After three days of single destination flights and overnight stays at airport hotels, we landed in Florence. Our good friends Jim and Rod who live in Lucca picked us up and brought us there and to our hotel the Ilaria where we will be for the next five days. They dropped us to settle in and then later picked us up dinner at their favorite restaurant Gigi’s Trattoria. It was a great dinner with lots of conversation and 2 1/2 hours later we went back to the hotel. We were supposed to meet them the next morning for a local music concert but discovered we had overslept and they had to go alone.

Rod picked us up after their concert and we drove to the inner old part of Lucca, within the wall. We walked around for 3 hours. What an interesting place.

Statue of Puccini

Statue of Boccherini

Afterwards we went to their apartment and had a great Italian dinner including Hugo spritzes, cannolini buschetta, bucatini with Amatriciana (guanciale) sauce and salad. Terrific! Thanks, Guys.

Tomorrow we head to San Gimignano. More then.