Looking Up - Prague

Whenever I find myself out and about – whether on a mountain trail or a city street – I look up. The sky is my favorite backdrop to any view. When it’s vibrantly blue, it is an unparalleled canvas. When it’s stormy and grey, its drama frames other sights. I find myself especially looking up when I’m somewhere new.

Prague is known for its many spires.

Such was the case during a recent trip to Prague. On somewhat of a lark, I proposed to Joanne, my co-blogstress and frequent travel buddy, that we head to Prague for a few days en route to Venice for Carnivale (yes, I know that from Lucca, Prague is not the most direct route to Venice). Neither of us had been to Prague before so we booked cheap flights and headed north.

It was February. And it was cold. Prague, however, was beautiful. From its Jewish Quarter to its Old Town Square, its famous castle and Charles Bridge, the city did not disappoint. It offered diverse and delightful architecture; cobblestone streets; clean and neat pathways for exploring the city on both sides of the river; and a long and interesting history.

One of the oldest synagogues in Europe is in Prague.

I thought I’d share a few of my favorite “looking up” photos to either pique your interest (if you’ve never been) or help you recall your own memories of what is known as the City of a Hundred Spires.  –post by Judy  

Once Around the Sun: A Year of Living in Italy

It is hard to believe that I have lived in Italy for a whole year.  I moved to Lucca just before the start of 2019 and have now experienced all four seasons, and every month of the year, here. I’m still in the “pinching myself to see if this is real” stage and I am delighted to wake up every morning to find that it is indeed - I live in Italy!

Any big move, much less an international one, comes with challenges and surprises. Happily most of the challenges have been manageable and most of the surprises have been good ones.

Before arriving I wondered if I would love Italy as much in cold January or rainy November as I do in spring and fall (I do!). 

I also wondered how I’d manage the challenges of setting up a home here when I was less than fluent in Italian. Happily, my Italian is improving (thank you Lucca Italian School and some very patient Lucchese citizens) and I’m now able to manage most things on my own.

A view of the Torre Guinigi from my apartment - if only there weren’t so many steps.

I had some doubts about the 38 steep steps that led up to my beautiful apartment with  amazing views. Those doubts were well founded and at the end of the year I moved to a new apartment. Though it is smaller and has no terrace, it is on the ground floor, in a great location, and charmingly cozy.

Making the move on my own, I wondered if I would find myself lonely here. The answer to that is a definite no. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was being welcomed into a vibrant community  where I’ve made dear friends and quickly established a busy, active, rich life.  

In celebration of the past year, I thought I’d share some of my favorite photos from 2019, the first year of a new life in Lucca, Italy.             -post by Joanne

A cold January morning

February began with clouds and cold

Crisp but beautiful, late February at Lake Massaciuccoli

Magnolias in bloom in March

My favorite photo from 2019 - a country lane in the village of Vorno, just a few minutes from Lucca, in April (above). The Cinque Terra, in June, with two of my grandchildren (below)

Hot July and August days call for an iced coffee in a shady piazza.

The Chianti region, in September

Early October - a perfect time to visit Lake Como

November in Lucca brings the huge Comics and Games event. This is just one of the many fabulous costumes.

Christmas in Lucca - magic!

Rome Unscripted

There are endless reasons to visit Rome. Visitors often arrive, guidebooks in hand, with long lists of must-see attractions and several days scripted to fit them all in.

But for me, a big part of the joy of Rome lies in unscripted moments and ordinary days. Just wandering the streets, spying an amazing building or hidden courtyard as you pass by, enjoying a cappuccino in a local bar, people watching, observing daily life - how happy that makes me!. Even better to do this in the off-season when the streets are less crowded and the city has the rhythm of normal life.

A pretty balcony, tucked away behind the Forum (and seen from my room at the Hotel Nerva).

On a recent trip to Rome I visited some of the “minor” attractions (is there really such a thing as a minor attraction in Rome?) but left most of my time for wandering and soaking in street scenes and Rome’s quiet season . So, I give you few words in this post and lots of photos. I hope you enjoy seeing some of my favorites.

-post by Joanne

A pretty courtyard, glimpsed while being just a little lost walking through Rome.

Near Campo de’ Fiori

Near Piazza Cairoli on the edge of the Ghetto neighborhood (above) and in the morning market at Campo de’ Fiori (below)

Somewhere in Rome

Art or grafiti? On the side of a building

A Walk Along Lucca's Aqueduct

Part of the joy of living in Italy is being able to explore so much of the country, including areas close to home. On a recent Saturday afternoon, a friend and I – accompanied by three eager dogs – explored the neoclassical L’acquedotto del Nottolini, which is barely a five-minute walk from the Lucca train station.

The 19th century aqueduct – designed by Lorenzo Nottolini – is a landmark in this area, stretching for more than three kilometers (more than 1.8 miles) south of Lucca’s centro storico (historic center).

A temple tank

The aqueduct’s stone channel – supported by more than 400 arches - was used to bring water to Lucca from the mountains south of the city. Water was conveyed to a tank that looks like a temple and then potable water was fed into fountains throughout the city through metal pipes. Those fountains are still in use today – many residents’ routines include filling glass bottles with water from one of the fountains and carrying the bottles home.

A happy canine explorer

One of the fountains

The land alongside the aqueduct is now used by walkers, joggers and bicyclists. Green fields roll out on either side and colorful houses dot the land. People make their way to the fountains found at the base of some of the aqueduct’s arches to fill bottles. The day we walked we saw at least a half dozen people stocking up.

The trail here eventually ends at the town of Guamo. It’s a fun exploration with the beauty of nature and innovation of man providing a majestic setting). -post by Judy    

One Winter Morning in Rome

Rome.  Is there a more exciting city anywhere?  The history, the architecture, the beauty, the sheer majesty of Rome makes it one of the world’s greatest cities.  I’ve visited Rome before, spending time in its “must-see” places - museums, churches, the Colosseum and Forum, the Vatican, and countless piazzas. I’ve also wandered neighborhoods like Trastevere, back streets, markets, and I’ve lingered in cafes and enotecas. And, of course, I’ve had fabulous meals. Each of my prior visits was wonderful, but the crowds of tourists and the summer heat always tempered the pleasure and left me longing to see the city outside of tourist season.  

For just that reason, on the return leg of a recent trip to the United States over Christmas, I grabbed the chance to fly into Rome to spend three days there before returning home to Lucca. Even better was that Judy, who’d spent the holidays in Italy, met me in Rome for a few days of fun. We arrived in early January just in time for Epiphany, which meant the city was still all dressed up for the Christmas season. The weather was brisk (scarf and gloves required), and, while there are always tourists in the city, their numbers are much smaller in winter and there just weren’t the crowds I’d experienced on earlier visits. I’m now convinced - January is the perfect time to visit Rome!

Christmas in St. Peter’s Square

I arrived with only a loose agenda - I wanted to go to St. Peter’s Square to see the outdoor Nativity, to walk across the Ponte Sant’Angelo, and to visit the Pantheon. Other than that I just wanted to soak in all that is Rome, wander about, and eat some good Roman food.  Judy arrived with a few additional things she wanted to do (and which she will write about in other posts) and she also suggested that we should visit the Castel Sant’Angelo, something I had never done but she had.

With those priorities in mind we decided to start the first morning in St. Peter’s Square.The presepe (Nativity) there was a surprise to me. While, like all Nativity scenes it included a manger - with Mary, Joseph, the infant Jesus, the wise men, and an angel (this one had wings made of 1,000 feathers) - the focus of the display was more on the ordinary people who surrounded the manager. Shepards, villagers, travelers, housewives, wood gatherers, and families. All dressed in authentic dress, including clothing that fluttered in the breeze on that winter morning. A whole village full of people. The role of each character in the scene was explained on a display in front of the presepe. Seeing this Nativity, with the beautiful basilica in the background, was a very special experience.  

On this morning we didn’t enter St. Peter’s Basilica, instead we walked along the papal escape route that connects the Vatican to Castel Sant’Angelo (well known to people who love Rome or read Dan Brown novels). Though I’d seen this imposing structure from the outside several times, I had never actually entered it.

The structure is unusual - a maze of rooms used by emperors, armies, and popes - that over time has served as everything from the Emporor Hadrian’s mausoleum to papal residence to prison to fortress. It is a fascinating place in and of itself, but perhaps most amazing are the views of Rome from its upper floors and terrace. The views encompass St. Peter’s along with a host of other church domes, long views of the bridges that cross the Tiber river, the Palace of Justice, and the hills on which Rome is built. I could even pick out the rounded top of the Pantheon.

St. Peter’s Basilica as seen from atop the Castel Sant’Angelo

A stunning stature of the Archangel Michael, in warrior mode, sits at the very top, watching over all of it. I can only describe it using one of my favorite Italian words -  mozzafiato (breathtaking)!

Afterward, it was time for a walk across the Ponte Sant’Angelo (commonly known as the “Angel Bridge”).

This is a popular spot, even in winter, and there are vendors selling all kinds of trinkets and hawking guided tours - ignore them and look up at the angels, back at Castel Sant’Angelo, and out at the bridges up and down the Tiber. The views are beautiful and oh, those angels are glorious.

That was the morning - a perfect Roman morning and one of the many reasons I love living in Italy.

-post by Joanne