Biking in Lucca

On our way back to Castiglion Fiorentino from Cinqueterre, a small group of us made a short stop in Lucca. We rented bicycles from a man at the train station and proceeded to bike the city wall. Once inside the city wall, we were surprised to see such a developed city with tall buildings and many restaurants. We then climbed a ramp with our bicycles and were instantly awed by the beauty of the path on top of the city wall. A canopy of old, tall trees arched over the path shading it completely in most areas. There was a good balance between bikers and pedestrian traffic along the path and people were seen frequently stopping to take pictures under the beautiful canopy of trees. As we continued along the wall, we were met by a stretch of the path which was bordered by much smaller trees, which were unfortunately not big enough to create the awesome shaded canopy we had seen before. We decided as a group that we would wait until we came upon another completely shaded stretch of the path to take pictures and document our trip to Lucca. As a horticulture major, it is very refreshing and awesome to see friends and acquaintances appreciate the importance of landscaping and how important it can be to everyone. The difference between the atmospheres of the path under the tree canopy and the part that was not shaded was drastic and it was very apparent to me that most people appreciated and enjoyed the shade provided by the larger, older trees, and this definitely enhanced many peoples’ experiences in Lucca.

Jackie Amdor