Lucca in Summer

When we first visited Lucca in February, the city was tucked up for winter. The weather was cold, the sky was grey and the trees were bare. It was striking and beautiful.

Now we’ve returned to see Lucca looking summer lush. The days are long (right now we’re enjoying 16 hours of daylight), and the city is full of life.

It’s been fun to see Lucca in two very different guises – winter grey and summer green. Maybe autumn gold should be next …

Winter on the circuit around the top of Lucca's medieval defensive wall

And the same section a couple of weeks ago

Here's another part of the walkway

And the contrast between the seasons

Many of the trees that line the path are flowering at the moment

Their sweet smell adds another dimension to our daily walk

Back down into the town itself, and this is the five-way intersection at the end of our street

The water fountain tucked into the corner is one of many throughout the city; people bring bottles from home to fill them with the cool, clean - and free - spring water

Here's another, slightly more elaborate, fountain; this one is the same square as a little wine bar we like

Of course summer is also the season of outdoor dining (known here as 'fuori' not 'al fresco')

And this year large marble sculptures have been placed around the city; it's a bit like being in an open-air museum

Between the maze of medieval streets and the defensive wall, this is Palazzo Pfanner with its Italian-style Baroque garden

The formal garden, which dates from around 1700, is watched over by marble gods of Mt Olympus (you can see the city wall in the back left of this picture)

The palace itself has variously been home to wealthy Italian merchants, the location of an Austrian beer brewery and the setting for Hollywood movies

So what's our preference - Lucca in summer or winter? Of course, the only answer is both