Lovely Lucca

It was last July, that my family visited Lucca,  a very charming city in northwestern Tuscany. On my first day of drawing, the music of Puccini spilled from a church that was hosting a concert tribute to the Lucca-born composer. Most remarkable to me, was the near absence of cars and trucks in the city center. From the very young to the very old take to streets on bicycles. 

On the second day, I sat in the shade along a row of hedges in planters, and drew for nearly two hours. At first, I thought I'd be unable to survive the mid-day heat without fainting. But to my delight, I found that by luck, I was sitting on the edge of restaurant's outdoor garden and that the finest, coolest mist was sneaking over the hedge and onto my back. A welcome surprise from that lovely city.