Spring In Lucca

After a brief stopover in England I made my way to Italy and arrived in Lucca last night. As the plane landed in Pisa I couldn’t help but have this huge smile on my face. A quick bus ride later and I was in town. My Panini Girl Tour starts next Saturday so I have a week to get acclimated, do some exploring  and just enjoy being in one of my favorite places in Italy.

I’ve arrived in time for the annual flower festival honoring Santa Zita, the patron saint of the the city. Two of the city’s piazzas are filled with flower displays in honor of Santa Zita. Legend has it that while working in the home of a nobleman back in the 1200s, she frequently took some bread to feed the poor. One day she was stopped and asked what she was carrying and when she opened her apron, flowers fell out.

 

 

 

The town is bustling! The anfiteatro where the main exhibition is located is filled with flowering plants, herbs, trees, bushes and hundreds of locals shopping for their gardens. I feel compelled to buy something to have in my apartment. Wish I could say I had a house here with a yard to plant…

 

 

 

 

As much as I enjoyed perusing the plants the main focus of my day was hitting my food shops. More on that later!