Lucca Italy

A random page of a Italian/English phrase book at a gas station somewhere in Italy:

Will you please give me the pen? 

Yes I will give you the pen.

Will you shut the window?

No, shut the window yourself!

Will you never leave me?

No, I will never leave you! Ah ah ah like the devil!

For REAL! That’s the kind of thing that eases your pain when you’re stuck on the bus all night all day. That and the surprisingly incredible gas station sfogliatelle…

Ah Italy. Getting to come back after only a few days was blissful. This time to a smaller, walled city. The kind of walking that needs no map, dreamy narrow streets always leading back to somewhere familiar. We got in to Lucca much too late- 5 hours later than expected. Needless to say that by 8pm on the bus, still in pajamas, peeps were getting restless. Multiple naps, reading until nauseous, the same jokes passing around. Happy hour drinks in an Italian traffic jam to stave off insanity. 

Lucca at night is a superbly still place, and a relieving landing pad. We made our way to dinner and ordered in that over excited way that happens when we get to this country. A drunken brass band paraded inside the tiny trattoria as we were getting our pasta, trumpets on our heads, cymbals clashing. Will did his best to out-loud them with his pig-Italian operatics. 

A run around the top of the wall gave way to the best views of the city. Weekend markets, families, all that good stuff. And being in motion on top of an ancient fortress wall is pretty kick ass. On the way back to the hotel you cross the moat. Many machiatto’s and sorbets later we played our show in one of the town squares. Lucca has more town squares and stunning churches than I’ve ever seen. The show was a good Italian one. A very passionate crowd, which is a big help at this stage of the tour. And again with the bugs! Second time around getting eaten alive while trying to play, sing, move about in earnest, a little funnier this time. But still itchy. 

Upon leaving I again resolved if I were to have some free time say, in my lifetime, a portion of it will be spent in Italy. Learning to speak that dancing language, holed up somewhere warm and fragrant.