Three days – three cities: Pisa, Lucca and Florence

Writer: Magdalena

Three days, three cities – an intense but very beautiful journey. The focus during this trip was not on seeing everything, but on having fun. I traveled with my 24 year old son. When he and his sister were younger, traveling together was a given. Now it is no longer given in the same way, which made this trip feel luxurious.

The weather was mixed. Sometimes sun, sometimes clouds and sometimes rain. We would have liked more sun, but we made the best of it. As is often the case during city trips, there were a lot of stairs. We walked, stopped, looked around and often stood still. Aperol Spritz (or Spritz as it’s called in Italy) became a recurring companion as we settled here and there to soak up the atmosphere.

Pisa

The trip started and ended in Pisa because we flew there. The airport is just a five-minute shuttle bus ride away, which runs very smoothly. The first few hours we went to Piazza dei Miracoli where the leaning tower is located with the cathedral (Duomo di Pisa) and the baptistery (Battero). It was quite powerful to see, but the feeling is somewhat offset by the fact that there were a lot of people in one place.

Then we walked further through the city and realized that Pisa becomes more fun when you leave the tower behind you. Along the River Arno and in the narrower alleys the pace was slower, with small shops and cafes.

Lucca

The next stop was Lucca, where we took the train from Pisa. However, the trip did not go exactly as planned. First there was a train strike, so we left two hours later than expected and three minutes from Lucca the train stopped for just over an hour when Gaza protesters blocked the track. Well, you can always expect things to happen when you travel. Once we arrived we quickly forgot about the delay.

Lucca is a city where the story feels tangible everywhere. The preserved city wall surrounds the center, towers rise above the roofs and the alleys are filled with life. The atmosphere is both cozy and genuine, which is why we have been here a lot.

A highlight was the 2.5-hour guided bike tour. Cycling is a great way to see a lot in a short time. Above all, it was our guide, a committed woman, who made the bike tour interesting. She talked about the history of the city, pointed out towers and churches and put what we saw into context. Understanding the history of a city obviously influences how you feel about it.

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Lucca is also known as the city where composer Giacomo Puccini was born. Although we were unable to visit his birthplace, his musical heritage is remembered through concerts, statues and memorials around the city.

Florence

The last destination was Florence, the birthplace of Michelangelo, even here the story is almost everywhere.

We had booked a tour of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral. It turned out to be a good decision, because gender was huge. The guide took us past the line and gave a tour of the cathedral.

We also walked to Piazzale Michelangelo, where the views over Florence are fantastic.

In some places in Florence there are small holes in the walls of the house, so-called wine windows, which date back to the 17th century. They were partly used during the time of the plague, when wine could be sold without physical contact between people. It was also a smart way for the vineyard families to sell directly to passers-by and avoid middlemen and additional taxes. The tradition has been revived in recent years and today you can try knocking on the door and ordering a drink. It’s touristy, but still kind of fun to take part in the history of Florence.

Food wise I thought the highlight of the trip would be some pasta or pizza. That was not the case. Instead, it was a restaurant in Florence that gave us the most memorable evening. After trying without success to get a table at some of Florence’s well-known restaurants, we happened upon Esteria Il Giardino di Barbano. They have a very nice courtyard where we got a table without waiting. The service was personal and the meat we ordered was super good, so it turned out to be the best dining experience of the trip.

Florence is quite intense during the day because of all the tourists. Everything changes in the evening. Then it feels quieter and the atmosphere is fantastic with the lights on the buildings, the music of street musicians mixed with the sorlet from all the outside seating. Then it was easy to understand why so many people fall in love with Florence.

Three cities in three days: does it work?

Things are going well, but you have to accept that there will be no deep dives. There were three different experiences that together created a journey that felt very special.

The most important thing for both of us was not to see everything, but to travel together. We liked the variety and that each city contributed with its own feeling.

Most memorable were the evenings when the pace slowed down and we were able to enjoy the atmosphere which we both really appreciated. Then we felt how much fun it is to share travels with each other.

Magdalena and Pernilla run Travelsis.se and live in the south of Skåne. Both are socio-economists, whose main leisure interests are family, but who also enjoy doing things and traveling with friends and parents. They would like to share what they do that enriches their lives to inspire others.