Day 9 Lucca/Montecatini Terme

     I was a bit tired from my travels and decided to sleep in. I woke up around 9am and had a delicious breakfast downstairs in the breakfast room. The food was really good. Since it was my last day in Lucca, I quickly packed my bags, checked out and had my bags stored at the hotel, while I explored the city some more. It was one of the very few rainy days in Italy during my trip, but it didn't stop me at all. I borrowed a large umbrella from the hotel and was on my way. My original plan was to rent a bike and ride it around the city wall, but since it was raining I decided that biking wouldn't be the best idea and decided to just walk around and enjoy the city instead. Just like yesterday, I enjoyed quaint, non-touristy Lucca, which has no major sites but simply is a beautiful medieval town. I was impressed with the cathedral and spend some time there admiring the paintings by Tintoretto, Fra Bartolomeo and Zucchari, as well as a exquisite tomb of Ilaria del Carretto by Jacopo della Quercia from Siena, which was commissioned by her husband Paolo Guinigi, the lord of Lucca. The cathedral also contains the most precious relic in Lucca - "The Holy Face of Lucca", which is a cedar wood crucifix and the image of Christ, which according to the legend was carved by his contemporary Nicodermus and miraculously conveyed to Lucca in 782. After visiting the cathedral I still wanted to explore the famous city wall. It remained fully intact, even though the city modernized and expanded. On the way to the city wall I walked into the street, where all the trees were in their full spring blooming glory. It was amazing. I climbed the city wall and enjoyed the expanse of the part and the view of the city. It was time to get lunch and say good bye to Lucca. I ate a very delicious lunch, consisting of a warm octopus soup and ravioli with meat sauce at the Osteria Via S. Giorgio, walked back to my hotel to pick up my bags and got a taxi to the train station to go to my next destination - Grotta Giusti Spa at the Montecatini Terme.

     After 40 minutes train ride I arrived to the Montecatini. I had to use my google maps again to determine where to get off the train, since the stops were not being announced at all, so it made for a fun journey. I took a taxi to the spa (there is no public transportation), which I thought was expensive (around 20 Euro) for a relatively short 10 minutes ride. I made it to the spa just in time to enjoy the Grotto before it closed for the day at 5pm. The Grotto is a series of the underground natural caves, with beautiful weirdly shaped stalactites and stalagmites. There are three zones inside, poetically named Paradise, Purgatory and Hell, where the temperature gradually increases from 31C to 34C in Hell with almost 100% humidity and creating a steam bath, which when taken for 40-50 minutes not only releases toxins from your body but also completely melts the stress away. Limbo has a picturesque lake, which maintains a constant temperature of 36C both in winter and summer. I had a great time in the Grotto, it was something very exotic, which I have never done before, even though I had experienced many different spas. After relaxing in the Grotto, I arranged my appointments for the next day for a few spa treatments. I booked a 80-minutes Vitalstone massage and 50-minutes Ubtan Peeling, as well as Diathermy with physiotherapy massage for the following day. I had a nice dinner at the hotel (it was included with my stay) and retired for the night.

Day 8 - Lucca

After my last breakfast in Florence I checked out and took a taxi to the train station to go to Lucca. It is an interesting fact that the regional trains do not announce any stops. So, I was only able to figure out that I was approaching Lucca by using trusted Google maps. Otherwise, I would have missed my stop. In Lucca I took a bus that brought me close to my hotel Palazzo Alexander (again thanks to Google maps). The hotel looked a little old-fashioned, decorated in style of Italian palazzo. They have an old-fashioned huge key that probably weighs 3 pounds – I guess the idea that the guests do not take the key with them when they leave.  After a short rest I went to explore the city. It was raining, so I borrowed a large umbrella from the hotel.  In spite of the rain I enjoyed wandering narrow medieval streets in Lucca – what a wonderful, well preserved old town. There were practically no tourists in the streets and I was able to soak in the genuine atmosphere of this wonderful medieval town. I ran into Pizzeria da Felice, which is a little mom-and-pop hole-in-the-wall place mentioned by Rick Steves. I was a bit peckish, so I popped in and had a slice or yummy pizza with prosciutto as well as slice of a local specialty cecina (a garbanzo-bean crape). After enjoying my quick and yummy lunch, I discovered the most wonderful gelateria called De’ Coltelli, just off Piazza San Michele.  I thought it was even better than our favorite Grom! I sampled the macadamia nuts and pistachio, simply divine!  My quest for the best gelato in the world reached a new high!

          My original plan was to go Pisa after spending some time in Lucca, however I had some troubles finding the train station. Google maps were of no help this time and refused to find it, even though I entered the correct name. I did manage to din the bus stop, from which I could go to Pisa, but the next bus was not for another hour and it was getting late. So, I decided to stay and enjoy Lucca.  I will see Pisa next time we return to lovely Tuscany. I had my dinner in the recommended Osteria Via San Giorgio, where I enjoyed tasty antipasto misto and some tender veal. I had a pleasant walk back to the hotel and was ready to get some rest.