Fiume Serchio

Now that I have Dorothy, the world is my oyster. I had heard about the Serchio River and how it is a great place to ride your bike around. Keep in mind that Americans and Italians have very different perspectives on fun. In a few short weeks I have come to the conclusion that Italians are fearless. In America we tend to be more cautious and think about the results of our actions, while In Italy the motto seems to be “don’t worry, it’s fine.” So while I am envisioning a stroll down the main street outside of the walls until I reach the river and then a leisurely bike ride around the river, what I got was an 11 mile bike ride on busy streets with 18 wheel trucks in the blazing heat. When I finally reached the river, which was indeed amazingly beautiful, the path turned out to be a gravel road. Now I am pretty new back on a bike, so riding on gravel was a bit stressful. I had to keep reminding myself to relax my shoulders. After about a quarter mile I figured I better go back as it had taken me 2 hours in death defying traffic to get here. It turns out there was a scenic straight road with much less traffic to get me home. (Damn Siri) Never had I felt so tired and relieved to be back in Lucca. I went straight to the first restaurant I could find and had a lemoncello Spritz and the most delicious lunch of zucchini flan with parmesan sauce, pistachios and toasted sage. I thought it might have tasted so good because of my fatigue so I went back the next day and ordered the exact same thing….Nope, it was just delicious. The restaurant is called Stella Polare and is located in the Piazza Napoleone. I highly recommend stopping here for a meal. Another thing to know about dining in Italy, you always have to ask for your check. In Italy eating is an event. You relax, you eat and you drink. You never feel rushed or like they are waiting for your table to turnover. Another difference is you pay your check and the register and they don’t tip. It is very difficult to get used to. In the US you don’t even get the choice of what to tip as so many restaurants add it to your bill. So ends my day at the river, time for a hot bath and rest as I probably will not be able to move tomorrow.