Lucca

Having heard of this walled city's beauty for years, I was eager to visit. It is a bit larger than I imagined and hosts more tourists than I prefer to find on weekend trips, but it is lovely. Because it was late June, the sun was still quite strong when I photographed at the end of the day. I must return at dawn or sometime much later in the year. Nevertheless, the summer sun made it a city of wonderfully long shadows. Perhaps my favorite discovery was the sight of children wildly and happily chasing pigeons in the piazza while the nearby merry-go-round stood empty. I got caught photographing on the sly the two distinguished gentleman at the end of this series. They were FURIOUS, but it's a great image.