A third day of charm.
Once I saw with my own eyes just how busy Florence is in June, I started looking for day trip options. After a quick Google search, I decided to spend the last day of the “Farewell to *Student’s Name*” tour in Lucca.
Lucca is an easy train ride from Florence (about an hour) and the station is located just outside the historic center of the city. Compared to Florence, Lucca was sleepy. It was the perfect little getaway within a getaway!
One of the main highlights in Lucca is the city walls. The historic center of the city is enclosed by some of the best preserved walls in Italy. Once meant to protect the city, today the top of the walls are a public park and walking path. My first order of business was to walk the circumference of the city while peeking down into the buildings and courtyards below.
The only traditional “attraction” I visited while in Lucca was the Palazzo Pfanner, a gorgeous old manor and garden. The original building dates back to the 1660s, although it’s been greatly expanded over the years. At one point, the manor even housed a brewery! In 1845, the Duke of Lucca issued a decree requesting a “German brewer” for the town. In 1846, Austrian born Felix Pfanner arrived to take on the task and set up shop in the cellars. Eventually, Pfanner became so successful that he bought the estate. His family still owns it today. Thankfully, they’ve opened up some of the property for visitors and events.
This staircase is the kind that makes you wish you were wearing a ball gown. It is also kind of a big deal. It’s been featured in a few movies, such as The Portrait of a Lady.
The gardens at Palazzo Pfanner are particularly lovely. I especially loved the wide range of color in their hydrangeas.
After one more lap around the city walls, I headed back for my last night in Florence (which was uneventful except for a quite elderly Italian man who was telling me all about the best places to buy fresh fish in Marrakech and do I have a boyfriend??). The next morning I headed back to Pisa to catch my flight. It was a rough one (though nowhere near as crazy as this flight). We were delayed a few hours on the tarmac and my fellow passengers had little interest in remaining seated. At one point the flight attendant yelled some much needed threats into the PA system. Finally, everyone returned to their seats and we were able to take off.
The “Farewell to *Student’s Name*” tour had come to a close.
xo, jill
So pretty! I particularly like how you’ve put the hydrangea pictures together.