Beginnings......

A year ago I travelled to Tuscany to meet friends for a week’s stay in a villa but, arriving a day earlier than everybody else, I decided to spend a night in Pisa and to see the sights there before pressing on.  A friend told me not to bother and that Lucca, a few miles down the road was a far nicer place.  I’m always happy to heed the voice of experience and I am extremely happy that I did: Lucca – a place I had not previously heard of – is a jewel of a city.  As I wandered around the historic medieval centre, entirely contained within 16th century walls I knew I wanted to come back; one day was never going to be enough to enjoy the charm and delights that Lucca has to offer.  It struck me as a perfect place to base myself to learn – or relearn – some of the Italian I had studied the previous year.   And so in my Italian inspired, impulsive state of mind Lorraine received a phone call that day with me waxing lyrical over the appeal of the city and that an extended stay here studying the language would be great idea…wouldn’t it? 

A year later, and with less planning than might be advisable, we headed off in the car across Europe to Lucca, to a flat that we had rented for two months and two weeks at a language school within the city….