Lucca, Italy

We stayed in the Cinque Terre for five days, and on one of which decided to take a day trip to the fortified medieval town and UNESCO World Heritage site of Lucca.  And can I just say that I. fell. in. love.  Seriously, such a gorgeous little city that I would totally want to go back and spend a couple more days in.  The ancient stone wall surrounding the old town has been turned into a biking/walking/running path that is filled with postcard views of the city and the beautiful surrounding countryside.  We rented bikes for the day and biked around the wall as well as through the city.  The narrow, winding streets truly take you back to another day and age, I just kept imaging Romeo and Juliet to walk by me.  We stopped into tiny shops, climbed two of the medieval towers for amazing views of the city, and spent a few hours eating pizza and pasta, drinking wine, and splitting a gelato banana split under umbrellas in the Piazza Anfiteatro while it rained and a man nearby played the accordion.  Truly perfect!