We’d heard and read so much about Tuscany before we left home, but we still didn’t know what to expect.  I’d done my research and knew that Lucca was a walled city and comune surrounded by intact Renaissance-era city walls. Seven thousand people live inside; another 40,000 live in the area surrounding Lucca. It was a surprise when we lugged our bags out of the train station to the street because there were few taxis. We later found out that vehicles have to have a special permit to drive within the city walls. Driving to our apartment was an adventure – the streets are basically one lane wide, with two body’s worth of space on each side. Life in Tuscany is more laid back.…

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