Lucca and Florence

Yesterday we visited the walled city of Lucca.  It withstood centuries of attacks..and never fell until Napoleon.  The city is still walled... And has stayed really authentic and untouristy.  We liked that.  We were there  when the kids got out of school. It was fun to see all the families walking home together.  Seemed like Italy at its purest.

We got stuck in a HUGE traffic jam yesterday.  I counted 13 lanes converging into 3!  We saw crashes, and the drivers just kept on driving.  We saw men getting out to pee along side the road...  It was quite an experience!

Today we had a fun day in Florence visiting the Accadamia, the Uffizii, and the Piti Palace.  Seeing Michelangelo's statue of David was a real highlight.  We weren't allowed to take photos, but I snuck one of Jim in front of David!  Florence is a very picturesque place...

Tomorrow we head for one night inUmbria (Orvieto) and then to Rome for our last 3 days.  Everyday we pinch ourselves...  We can't believe we are really here!!!