“UM, HELLO LUCCA!”
Saturday/Sunday August 3 & 4, 2019
Day 3 & 4
Alas, I was only able to scavenge an hour of plane sleep after much seat contortion but overall, our flight arrived successfully in Rome. We had 5 hours to wait for Giovanni to arrive from Sicily so we putzed around terminal c; a modern looking airport. I enjoyed a made to order pizza in their food court. Very few ingredients were used while it was prepared in front of me. The result was magnifico.
After my boisterous US style made the self effacing Italian rental car employee chuckle, we drove none other than a European style Ford Focus to Lucca from Rome. The views en route were extraordinary. The rich heritage of these historic towns and architecture is almost too much to process. I was enamored of the tunnels. Soooo cool. I didn’t even think of the Will Smith “I am legend” zombie scene much at all;-)
So we have arrived and nested in a lovely B&B in Lucca. We parked outside of the city wall and lugged our suitcases to the city. It wouldn’t have been this 50 year old’s first choice as I would have opted for a cab (Tis an Uber free city) but I acquiesced to these zany kids and took one for the team.
The history here is mind boggling. My motley self in sketchers is prancing through a Roman street plan dating back to 180BC. I FaceTimed live at Piazza San Michele, the site of the ancient forum with traces of the amphitheater near by. Like homeboy J. Caesar was hanging out in this town back in 56 BC. Heck, Jesus hadn’t even made his 33 year Christ cameo yet with his gospel messages that most of us christians misinterpret daily. The youngest kids on the block in this town’s historic timeline include famous 19th century resident composers like Puccini and Catalani. What the, indeed.
So, yeah. It been a day and a half of eating amazeballs food, being captivated by these gorgeous streets, people watching, and biking around the city wall. Even the local transients seem nice. A sweet older lady chatted us up for a good while and was very kind to me when I was having a sad moment. Perhaps there truly are messengers among us. Grateful.
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2019 LUCCA FASHION BLOTTER
1. WE’RE BACK: Jean mini skirts, wide leg millennial gauchos, and soul train one piece pant suits.
2. OH YOU BEAUTIFUL DOLL: Baby doll frock type dresses are rampant on the cobblestone walkway. I myself stay far away from such cut or lack thereof. Unshaped in a shape no no on this gal.
3. IT’S GLOBAL: Multiple tattoos, van shoes, sockless loafer look, and extreme length skirts-really short or really long.
4. BABY GOT BACK: Lots of back cleavage these days. Huh.
5. SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE: Sequins, sequins, and more sequins; they’re everywhere. They are on shirts, pants, tote bags, shoes, pillows…..sequins aren’t just for Xanadu lovers anymore. No need to come out of the closet here. Preppy, goth, tailored, or sporty folk….you most likely have something with sequins in your closet.
6. DOES THIS MAKE MY BUTT LOOK BIG: Why no, actually, I say to the Lucca locals. Perhaps there is some sort of fashion manual cuz these non heifers are turnt out on the piazza. Nary a sweat pant in sight in this town; makes for some good people watching.
7. UM HELLO? I am guilty of having 2 speeds; loud cigar smoking spinto soprano or she who attempts to make contact with others and fails miserably. My vintage latter side tried at least 3 times today to summon a waiter for Coke Zero but to no avail. Arm stretched out, knees leaning forward, while I utter “um excuse me, could you…..I guess not.” It isn’t such a bad idea to work on being assertively balanced…..
Here’s to making memories and living outside of the box. #akintsucrooner
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