the Renaissance and modern civilization.