LUCCA BY NIGHT
Three unmissable guided tours into the fascination of nocturnal landscapes. Evocative places to discover Lucca and its surroundings in a special light, that of the moon.
Step by step we discover another face of the city, places with a magical atmosphere just outside the Walls, illuminated only by the full moon. And again, immersed in nature, natural oases under the starry sky in the company of night birdsong and water melodies.
Let's discover them on foot for an unusual summer evening of history, nature and a bit of adventure.
Lucc’a a piedi di notte, col naso all’insù
Beautiful by day, as darkness falls Lucca reveals its more mysterious and romantic side. An unprecedented city appears when the sun sets and gives way to the lights of night. Between Renaissance palaces and Romanesque churches, towers with green foliage and secret gardens, underground corners and a tangle of streets and places that tell of stories and legends suspended in time.
Every step is a surprise: the Borghi gate and the San Gervasio gate of the medieval walls and the rustle of the water murmuring in the ditch of one of the most characteristic streets of Lucca along the medieval Walls; the splendour of the Cathedral of San Martino and the intoxicating perfume of the flowering wisteria, the myth of Lucchese silk in the bas-reliefs of the merchants' court in Via Fillungo.
From the historical centre, flanking the ramparts and moats of the Walls, one can make 'fairy' encounters. In the large meadow surrounding the magnificent illuminated monument, fireflies and dragonflies meet in summer. And it is pure magic.
Friday 24 june
Info and reservations: Officina Natura
338 7901829 - officinanatura@gmail.com
Golden Words under the full moon
A stone's throw from the historic centre of Lucca, a fantastic journey on a full moon night, when the moon and the earth touch in a warm embrace. From Lucca, backpack and comfortable shoes are easily reached on foot. Just walk up the ancient and mighty arches of the 19th-century Nottolini aqueduct to the springs.
In Lucca, this place is known as the Parole d'Oro (Golden Words) because of the inscription stamped in brass letters, mistaken for gold by the locals, on a small bridge straddling the rio di Vorno. An inscription recalling the date of completion, in 1836, of the majestic aqueduct designed to collect good water from the springs to serve the town.
Amidst neoclassical temples and fountains, the route winds its way through dense woods, landscapes and ancient pavements perfumed by the blooms of the undergrowth to the 24 springs enclosed in small architectures hidden in the woods on the slopes of the Monti Pisano. In the air are stories of ingenious architects, dukes and pilgrims of the Francigena.
From there the hike continues to the Gallonzora Observatory where the gaze opens on a spectacular view of the starry sky.
tuesday 14 june
Info and reservations: vadoevedo.it
tel. 347 587 0026 - michele@vadoevedo.it
Sibolla Oasis Nature Reserve
An evening in the cool, in the company of special 'friends', guided by the stars away from the crowds and the summer heat between the call of a tawny owl, a chattering spoonbill and an owl. All good reasons for an evening visit to the Sibolla nature reserve, a treasure trove of biodiversity and one of the most significant and studied wetlands in Europe.
With a nature guide, among reeds and walkways, you can discover the beauties and secrets of this reserve that is home to rare botanical species, curious plants and many migratory birds. A small corner of paradise just a few kilometres from the fortified village of Altopascio, immersed in the silence of a forest of oaks and farnias where a clear moonlight is reflected.
An experience you won't forget amidst thrilling tales and the voice of the night. It is not every day that one gets to see the 'inhabitants' of this place who animate the forest at nightfall and begin their activities when others go to sleep.
Riserva naturale oasi di Sibolla
3 june
Info and reservations: Natura di Mezzo
tel. 338.6553603 - naturadimezzo@gmail.com