I’m rather partial to a day out, an opportunity to change my routine, so I jumped at the chance of going to the nearest city.

Work as usual at first but I took the afternoon off. After a quick business lunch at, would you believe, the cafe of the local large supermarket, I went of via the builder’s merchant, to my destination!

I’ll just mention that the supermarket does a very good lunch with ample quantities of very good quality food. This set me up very well for an afternoon of pottering.

It only takes about 45 minutes to drive to Lucca, which is an old walled city. I shared my afternoon out with my daughter and son. We called in at our favourite antique and reclamation place first, before going on to Lucca. I bought a couple of small candle holders, a lovely lidded pot and a couple of vintage bags for less than a tenner!

After arriving in Lucca and parking in a local free carpark just outside of the walls, we walkied into the main part of the old city. It didn’t take much more than 5 minutes to get there.

I love this place with lots of little traditional shops it has a buzz in the air with a real sense of times gone by.

I didn’t have any plans to go out to buy something in particular, rather to just to drink in the atmosphere on a sunny, autumn day. As it was Friday which nearly always means pizza night in our household, we didn’t intend on staying out for dinner but to merely have a relaxing stroll in this lovely place.

Lucca is a “Città d’arte” (City of arts). It has an amazing anfiteatro, oval shaped and originating as far back as the first century. It is now a piazza with shops and restaurants. Lucca is a very cultural place and is the birthplace of some famous composers including Puccini and Boccherini. I just adore it for its atmosphere. It is especially lovely just before Christmas with an array of twinkling lights and a real old fashioned “Christmassy-ness!”

We stopped off to try a different bar for an evening “aperitivo” which normally include light snacks.

After the aperitivo, we strolled back again popping into the shops that called out to us and walking down a particularly cosy looking street with pavement cafés and a wonderfully lively air about it. Definitely on the list for our next aperitivo.

Just after we came out of the walls I took another photo. It was beautiful.We could have been transported back to another time, only the lights give it away. That’s what I love about Lucca.

We drove home with my son hosting our customary car quiz (only fun, honestly) and just 45 minutes later, we arrived at our little hamlet. Our car left at the carpark, we went off to a well deserved pizza, with the cosy scent of autumnal woodsmoke in the air!