Arrival in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

We have arrived in Lucca to begin the third and final portion of this trip. It was an interesting journey of about 600km/ 360miles/ 6 hours from Provence to get here.  The stretch of highway that goes near the French and Italian Rivieras from west of Cannes to east of Genoa winds and climbs and descends along the precipitous terrain.  Perhaps the most fascinating feature is that we drove through 175 tunnels along that stretch.  Yes, we counted them. Tolls along the route totaled about 62 Euro/$68 USD.

First thing the next morning, I decided to walked the entire wall around the town.  It's about a 4km/2.5 mile loop filled with pedestrians, joggers, bikes, dogs, kids, old people - an extraordinary feature of this town unlike anything I've ever experienced anywhere else.

I left my camera at home so I could just walk and not be distracted like a dog chasing squirrels. Of course, I regretted that decision countless times since I saw some really great images.  I realized then that one of the gifts of photography is that it trains you to see life in greater detail, whether or not you have a camera at hand.  That's a priceless gift.

After the walk, elsewhere around town, an Italian family walks along the colonnade all holding hands.

Bicycles, beautiful women, and a hand-written menu board - three frequent sights in Lucca.

And always, people eating outside whenever possible.

A group of nuns walking along Via Elisa.

The blue hour in Piazza Anfiteatro.

A full moon rises over Piazza Anfiteatro. (Handheld at 1/6 second shutter speed).

Walking home down Via Fillungo. (Handheld at 1/20 second).

Ah yes, it is good to be back in Lucca!