Ristorante del Giglio

It is the weekend of the monthly antique fair in Lucca, and we are seated in Ristorante del Giglio, adjacent to one of the many piazzas where the antique dealers display their wares.  The sun is bright, almost too bright.  The day is warm.  Too warm for the clothes we wear; I see sundresses in the piazza.  All of the tables in the shade have been reserved, but this recommended restaurant is where I want to eat.  I look at the sun’s angle and determine everything should be fine within thirty minutes.  We take our chairs and keep our sunglasses on. The wait staff hurries along the shade by dropping the side curtains just a dad.  This helps.

We continue to eat our way through Italy.  Michael orders a beautiful plate full of prosciutto and other cured meats.  I settle for a golden flan of courgettes — zucchini, but better — sitting in a puree of green peas. For my entrée, I choose cinghiale — wild boar — with olives and polenta. Michael is happy ordering baked lamb shank with garlic and a lemony flavored side of chard.  A bottle of vino rosso in the middle of the day does us in.

We eschew dessert and espresso, thinking — nap.

The Antiques Fair

On our back to our apartment, we spend a bit of time perusing the wares, knowing we can just look, and only buy if it is very very small.

A Sunday Evening Stroll Around Lucca

Beginning our Sunday evening stroll we pass the antique shop I have been eyeing ever since we arrived.  It is open for the first time, with a lovely older gentleman sitting out front just waiting for us to come by.  I immediately head to the piece that has caught my fancy for the past three weeks and request the price.  This takes some phoning before the answer is at hand. 

The small terracotta sculpture is 600€.  The price is high he says, because of the artist, Toni Boni, it is the last piece of a casting; I wonder.  Since we do not speak each other’s language, I use the translate app on my phone to relay the fact, “I must think about it.”  Michael asks about the cost of a bronze statue, and we are offered a 300€ discount for both pieces.  After thinking about it we walk on, spending our euros instead on one giant multi-flavored gelato for Michael and a single scoop of caffè for me. 

Taking stone steps to the top of Lucca’s city walls we walk off our calories. On weekdays walkers are few and far between, but the ancient walls are a busy place this afternoon.  There is no method to this madness.  No left. No right.  Just the center with two-way traffic.  There is no separate path for bicycles.  Brisk walking is not an option. There is only chaos, but everyone survives.

We find an empty park bench and people watch.

On Via Fillungo the mass of people is multiplied.  I feel like we are leaving the park after July 4^th fireworks.  Everyone does all they can to prolong the weekend.