Italy Trip Sept 2025 - Part 13 Lucca, Tuscany

The last post of our Italian trip! We stopped for a brief visit to San Gimignano in Tuscany (below), a medieval hilltop town which we vaguely remember visiting in the 90s. The town is very attractive but our photos didn't come out very well, somehow there was just too much contrast between the sun and the shadows in the narrow streets, so I've just posted this distant shot which Keith took instead.

Somewhere along the line we stopped somewhere where there were actually a few butterflies! This was not a holiday where we spent much time in nature - it was all about towns, villages, the coast and Roman sites. 

Below, the two blues are Common Blues and the one in the middle is a Meadow Brown. 

Our last stop before driving home was to Lucca, also in Tuscany. By this time I was feeling a bit grotty with the cold (which I am sure was actually Covid) that K passed on to me. I didn't bother taking any photos, so these are all K's images.

We parked just outside the old city walls and walked around inside the town. There seem to be ornate churches galore!

The church of San Michele in Foro.

A kind of tuktuk!

Church of San Giusto.

Church of Santi Giovanni e Reparata, Lucca's first cathedral.

Duomo di San Martino, the current cathedral.

Inside the Duomo di San Martino.

From ornate ceiling to ornate floor.

Somewhere round the back of the cathedral. I liked the signs of modern building works against the backdrop of historical buildings!

Finally did you know that Chat GPT can turn your photos into watercolours, oil paintings, impressionist art, whatever? I only just discovered this, and it's just as easy as using an app, if not easier. However, unless you pay a subscription, you are limited to five photo transformations per day.

They also suggested turning your photo into a vintage travel poster, which I could not resist. First I turned my picture into a watercolour, then into the poster, which I instructed to add the words 'Amalfi Coast'. I'm really pleased with the result! 😀

I think that sums up our Italian trip! But to sum up further:

The pros: very scenic, gorgeous ornate churches, amazing Roman ruins, good food.

The cons: Too many tourists, too much traffic, private beach clubs taking up nearly all the beach area, fairly basic campsites (we didn't even stay at one with a pool!).

Would we go again? Yes, but probably only as part of a trip including another country, so just in the north I think. 

This September we are going back to Spain - just to Catalonia so not too much driving, good birding places and lovely sandy beaches open to all!