« Spring Break: Ravenna | Main | The English Theatre of Rome »

April 25, 2007

Spring Break: Lucca

My third and final stop on my spring break was the Tuscan town of Lucca.

The city is famous for its medieval walled-in center. On weekends, tourists from Florence and Pisa take a day-trip to Lucca to ride bicycles along the ramparts or just get lost wandering through the streets. Other sites include its many towers, churches, a botanical garden and – my favorite – quaint Tuscan restaurants.

One of the sites I found more fascinating was the Volto Santo in that cathedral of San Martino. It is a wooden carving of a crucifix that is believed to depict what Jesus really looked like. One of the many stories says that Nicodemus planned on carving the wood after Jesus’ crucifixion, but when he finally went to work on it, the face was already there. Above is a fresco of the Volto Santo as seen in the church of San Frediano. This church also houses the remains of Saint Zita – whose mummified body is brought out once a year to be touched by the devout.

Posted by Kelsea  at 1:28 PM | Permalink

Comments