Lucca, Italy

I love Italy. The little town of Lucca was a surprise. It is a walled city where locals bike and walk along the upper edge for pleasure and for exercise. Main mode of transportation: bicycles. They were everywhere....being ridden, ready to be ridden, parked, locked, and in some cases...stacked. I wondered how people untangle their bike from the masses. The sculptures and architecture in Lucca are also charming. When we were there, wandering the streets early in the morning, hardly any tourists or even locals were out and about. As the morning warmed up...more bikes were on the cobblestone streets and we were narrowly missed by riders on several occasions. The cyclists ding, ding, ding their bells as they encourage you to let them by. My favorite square was the round yellow square "Anfiteatro" in Lucca. Many shops, restaurants pour into the square during business hours. I'm going back to Lucca in May and I can't wait. When there in November, a hotelier--along a quiet back street-- invited us in to check out their accommodations. I took literature and emailed for reservations upon our return later this year. We will be staying at the sister property which is very near Anfiteatro. I can't wait to explore this town a bit more intimately and to share my favorite piazza with Italian families in the evening.