Lucca (and fun with panoramas!!)

Today the class went to Lucca--a sort of improvised trip since things on our syllabus got moved around a bit and we had a free day. It's toward the coast, just north of Pisa. It's a really nice little town. And, this may surprise you, but I didn't go into any museums today, and only 1 church. We really just spent the day wandering and eating and wandering some more.

It is the only city in Italy which still has intact all of its Renaissance fortifying walls, which have been turned into a really nice walkway and park that circles the city. It is also known for one of its piazzas which is built on the foundations of the old Roman amphitheater, so it is oval in shape. Here is a picture, although it slightly skews the shape:
The town also has lots of towers--church towers, medieval palace towers, all sorts. So we climbed one--which has trees growing at the top! Here are some views.

That was probably the most exciting thing of the day, especially because of the clear blue skies (which I hadn't really seen yet this trip).