Lucca, Pisa, and a Concert

On Wednesday morning I woke up with my alarm for the first time on the trip (I had normally been waking up earlier than my alarm because I was so excited to see the sites). This day however, I was feeling a bit under the weather - perhaps the enormous amounts of walking, late nights, early mornings, and copious amounts of Italian sun were beginning to take their toll. Either way I was happy to have a low key day ahead of me.

We began our Wednesday morning with a trip to Lucca and a couple hours of free time to roam about the city. Lucca is a medieval town with a still intact city wall that, long past its defensive uses, has been turned into a biking and walking trail around the perimeter of the old town. Bikes are cheap to rent - 2.50 euros per hour - but since I wasn't feeling great I simply strolled around town to the Roman Ampitheater and several of the churches. At one point while walking around on the ramparts I found myself in the middle of filming for a TV commercial.


After leaving Lucca we headed for lunch in the countryside. We stopped at a small winery/olive oilery called Fattoria Il Poggio in the Montecarlo region of Tuscany for a simply gorgeous meal in the idyllic rolling hills and surrounding farms. It was a hot afternoon but there was a nice breeze as we sat and ate together at one large table under a long awning in the shade of the trees. Our meal was fresh homemade pasta, cheese, ham, fresh baked bread, artichoke hearts (roasted), peppers (roasted), olives, fresh olive oil, and wine. Well, the kids didn't drink the wine, but the adults got to sample. To finish off the meal we had homemade biscotti and grappa from the vineyard. This was absolutely delicious (my mouth is watering as I write this).

After the meal (and a nap on the bus) we arrived in Pisa to see the Field of Miracles. It was a hot day but the sky was a deep blue and the buildings were a beautiful color against this backdrop. I managed to get into the baptistry, which is one of the most amazing acoustical spaces of the 13th and 14th century. While inside I sang a few notes and was shushed by one of the security guards. Undeterred I started whistling. After a few minutes I made a hasty exit - when I noticed they were eying me with suspicion. I just wanted to hear what it sounded like - really.


Our next stop was Montecatini and a performance at the site of an old Roman bath. This was our final concert for the tour in an beautiful outdoor venue. As we finished our sound-check hundreds of people (I'm not exaggerating) began streaming into the performance area. It was almost a mad dash for seats. By 9 PM the place was packed with all of the seats full and people standing around the periphery. The performance went very well and we were greeting with a standing ovation and shouts of "BRAVI, BRAVI!!!" from the audience. After the concert people approached me and the students, showering them with praise. It was fantastic. We even received compliments when we returned to the venue the next morning for a group photo. It was a great way to wrap up our performances.