Tuscany Trip - Part 3 - Lucca

If you are planning a trip to Tuscany and deciding on the sights you should see, make sure Lucca is at the top of your list. 

 

I'd never heard of the city until researching before our trip, and am so thankful we discovered it. Truly, this place is the best city to go if you have kids. Lucca is easy to drive into compared to other Italian cities and we parked at the train station and walked from there into the old town. The old town doesn't have too much traffic fortunately due to an amazing fortress wall surrounding the city. As the walls lost their military importance over time, they became a pedestrian promenade which encircled the old town, although they were used for a number of years in the 20th century for racing cars. I can't believe that people would race cars up on that wall! So dangerous! The walls are still fully intact today and each of the four principal sides is lined with a different tree species (tulip poplars, sycamores, oaks, and buckeyes).

If you ask Cooper his favorite part from the trip, he'll say biking in Lucca! It's at the top of mine too.

We rented bikes in town and rode the entire promenade loop (just about three miles).  Every half mile there were parks in the woods for the kids and gorgeous views of the medieval city the entire trip.  The kids were giddy to ride up front in the basket!

  

As you can see, Cooper had a thing for covering our mouths for pictures that day

Hoping we find more city adventures like this for the family. Great exercise. Beautiful scenery. A dash of thrill with the rain and two little wee ones riding in the front.  Definitely an amazing way to tour the city. I told Frank I want a bike just like the one we rented for home! I can just imagine us riding around town in that thing and the smiles we'd get.

How about you all? What do you like to do on vacation most? Thrill seekers?  Relaxation? City touring or a mix of all of the above?