Even a Wanderer Sometimes Needs a Map

One of the joys of having plenty of time in an Italian city is the opportunity to simply wander. Strolling through vibrant neighborhoods and discovering for oneself a fountain, piazza, church, cafe, monument, garden, or historic building is a wonderful experience. Stumbling into an unexpected and intriguing street scene, full of Italian chatter and maybe even some music, is the stuff of Italian daydreams. Getting lost, and finding your way back to a familiar landmark, is part of the fun. But still, even an inveterate wanderer sometimes needs a map.

Maps provide more than just direction; they can give context to a place, delineate neighborhoods, link important landmarks (rivers, bridges, buildings) to discoveries made while wandering, and provide a quick and efficient orientation to a new place. A good map is a treasure.

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A View from Lucca's Wall

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Portico, Lucca

 When visiting larger cities, it's fairly easy to find a detailed map, or a good guidebook. There are so many choices for Rome or Florence that it's easy to find just the right one to suit any need. But in the smaller cities, places less visited by tourists, finding a good map can be a challenge. I certainly found this to be true when I first visited Lucca.  The American guidebooks devoted just a quick page or two to Lucca, seemingly an afterthought in a guide otherwise devoted to Florence. If a map was included at all it showed just a few main streets and sites. I found better guidebooks in the local bookstores once I arrived, but the maps available were still small and lacking in detail. I often found myself wandering down a small vicolo (lane) that I simply could not locate on any of the available maps, or looking at a marvelous building, garden, or church with no idea of what I was seeing.

And then, several years ago during an online search before a return visit to Lucca, I stumbled across The Wanderer's Map of Lucca and it's accompanying guidebook, "The Wanderer's Guide to Lucca." Both map and guidebook were written by Brian Lindquist, an American who came here for a visit and, in his own words, "got waylaid." How fortunate for us that he did, because he has written what I consider to be the essential tool for getting to know Lucca. The book is divided into sections that cover the history of Lucca, the churches, the palazzi, the families who played an important role in the history of Lucca, the city streets, and the three generations of city walls.  

The book is a fascinating and informative read for those who want to dive deep into the history of Lucca, those who love its Medieval streetscapes and architecture (count me among them), and anyone who has looked at a structure such as the Torre Guinigi (Guinigi Tower) and wondered who the heck those Guinigis were and why they have a tower named after them. Readers interested in art history will also find the information about art, especially the art original to the many churches, invaluable.

But the map - or should I say THE map - is an essential tool for getting to know Lucca. My copy is so creased and worn after accompanying me on many trips that I recently ordered a new one. I now have one to bring with me and one posted on a wall in my house to feed my recollections, mental meanderings, and daydreams!  

Why is the Wanderer's Map so important?  To begin with, it's big (19 x 26 inches) and easy to read. It shows the important features of Lucca, including the footprint of all 3 walls (Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance) and all the streets, from main drag Via Filungo to the smallest vicolo. The existing churches are shown as are the locations of churches that used to stand but are no more (Lucca used to be called the City of 100 Churches; today there are about 40 within the 2.5-mile circumference of the city walls). Each palazzo is named and its location shown. The map key is clear and easy to use - in the section pictured below, churches are in red, palazzi in purple. The orange lines signify Medieval streetscapes.  Flip the map over to find that it is annotated (linked to the numbers shown on the map below), giving information about each church, the walls, and the families whose names still are important in Lucca, as seen in the many local streets and palazzi that bear their names.

The map and guidebook are my companions in Lucca. They provide a wealth of information and inspiration. I love having at my fingertips a resource that tells me that the church of Santa Caterina, one of the recently restored small churches in Lucca, was built in 1575 or that San Giovanni e Reparata church (shown in the photo below) once housed the relics of St. Pantaleone. My visiting friends tell me that I make a good tour guide - if so, it is thanks in large part to all that I have learned from the Wanderer's Map and Wanderer's Guide to Lucca. 

Piazza Antelminelli, Lucca with a view of the back of the church of San Giovanni e Reparata

Both map and guidebook are available from Lindquist Historical Guides, Inc. 119 Midland Street Bridgeport, Conn. 06605 or oline from www.lindquistguides.com.  The book with a copy of the map is available for $27.95 (includes shipping); map alone for $9.95. Note that they only ship to addresses within the United States.  Book without map is also available on Amazon.

Grazie mille to Brian Lindquist for kindly giving permission to include photos of the Wanderer's Map in this post.           Post by JMB

Beneath the Walls of Lucca

When describing Lucca to people who have not yet had the good fortune to visit the city, le mura (the walls) are the first feature I mention. But underneath the walls is a whole other world.

Underneath the walls of Lucca.

The walls hold important historical significance, having originally been built as a defensive structure during the Renaissance (replacing the earlier Roman and Medieval walls). Today, they serve as a park and gathering spot for city dwellers and visitors and as a symbol of the city. They are also strikingly beautiful. Embracing the centro storico (historic old center), the walls were built with three portas or large entryways into the city (today there are six) and with 11 baluardi (baluardo in the singular, meaning a rampart or bastion). Each baluardo juts out from the narrower section of the wall and provides a direct line of sight from one to the next - a tactical advantage when defending against invaders. Today, the baluardi provide extended green spaces, filled with playgrounds, benches, and statues. At least, that's how it appears from the top of the walls. Underneath, however, is a  much more mysterious place.

Beneath Baluardo Santa Croce, an exit through the walls.

In Renaissance times, the portions of the bastions lying under the walls, cavernous spaces with vaulted ceilings, would have held soldiers, horses, and the materials needed to wage battle against an invading army. The soldiers needed a way into these spaces from the city as well as a way out on the far side of the wall - such a passageway through a bastion is called a sortita ( like the French word "sortie" or exit).  To prevent the invaders from using the sortita as a route into the city, they were designed as narrow, twisting passageways that could be easily defended. The passages were at one time mostly abandoned, but one by one, each sortita has been restored, and the result is breathtaking. 

The gate at this sortita leads to the spalti (green spaces) outside the walls.

In contrast to bright Tuscan vistas, fellow walkers, trees, statues and bicyclists - the typical sights when atop the walls - I am often alone when in a sortita or with only a few other people around. In the sortita it is quiet, cool, and dimly lit. The views are of intricate brick and stonework, arched passageways, massive wooden doors and iron gates and - sometimes - art. Yes, art. 

While these underground rooms and passageways are beautiful in their own right, the restored areas are now also used as spaces for exhibitions and events. On my most recent visit, tucked inside several of the sortite, I found paper sculptures from the Cartasia Biennale d’Arte 2016 exhibit. A pair of giant apes, multicolored spheres, head-in-the-sand ostriches, and the hoodie-covered head of a young man were among the paper art on display.

Yes, these colorful spheres are made of paper. According to one guide, they represent the cannon balls that were once stored here.

Cartasia Biennale d’Arte is a biennial exhibit of paper as an art form (paper production is a leading industry in the area around Lucca). The artists represent countries from around the world and their work is beautiful and infused with social and political meaning. During the exhibition, the paper pieces are displayed above ground throughout Lucca for two months. Afterward, the artwork is moved to the spaces under the walls, in part to protect the fragile paper construction from the elements. This unique “museum” is free and always open. The next exhibition will be held from July to September 2018, at which time the theme will be “Chaos and Silence.”  

The curves and stonework, shadows and light, all add to the beauty of the underground passageways.

Silence is the music of the sortita. The restoration work included adding lighting, which shows off the beauty of the inner walls, illuminates the way through the passages and casts shadows that add to the atmosphere of the underground space. Aside from viewing the artwork and coming across an occasional other visitor, I spent my time simply wandering the halls. Of course, just like the aboveground walls, a sortita has a utilitarian function: It provides another way for pedestrians to enter and exit the historical center of Lucca.

For me, the wall above and the sortita below are examples of something I appreciate about Italy: preservation of the past in a way that enhances the present.

-post by JG (with an assist from JB)

At the end of a passageway is a beautiful wooden door.

Autumn in Italy

It's difficult to pick a favorite season it Italy - who wouldn't enjoy a gentle rainy spring, a warm early summer, or the festive winter holiday season. But autumn - autumn is magic in Italy. So if I have to pick a favorite season, it would be autumn. 

Fall color along Le Mura (the walls) in Lucca, Italy

Colorful vines in Bellagio, Lago di Como, late September 2016.

October brings cooler temperatures, changing colors, along with the fall harvest and vendemmia (grape harvest). There are many sagras (food festivals) including sagras to celebrate castagne (chestnuts), porcini mushrooms, chocolate (is there a better place to celebrate chocolate than Perugia?) and wine. Fall is truffle season and the hill town of San Miniato, in Tuscany (along with a number of other Italian villages), hosts several weekends of truffle events. November is also the traditional month of the olive harvest and the time in which new olive oil is pressed. For foodies, fall in Italy offers a wide variety of gastronomic experiences including classes on olive oil and wine and even the opportunity for hands-on participation in the vendemmia and olive harvests.

Grape vines at Agriturismo Cretaiole, near Pienza, ready for the harvest in early October 2016.

This beautiful costume is from a photo shoot for a previous year's Lucca Comics and Games.

In addition to food celebrations there are many fall cultural events and festivals throughout Italy.

In Lucca, where I spend most of my time, the big event is Lucca Comics and Games, held each year in late October / early November (this year's dates were November 1 - 5). If you are a fan of comics or gaming, or dressing up in fantastic costumes, this is definitely the place to be in fall. Over 250,000 people attend (it's the largest comics event in Europe), most dressed in costumes to fit the year's theme.

There are other fall events as well, celebrating everything from Italian cinema to saint's days to medieval competitions. There is no shortage of things to do during an Italian autumn.

As for me, my favorite fall activity is walking along the walls in Lucca as the trees change from green to gold and red, hearing the crunch of leaves below my feet, feeling the autumn chill in the air, and just breathing it all in.                                                        post by JMB