Lucca and beyond

Hello from Altopascio! We had 2 nights in Lucca staying at a wonderful monastery where we received genuine and warm hospitality. Tonight we are in a hotel having been unable to make contact with the local pilgrim lodge last night, and we are planning to begin our week in the Tuscan hills tomorrow.

It was a real thrill to arrive in Lucca on Friday and walk through the historic walls of the city - then to be confronted by young people everywhere in character costumes and strange garb took us by surprise. Finally we saw posters and realised what we had walked into - the annual Lucca Games and Comics convention, a 4-day festival culminating on All Saints Day. We read in the papers today that there were 50,000 visitors in Lucca, so we were thankful for our welcome at the monastery.

The monastery at Lucca was run by the Third order of the Franciscans, an old but well cared-for building. We had individual rooms, overlooking the cloister which was full of pots of roses, and also overlooking the city with its towers and gardens and mediaeval buildings. The weather has been superb and the sunrises, sunsets and night skies just beautiful. We received wonderful hospitality from Jean Paolo, who delighted in sharing wines and good food with us. I loved hearing about his vision for the place: a balance of caring for the elderly monks, offering a home to several homeless men and developing the monastery for pilgrims coming through.

Our rest day was spent in and around Lucca, walking around the walls and climbing a tower which had trees growing on the top, Torre Frediano. We also took a bus to and from Pisa, and took the obligatory photos. It was much more beautiful and remarkable than I had imagined, surrounded by lawns and SPACE. I loved it, but that was enough of being a tourist for me, and I was ready to take up the pilgrim staff again today.

Today the actual route was not particularly inspiring, but it was great to add another 20-plus km to our journey. We were glad to arrive at our destination, but could have kept going. Along the way, we continue to appreciate "Cristinas". These are red and white labels with a black pilgrim on them, a consistent signage put along the via Francigena by a young Milanese woman earlier this year. We get off the trail every now and again, and Tim's iPad helps us find the correct path, but if we are following Cristinas we know we are on track. We have seen further news about the devastation in northern Tuscany, hard to imagine now that we have had perfect weather the last few days here.

I often find myself smiling as I walk along, just as I do when I'm out in the garden at home. I am extra-appreciative of this journey after my time out, thankful for every step, and even the tiredness after a long day on the road. We are often stopped by people just wanting to find out where we are from and where we are going, and we appreciate the friendliness of the local people.

So, that's all for now, love and best wishes from Merran.