An Upgrade, both Physical and Emotional

 This morning we transferred our luggage to the Hotel Ilaria inside the city walls for the official beginning of our Via Francigena walk. A beautiful hotel with lovely friendly and helpful staff. We then set off into the suburbs to look for replacement good quality walking shoes. How did we ever live without GPS?

We are now equipped with Salomon trekkers which, much to the confusion of the young sales assistant, we chose to wear out of the store. We had to resort to Translator to explain that one!

We got back to the hotel with happy feet and enjoyed a complimentary light lunch with cold drinks. We were reminded not to miss the complimentary prosecco at 5 pm! I am really loving the Hotel Ilaria!

The next task was to find Kel a replacement Credenziale and to get our first stamp. This is the official document which the modern pilgrim uses as proof that you have walked the Via Francigena. 

Success, and our first stamp from the Duomo.

For the rest of the afternoon we went back to my list of  'to see' places. The Anfiteatro was a surprise, a former 2nd c.Roman theatre like the colosseum, it is now a huge piazza completely filled with restaurants.

Lucca has a number of towers, the most famous is the Guinigi tower which has holm oaks growing on its top.

The walls of Lucca are a great example of the fortified wall. They circle the old city for 2.4 kms and there are eleven bastions, six main entrance gates and several other ancient gates. In the current situation they are no longer defensive but a very popular recreational area for families, dogs, runners, bike riders and especially walkers.

Some photos of the hotel and surrounds: Porta Gervasio, the canal known as The Ozzeri - all in via del Fosso.

When we checked in we were pleasantly surprised to have been given an upgrade. Our wonderful huge room is in The Towers, actually part of Porta Gervasio (but we are not actually in the round part).

Above, the porticoed entrance to our accommodation and below,  just a bit of ancient Roman ruins right at the front door and entrance to the lift. It's a bit tricky stepping from the lift onto glass.

Then it was prosecco time. We met a couple from Victoria and two ladies from New York so it was a most convivial time. We sure needed that, a good talk to some-one other than ourselves.

Looking at the bowls you can tell that these were our second glasses.😆

After the good things that happened today we feel revived, more able to be positive about the next week. We will worry about those things not yet sorted after we return to Rome.