For 18 Euro I got my first massage for 25 minutes and it was worth every penny. The hard pillows and awkward bus seats definitely made my feel a bit out of whack, but the massage was more than enough to get it all back together.
I headed to the pool after that to increase my relaxation and enjoy the beautiful sunshine and then we got to have lunch with the Friends and Family of the Glee Club in our hotel. For lunch we had “tuscan appetizers” which amounted to various types of cold cuts (salume), bruschetta, cheese, and some meat pâté. We also got two types of pasta, veal, peas, and Tiramisu for dessert. Believe it or not, this hotel was the worst dining we have had so far (there doesn’t ever seem to be enough food or water for us all), but it was still good in comparison.
We were then off on the bus to Lucca. Lucca is also located in the region of Tuscany. Lucca is famously the birthplace of the famous 19th century composer Giacomo Puccini who wrote many of the world’s most famous operas. This is a statue dedicated to him in one of the main piazza’s.
We stopped in the church at la piazza di San Michele (Saint Michael’s square) and we were greeted with quite a different sight in terms of interior decoration. This church, created later than many of the other renaissance churches which we had seen thus far, was very austere in nature and represented more of a place of quiet meditation than being in awe of what God had done. The wildly elaborate and expressive art in the other churches, as I mentioned, was meant as a type of bible picture book for the poor people because they were not educated and the vast majority would not be able to read or even follow the masses given in the church as they were in Latin. Here in Lucca, however, the later construction of this church meant that more people were able to read and understand the priests and therefore the architecture did not need to do the work of the bible itself. Below you can see a parallel of symbolic and expressionistic works, the first being Jesus Alive on the cross (a symbol of hope and victory), and the second is a picture of four saints, the last being Saint Helen, shown in extraordinary detail characteristic of the expressions being expressed in the painting.
Lucca is also distinguished from the surrounding areas in Tuscany because it was conquered by Napoleon Bonaparte. Its thick walls (surrounding the main, historic city center) show a historical shift as they are walls designed for defense from cannons rather than medieval implements of siege like the trebuchet and the siege tower. The city center as well shows a historical development as it is modeled after a French square rather than a typical Italian one. The 200 year old Sycamore trees lining the square definitely gave it a certain charm and made it feel very cozy and secure.
Another architectural oddity of Lucca is its Piazza Anfiteatro. This plaza was built around the site of an ancient Roman amphitheater/coliseum where actual gladiator fights and other spectacles were held. The four gates entering the closed plaza correspond with the entrance points for gladiators and even lions, and the walls around the plaza are houses constructed on top of the ancient grand stands. We made it out safely, however, and Brian Thomas and I decided to rent some bikes on our free time and take a quick ride along the walls of the city. As I said, these walls are very thick due to the need to stop cannon balls, so they have now been turned into a bike/jogging track, with many of the free, green spaces being used for public parks as well. The bike photo was a bit out of focus but I think well done considering I was trying to ride my bike at the same time as I took the photo!
When we had all had our fill of free time in Lucca we got on our bus and headed off to Peccioli where we would be having our joint concert that evening. Driving more towards the southeast from Lucca we continued to move into the heart of Tuscany and we were not at all disappointed by the scenery. I get the sense that this part of Italy is what people consider to be the stereotypical Italian landscape. Rolling hills are pock-marked with beautiful villas and neat fields, while towns sit perched atop hills with quaint, steep cobbled streets leading up to old churches worn from use. These are a few photos that I was able to snap quickly just from where our bus let us off to make our way to the church for our concert.
We then got hastily changed and walked up the long winding streets to our concert location in a small (and stuffy!) church at the top of the town’s hill. We performed our set with another choir who also did three pieces and we were also very happy to be able to share some time eating with them after our concert.
Peccioli was really eye-opening for me because it gave me the first real idea of what Tuscany is really like. I ate Proscuitto, saw magnificent views, and felt the warm rays of the sun still trapped in the stone church walls after it had already been dark just before we went in to perform. I feel somewhat nostalgic for this place despite never having been here in my life and I know that it will always hold a special place in my memories.
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