A Joyful Day in Lucca [Italy]

A Joyful Day in Lucca [Italy]

Arti Harchekar

Over the holidays, we traveled to London, Florence, and Rome for ten days. While we were planning our travel, we decided to take a day trip from Florence to Lucca. It was one of my most favorite days of the entire holiday! I started the day with a cappuccino and orange juice at the nearby bar while waiting for everyone to get ready. We walked to the train station around mid-morning avoiding the larger crowds off to Pisa and Siena. A couple of hours, one thick hot chocolate, and a few crosswords later, we stepped out of the train station in Lucca.

The first thing I felt was a burst of energy from the warm sunlight and cool winter air. Our eyes instantly landed on the historic wall encircling the oldest part of Lucca. To enter historic Lucca, we passed through the wall via Porta San Pietro. Upon standing at the gate, I remembered the countless entryways I had observed traveling through Italy. And yet, I forgot that I would see another one when entering this wall. Research shows that by going into a different physical space, we pass into a different mental space. The wall acts as a boundary that is ingrained in our minds. It helps to reinforce Lucca’s distinct character supporting our vivid memories of this place.

If there was one delightful constant that day, it was the energy from the sun as we moved from one public space in Lucca to the next. The sunlight enjoyed within these public spaces yields a number of mental and physical health benefits. When we are exposed to sunlight, our serotonin levels increase boosting our mood. Available sunshine has more impact on our mood than rainfall, temperature, or any other environmental factor. Our body also releases nitric oxide into our blood as sunlight touches our skin. This compound brings down blood pressure and improves heart health.

From Porta San Pietro, we walked to Piazza del Giglio to get a table at Ristorante Giglio. Luckily, we did not need a reservation for lunch. We were seated next to a large window enjoying the sunlight and bottles of white Tuscan wine. The dishes started to come out boasting deep hues of the landscape with pops of colorful, seasonal surprises. After lunch, we stepped back into Piazza del Giglio and made our way through Piazza Napoleone. Each piazza in Lucca is a public outdoor room where people gather. They are the places we remember. Just as historic Lucca is defined by the city wall, the buildings and activities defining each public space in Lucca enhance their vibrancy.

The Christmas market was still up in Piazza Napoleone. Through the crowd of people and wide selection of food stalls, my eyes landed with a smile on the carousel. I can understand why the carousel itself would evoke joyful childhood memories. In this instance, I was reminded of the first time I saw a carousel in a public open space. This was at Bryant Park in Manhattan NY. I remember wanting to stay and stare at the spinning object of communal joy for hours. Was it playful because a delightful object revolving to the sounds of French cabaret music was in a formal space? Was it moving because of the backdrop of lush, manicured greenery and London Plane trees?

These thoughts stayed with me as we entered Piazza San Michele which is anchored by Chiesa di San Michele in Foro. The sunlight on the church facade was casting sharp shadows highlighting the elegant four orders of small loggias which added to the harmony and beauty of the structure. These loggias are detailed with blossoming shapes suggesting growth, potential and expansion. We continued to follow a path from Piazza San Michele along lively streets and spaces eventually arriving in Piazza San Frediano.

Unlike the previous public spaces, Piazza San Frediano is small and anchored by San Frediano Basilica. The church is famous for the rare, multicolored mosaic on the facade. The public street terminating at the Basilica expands to accommodate public gatherings, small crowds, and festivities. The life of this space is formed around the edge where people organically congregate. The activities lining the piazza make it instinctive for people to pause and linger. Studies suggest that comfortable public open spaces are small, between 45-60 feet across in the short direction. When the distance gets above 70 feet in the short direction, the square seems deserted and unpleasant. A person’s face is just recognizable at 70 feet, and a loud voice can just barely be heard across 70 feet. This indicates that people feel connected in small spaces where they can make out the faces and overhear the conversations of the people around them. We were drawn into the charm of this space and wanted to stay. However, we needed to get to our ultimate destination before sunset.

We continued on, rented bikes in Piazza Santa Maria, and cycled our way up to Via delle Mura Urbane. This is the promenade that sits on top of the historic city wall. It is closed to vehicular traffic and was modified to provide access to more public green space. From here, we could look down upon all of historic Lucca as we circled the town. It gave us a different vantage point than our earlier observations on foot. The act of climbing up to the promenade cleared our mind for the moments of free play and joyful laughter.  It was along the promenade that we really sensed the beauty and scale of Lucca. Green spaces are important to our mental health. Having access to green spaces can reduce health inequalities, improve well-being, and aid in the treatment of mental illness. An increasing body of research is also showing associations with green space and the mental well-being of children. Access to green space promotes attention restoration, memory, competence, supportive social groups, self-discipline, and moderates stress.

After thoroughly exhausting ourselves, we set our way back to the train station stopping at Bollicine d’Autore for a drink and bar bites. I sipped on a glass of rich champagne with a sliver of orange peel on ice. Apparently in the history of champagne, wines that were blended for more sweetness were commonly defined as rich. A perfect bubbly end to a joyful, sunny day!

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