Lucca and Pisa

I was excited to go away with my friends Gretchen and Leti to Lucca this weekend. Lucca is a small city about three hours away from Perugia (by train). It is characterized by an extremely old wall that surrounds it. This wall was built for protection, but now serves as a beautiful place to jog, ride bikes, and just relax. It is lined with benches and parks. We couldn't see any of this on Saturday night when we arrived, because it was dark by the time we got there. However, when we set out to explore Sunday morning, these were some of the beautiful sights: 

Clock tower

This was really scary from a distance at night!

Panorama shot...this used to be an ampitheater! 

When we set out on Sunday morning, Lucca had one of the most peaceful atmospheres I've come across yet. Hardly anyone was out, the sun was shining, and the air felt wonderful. Pictures say a thousand words in this case.

Here are some pictures from the wall! When we got off the train to walk to our bed and breakfast, we actually had to walk THROUGH the wall! Check it out!

This led to the cool tunnel!

Former jail?

Mountains in the background

And not to mention, our "hostel," which was actually a bed and breakfast, felt like a medieval home! This picture doesn't do it justice, but you can see the the decoration.

After a morning in Lucca, we took the train to Pisa. All that's really in Pisa is the leaning tower. But it's something that everyone here has to see. And yes, it REALLY leans. Quite visibly.

Cliche tourist shot.

After a train delay, we made it home last night. I have an Italian midterm on Thursday, so a lot of this week will be spent studying. But don't worry, more to come!