Day: September 24, 2017

Thinking of new countertops? You may consider marble. I knew we’d be visiting the marble quarries of Carrara but I had no idea how exciting it would be!

As we drove up, we saw little patches of white, and then the white predominated – a whole mountain of white marble.  We met our guide in town, who gave us an overview of the history and use of marble, pointed out examples of marble in the town of Carrara, then our bus climbed up the mountain, where we finally stopped at a level area.  We went into the gift shop to use the facilities and changed vehicles.

There were eight of us in each four-wheel drive vehicle, one in the front, three in the back and the rest in the rear.  We set off and climbed once more, but this time, we were driving on granite!  It was a wild ride!  Our guide/driver was in the first vehicle and was narrating from his headset as we drove along. His wife drove the second car.  He would stop at a work area and ask if we could visit. Sometimes we could and other times we couldn’t. If we could, we would be able to get out to see what the workmen were doing. Since we were at a work site, we had to wear hard hats.

By the end of the journey, it felt like we were in the clouds! It was a beautifully clear day and we could see all the way to the Adriatic sea..

We went back down the mountain, slowly, slowly, with many ups and downs, like a roller coaster ride, but we made it back unscathed. We thanked our guide and driver for a most unique experience

Next stop: lunch!  We returned to the town of Carrara, to the Piazza del Duomo.  Did you know that Michaelangelo stayed at a room here in the piazza when he was picking out marble for his statue of David? Yes, there’s a plaque!

After lunch, we returned to Lucca to spend one more afternoon and evening. Our time is ending here so we had to pack.  In our free time,  some explored the streets, some went shopping, and others had a light supper. In the evening, most of us attended a concert of Puccini’s music performed by a soprano, a tenor and a pianist, given in an old church.  The accoustics were wonderful and the locals and a few tourists enjoyed the recital.  After the recital, it was time for one more gelato before saying good night.

Tomorrow we go to the Tuscan countryside, to stay at the Villa Sabolini, near Siena, to discover the region of Chianti!

 

Lucca is a perfectly preserved walled city.  Yes, it is commercial. It’s actually the first time on the trip I’ve seen so many souvenir shops, but it is still very appealing. There’s a terrific wall walk, and people rent bikes to cycle the circle. We used our feet – we’re walking  about eight miles a day. The weather is perfect – low 70s. Life is good.

Music is an important part of Italian culture. Our guide, Alice, is from Milan and is very proud of her opera house, La Scala. Lucca is the land of Puccini;  we visited his house and museum, and later on the next evening attended a concert. I’ve seen many Puccini operas, several more than once, and it was enjoyable to see his museum. Another musical group performed in Lucca Saturday night – the Rolling Stones – and we saw the fans roll in the night before. We left Lucca Saturday morning.

We liked walking the walls of this delightful town and meeting the local cat and seeing some of its citizens.

I’m  a couple of days behind because of slow internet and my busy schedule but I  hope to catch up soon.

Our most exciting adventure – kickass, you might say-happened as a side trip from Lucca  when we visited the Carrera marble quarries!

We are currently in the Tuscan countryside.  I feel right at home; this part of the world is very reminiscent of Napa valley.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.  More soon..