3. Luca Italy: Bikes, Wines, and Climbs

(Longer post, but mostly pictures)

Day 4. Monday 5/25/26 

First eBike Tour. Lucca Day 1 

We met Fabrizio, founder and owner of Astro Cycling [link], for our first of many days with him. My dad met him on a bike tour on a previous trip. He learned that Fabrizio happened to own his own business, be a certified sommelier, certified scuba diver, winner of like 4 cycling competitions, and certified incredible expert in the hospitality industry. One of the best guides I’ve ever had. Since I heard he was so amazing, we hired him to help design our tour of Tuscany! 

First eBike Tour. Firstly, I will never be able to ride a regular bicycle the same way. The eBike (electronic bike) was sooo easy. 4 speeds of assistance, so when you pedal, it amplifies your efforts. Think like walking on a moving walkway at the airport. But with multiple speeds so you can ride uphill! Think of it as an e-assist bike. You still have to pedal, and it only assists you as much as you pedal, so you still have to work. It won’t just run on its own. Don’t get me wrong, you’re still really working on some of the 15% grade climbs(!), but I would be hospitalized if I tried all that we did with a regular bike. It seems a theme that man has a fascination with flying — cycling, skiing, biking, surfing, racing, etc — because I felt so free and relaxed zooming through the quiet vineyards and rolling hills of rural Tuscany. We continued to stop and gawk at the beauty of the landscape so elegantly folded throughout. Fabri said, “Guys, this is just day 1…” 

Had a private lunch and wine tasting (literally just us!) with Helena at Fattoria Enzo Carmignani, which has been in the family since like 1200 or something crazy like that. Helena’s father didn’t want her to go into the business, cuz she’s a girl. Then she won first prize at competitions with her wines, and then the rest is history. We tasted 8 wines over the course of a long lunch — no exaggeration, I think it was the best wine I’ve ever had on a tasting. Of the 8, I think I would buy 7 of them (with your money). What was wildest to me was that many of them were blends with 7, 8, 9, 10, 13 different grapes at carefully crafted percentages for flavor profiles. I’m familiar with blends, but this variety is new to me. The wine was so bright, dynamic, approachable, and not sweet. Seriously, I would have shipped a case of each of them home if I had your credit card number. Helena handpicked 6 strawberries from her garden, super tiny, and washed them and brought them to our table. After lunch, she walked us through the vineyard, and we learned about her process and property. 

We checked into the city of Lucca at our charming “Madame Butterfly” room at Hotel La Boheme. Puccini followed us everywhere. 

Food: Rovelline Lucchesi: Traditional Veal dish from Tuscany. Veal escalopes sautéed with spices, tomato sauce, and sometimes capers. Salty, tangy, zesty. Ah! After having it twice on this trip, I think I’m adding it to my top 100 favorite dishes. Also pictured is the ever-present caprese salad (mozzarella, tomato, basil, olive oil/balsamic) that is on literally every European menu (and also popular, but not this much, in the States). I also ordered about 4 times through the trip the traditional pasta with wild boar sauce. This is a staple of the Tuscany region and is on every menu in some form. The red sauce is gamey, full, rich, and dense from the wild boar (think pig). The wild boar are plentiful in the surrounding countryside. We made a reservation and dined under the 16th-century arches under the fortress wall. We were underdressed. And the food tasted just as good. I also had the best Ravioli: Cheese, spinach, tomato, pine nuts, drowned in olive oil, accompanied by house wine. Delicious. 

POP QUIZ: 

Which olive does the “common olive tree” produce? 

A) Green Olive

B) Brown/Purple Olive

C) Black Olive 

D) It produces all of the above. 

Answer: The answer is the only possible letter not present in the word “cabbage”. (Could have also just written the word “cab”, but wanted to make you think). So anyway, olives: Same olive, the color just comes from how old it is when it’s harvested from the tree. Green is the youngest. Leave it on a little longer, it will turn brown/purple. Leave it a little longer, black, and you can put them on your Pizza King Pizza: pepperoni, sausage, black olive [chef’s kiss]  

Day 5. Tuesday 5/26/26 

Lucca Exploration Day 2

Puccini. Lucca is the birthplace of Puccini, the most widely programmed opera composer in the current repertoire. His first 1-act opera flopped in a contest, and the judges told him it was no bueno, but a few observers saw promise and threw money at it, later got it staged, and that was his start. He flopped more than several more times before churning out his greats (Madame Butterfly, Turandot, Tosca). But who is “Puccini”? Never heard of him. Look up “O Mio Babino” — you’ve heard of him. 

I visited him while we were there. Well, or at least I went to his childhood home. He wasn’t there. He’s off somewhere in the grave, probably reflecting on his music — decomposing. In visiting the Puccini Museum (formerly his childhood home)I got to see Puccini’s Steinway piano and

original scores. Puccini — like many composers — was a very particular man and liked things in their place and done a certain way. He was passionate about dressing well, having fine things, hunting, motors, and opera! They had the original Tosca costume (tunic and cloak) based on Brunelleschi’s design, which was so generously donated by Czech opera star Maria Jeritza (leading interpreter of Puccini’s Repertoire, famed for portrayal of “Tosca” — the costume which she kept (1) after her 1926-1930 performances at the Metropolitan Opera in NY. In her will, she left instructions for the costume to be donated to be displayed. 

Towers (specifically Torre Guinigi). In Lucca, there are towers everywhere. Like at least 30+. These old, old structures were built for…guess? Nope, they were actually built for fancy residences. Each floor a different room/fucntion: kitchen, bedroom, living space, and some of them had gardens on the very top. I’ve never seen anything like this. So we were hiking one and had a water picnic! (We sat around and drank water in the rooftop garden). Basically watering ourselves. 

Thick Wall. All of Luca is surrounded by a thick (30-40 meters?) and tall (3 stories) wall. The walls today are actually the fourth version built between 1600-18—, but they were originally built by Romans BC and then later in the Middle Ages (finished in the 1200s), and then the third started in the 1500s and is similar to the current walls. Today the walls function as a “public park”, but in the round! I found this fascinating and charming. Wide walking/biking/rollerscating path, lots of trees, benches, incredible views looking over the city from a 360 view. Today’s walls were much thicker to protect from cannons rather than the thinner walls of the Middle Ages with bows and arrows and boiling oil. 

Italian Cooking Class. We took a cooking class with Elonora on her farm. It sits picturesquely on the side of a hill overlooking the valley and vines at sunset. We, the 10 of us in the class, prepared food outdoors under the shade of a patio on a collasal table, under the verbal direction and supervision of Elonora. She layed out most of the ingredients in their rawest form (which is work in and of itself) and we did all the work. We made: 

• Bruschetta

• Eggplant Parmesan (read: eggplant lasagne). I asked if we were making “eggplant lasagna,” and Elanora looked confused. She was like “no, there’s not lasagne.” (note: Lasagna is the name of the noodle.) (I think you could also call it eggplant-noodle substitute lasagna) 

• Herb roasted chicken (my job) 

• Vegetable salad (Bethany’s job)

• Ravioli (goat cheese & spinach) (all of our jobs

• Tarimisu 

• And enjoyed so much lovely local wine. 

POP QUIZ: 

Which of the following artistic marvels are NOT present in Florence, Italy 

A) Ponte Vecchio  

B) Michaelangelo’s “David” 

C) The Duomo 

D) The other Statue of Liberty (yes, there are two) 

Answer: The second to last letter in the word “odd”. 

Day 6. Wednesday 5/27/26 

 Lucca Day 3 (eBike Day 2)

eBike through fields, nature preserve, and “I’ve never taken this route. Let’s try it, you’re young, and we’ll figure it out.” Incredible views again. Feels like flying through time and space. The wildflowers were beautiful and inspiring. Possible musical inspiration. The jasmine is bright white, frequently spotted, and incredibly fragrant when riding along. It jolts you awake a little bit in a pleasing way. The thistles were tall, thick, and abundant, resiliently towering over all other plants to reach the sun, not yielding to heavy wind. The poppies are plentiful, soft, and bright, and only last for a short while this time of year. 

We stopped halfway at a local small meat/cheese shop. The owner prepared us a beautiful spread. He asked us what we wanted, and as usual, I requested he pick and put something together for the three of us. People love to impress and show off for each other. He did not disappoint. 

When the Bruschetta is so good you order a second one. [Brew-SKEH-tuh] is the traditional Tuscan pronunciation of this delicious mix of olive oil and tomatoes on top of a garlic-rubbed slice of baguette. To make bruschetta, rubbing the garlic on the bread is the secret to infusing flavor and creating a protective barrier so the tomato doesn’t soggy the bread. And you get plenty of garlic flavor underneath, but it isn’t mixed with the tomato freshness. This, and some of the best white wine we’d had thus far, provided ample half-day bike ride nourishment. 

Nap. 

Opera Recital. Went to a 1-hour opera recital in a lovely old church off Piazza San Giovanni. Baritone, Soprano, Pianist. Singers took turns singing select arias (the “singy” songs in opera, vs “recitativo”, which is more “talky”) then they performed a few numbers together. Rotating artists perform as a part of this company every day of the week. It’s clear it’s a tourist draw, but that’s okay. They Baritone was incredible all around. Extremely emotionally committed, full/strong rich sound. Incredible use of his oral cavity, embouchure, and soft palate for resonance. I was unfamiliar with it, which I enjoyed the newness —- half Puccini, half his contemporaries. The Soprano seemed like they were having an off day or perhaps didn’t have the skills they used to. Older, early 60s. Had some too-frequent intonation issues, breathing in the middle of phrases, lazy vowel and consonant articulation, sleepy characterization. The audience seemed to agree in their applause, which made me feel better about being critical. Short concert, so many sunburnt American tourists here. 

Dinner. Ravioli with cheese and spinach, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, bathing in olive oil. Perfection. Constantly we are finding many meals that are 3-6 ingredients — that’s it! And everything is served with olive oil that is so delicious. 

Walked through the Piazza dell’ Anfiteatre — a round open piazza (plaza) that used to be a Roman Ampitheatre where folks would gather, fight, and act. Today people gather, eat, and act. 

Day 7. Wednesday 5/28/26

Car Transfer. Farm Restaurant. Magical top-of-Cortona Views 

Piazza del Campo. Where one of the fabulous horse races takes place, running around the center while spectators stand in the middle. Fabrizio said his mom went once and it was especially and terrifyingly croweded. This was one of the several days of the history-breaking European heat waves in May (look it up if you didn’t already see it), so we were a little distracted/tired from the intense heat. This features one of the taller bell/clock towers that I’ve seen! No photo could really capture the scale. Also, this is the first bell tower I’ve ever seen with an exposed bell at the very top of the tower. 

Cousin’s Farm Restaurant. Stopped there, owned by Fabri’s cousin. He said this was the place to get Florentine Steak, so we did! Only one I had in Florence. Came out on a cast iron skillet, sizzling. Rosemary fragrant on top. Crispy sear on the outside and very, very red and cool center on the inside, the traditional way it is served. Delicious! 10/10 for presentation here and everywhere we saw it. You eat it with a fork and knife, but Fabri said you are supposed to eat the middle best part by picking up with your hands. When in Tuscany! Followed by three desserts. The most Tuscan dessert of all, a dry vanilla almond cookie that you quickly dunk in Vinsanto, a rosy, amber colored liqour that functions as a digestif as well. Quite bitter. Not going to catch on in the States, but it was special! We ordered 2 other desserts as well (3 total!), adding a creamy tiramisu and a chantilly cream fruit cake. For the record, we shared this between 3 people. (For the record, Fabri only took one bite.

Bird’s Nest in Cortona. We spent one night in Cortona, again, a super ancient city founded by Etruscans civilization BC. This city is — like many — built on top of/side of a hill. We climbed through the city, and climbed to the fourth-floor top floor of our apartment one night. We opened the terrace to an incredibly beautiful patio with the highest point looking down on the city. The sun glowed in the distance and all around. Birds swooped and sang in every direction. With 25% more birds, I’d be afraid something really bad was going to happen. Slightly haunting but neat. When I booked the place, I doubted the views could be as advertised. Somewhere they were even more magical. Wow. Hung our laundry out to dry on the clothes line for everyone to admire.