Tuscany Italy
Richard and I are off to Italy next week and we are so ready to go (well, except I haven’t started packing at all yet). But we cannot wait to be back in our favorite country together this time. While thinking about my blog for this week, I thought it should be about Italy in some fashion. I am actually returning to Italy in November too for a wine/luxury hotel conference, and we are staying in Barga, which is an area of Tuscany Italy I haven’t been to before.
Barga Italy
Barga Italy is a medieval town in the province of Lucca. This city is home to about 10,000 inhabitants and has a long history of feuds and takeovers. In the 9th century, Barga was mentioned in relation to a family named Lombard. Eventually Barga became a trade city with a connection to Modena. In the middle ages, it was known for a production of silk threads which they exported to surrounding cities. It is a walled city with 2 gates still standing. Barga is named “The Most Scottish City in Italy” due to a large number of Italians immigrating to Scotland in the 19th century.
Lucca
Lucca is another city in Tuscany. It is also along the Serchio River. Lucca is known as one of the Arts Towns in Italy. Lucca is also a walled city from the Renaissance era. The city has a population of about 89,000. I will be visiting Lucca for the first time on this trip to Italy, so I am excited to see the history and learn more about it.
From Wikipedia “The city is also the birthplace of numerous world-class composers, including Giacomo Puccini, Alfredo Catalani, and Luigi Boccherini.”
Pisa
Everyone knows the leaning town of Pisa. But the city also boasts over 20 historical churches, medieval palaces and more. This city straddles the Arno River before it dumps into the sea. It’s said that Pisa stands for “mouth” as its at the mouth of the Arno River. Pisa has a lot of maritime history as it was an easily defendable city. The population is about 110,000. Would you like to take the “famous” hand holding up the leaning tower picture?
I love all things Italian and cannot wait to explore this new area that I haven’t been to before. Follow along in future blogs to see more from the Tuscany region! If you would like to visit Italy, I would be ecstatic to help you. Just click on the button below.
