My husband and I had visited other places in Tuscany, but not the charming town of Lucca. We read about it online and saw this apartment, and it's excellent reviews, and suddenly our trip plan gelled perfectly. We arrived by car, on a rainy day, and despite having a Euro GPS, we had trouble finding the parking garage. So it took a bit of time to get settled into our home for the next 9 nights. In hindsight, I needed to have done a bit more research on how the town is laid out, using google maps. But once we got checked in by Mrs. Sonia, any arrival stress from the parking issue gradually gave way to our discovery of all of the sensory delights that Lucca held in store for us! We unpacked and set out to eat the food of Lucca, which is not only exquisite Tuscan cuisine, but offered in many variations, by many styles of eateries, in seemingly boundless abundance. It didn't take long to learn the town. All the walking, whether making rightwrong turns, helped us burn the burgeoning caloric intake, as well as suddenly reveal thrilling sights, like Piazza San Michelle, with it's stunning facade and amazing statuary on top quite a fitting architectural emblem, and a 'crowing' of this jewel of a city. Our plan had been to make day trips from Lucca with the car. We made only one because, as we spent time wandering Lucca's enchanting lanes, I realized I had no desire to go anywhere else! All the food, the beautiful shops, bar/cafes, and friendly locals, became the entire focus of our visit. We tried two of the recommended "ristorantes" on Mrs. Sonia's list, along with other style eateries, and all will be memorable to us forever. There was a small "Osteria," where we had the most delicious lunch, in their still verdant garden, in perfectly sublime September weather. It was not only the pleasantness of the smooth wine - we found the whole town to be intoxicating! One memory stands out: we were treated to samples of sweet cakes and breads from a bakery shop, just around the corner. The baker himself, kept giving us free bites. His passion for his culinary art, and for sharing it with us was fabulous fun!
The apartment is safe, comfortable, spacious, and quiet. The kitchen is well stocked we left tea and jam for the next guest. Many thanks to Mrs. Sonia for helping us to create beautiful Tuscan experience and memories in her beautiful city of Lucca.