Sorry
this is coming so late!
After
the band broke up at the end of an incredible week in Tuscany, Bobby, Joanna
and Laura graciously drove Max, Sadie and I up to Lucca. I’m not even sure where I first heard of
Lucca but it’s been on my list of places I must visit in Italy for years and was actually one of the places I was
considering moving to before I chose Rome. Lucca did not disappoint. This beautiful city in Northern Tuscany is famous for
its walls that surround the historic center. For anyone looking for a Tuscan town with a
historic charm, I would definitely recommend Lucca.
 |
| View from the top of Lucca. |
 |
| I was in love with this great terrace! |
 |
| View of the mountains surrounding Lucca. |
As we arrived we found out there was a Nora Jones concert taking place in one of the main piazzas. The receptionist at our hotel suggested we just go to any of the surrounding piazzas and you can hear the concerts as well as actually being in the main piazza. So we stopped for a lovely dinner at Trattoria da Leo and had one our favorite meals of the trip. Everything was perfect. We gobbled up our meals before I could get a picture, but I did manage to sneak one of our dessert. After dinner we walked over to the nearby piazza, found a spot to sit, and listened to the sweet familiar voice echoing through the piazza. Most people in Lucca get around by foot or on bikes, so it was great people watching to see everyone come in and out of the piazza to have a listen. Another magical night!
 |
| Trattoria da Leo |
 |
| Delicious! |
 |
| In the piazza enjoying the music. |
The next day we made our way up to Levanto, which was recommended by Claudio who greaw up going to this great beach town every summer. Levanto is the very train stop above Monterosso (the northern-most town in the Cinque Terre). The moment we found our hotel and walked out onto the balcony, we all were in love! You’re never quite sure what you’re going to find when you are traveling, but we felt immediately at home in this adorable surfer town on the Mediterranean Sea. The only tourists here seemed to be Italian, which was a refreshing change. Our hotel was right on the main park and steps from the sea. The little town came alive at night with families, kids, and lovers lining the benches and streets enjoying their holiday.
 |
| View from our balcony in Levanto. |
 |
| Levanto |
Max and I woke up early the next day to do the Cinque Terre hike of the five cities. When we arrived, we learned the full hike was closed due to the floods last year. Both of us had actively followed the coverage of the floods back in October, but I think we both forgot how destructive they actually were. They've done a ton of clean up work and the trails that were open were as beautiful as ever. I really do think if you are going to the Cinque Terre, the hike between the towns is a must. Only this way can you get a feel for the dramatic coastline covered with vineyards and seeing each new colorful town on the horizon gives you a new appreciation for each individual city.
 |
| Starting in Monterosso - you end up somewhere down on those hills. |
 |
| Looking back at Monterosso. |
 |
| View of Vernazza from the trail. |
 |
| Vernazza. |
 |
| In addition to a few mud slide trails remaining, there were a few houses with very obvious evidence of just how intense the floods were. |
 |
| Large board in town showing the destruction of the floods. |
 |
| Looking back at Vernazza. |
 |
| Manarola |
 |
| Riomaggiore
|
After Max left for Perugia that afternoon, Sadie and I had a few days to hang around our beloved beach town and make our way up to Santa Margherita just an hour north and 15-minutes from Portofino. We had talked about jumping on a bus to see Portofino, but views of the lovely beach, colorful marina, and lush green hills dotted with extravagant villas kept us in this beautiful town. The Italian Riviera at it's finest.
 |
| Santa Margherita |
 |
| Santa Margherita
|
During our last few nights in Levanto, we discovered once again some pretty incredible restaurants and were both incredibly sad to leave our newly found gem. I will most definitely be back to Levanto!
 |
| Levanto |
 |
| Levanto |
 |
| Levanto |
 |
| Drinking wine overlooking the bay of Levanto at sunset! |
No comments:
Post a Comment