Without a city wall

We have travelled 350km south east; almost 5h by train. From city life in the industrial north to the semi-rural playground of Tuscany - an open air museum of Roman, medieval and Renaissance buildings, overlaid with a patina of modern, gourmet restaurants (we had a good supper), ice-cream bars, luxury shopping and aperitif stops

We have joined friends who have been here for a while, which is strange because they are overflowing with information about what they have seen, done and discovered, eager to share it all and encourage us to follow the paths they have forged. We probably will, and it's lovely to have all that guidance on tap, but it's overwhelming to have it all unloaded on us within moments of arriving. Tomorrow will be calmer 

Lucca has a complete circle of Renaissance walls around the old town, built to withstand siege engines in 1491, though they have never been put to the test. Outside that is a narrow band of grass; beyond that a ring-road and, finally, a modern city beyond. A moern encirclement that mimics the anticipated sieges. The effect is to emphasise the impression that the beautifully preserved centre is an exhibit within the modern city, but not truly part of it in any integrated way. After only a few hours, I have no idea how true this really is - I hope we find out

For tonight, the view from the bedroom window is enough to invoke a holiday mind-set. Yes, those are oak trees on top of the tower - we hope to get a closer view while we are here