The shadows grow deeper in Piazza San Michele. It is considered the center of town and was once the area of the ancient Roman forum. It is surrounded by restaurants, cafes, banks, gelaterias, and shops - one need never leave.
Late afternoon or not, folks are out and about as always, visiting friends and neighbors, living their lives with gusto in this vibrant small city. The temperature was in the low/mid 60's F and people were dressed in everything from t-shirts to winter parkas.
But there were not very many kids on the carousel on this late afternoon as you can tell by counting parents.
The torrent in this moat traverses the entire northeast quadrant of the city along Via del Fosso, turns alongside the interior of the southern wall, and exits underneath to help fill the moat outside the outer wall. Lucca's wall that surrounds the city is about 30 feet high and 60 feet wide at the top. It took over 100 years to complete and is the fourth wall constructed over the past two thousand years.
From atop the wall, a look back at the bell tower of the Cathedral of San Martino. Though originally built in the 6th century, the current version of the Cathedral was rebuilt over the 12th-15th centuries.
The warm light of an outdoor bookseller beckons in the gathering darkness.
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