This is where Lucca within its walls excels.
Scenes like this, combinations unfathomable to the jaded eye, are everywhere.
It is best to ride a bicycle, and to turn off down any vicolo that beckons.
There is rarely no surprise waiting.
You cannot take anything for granted here.
There is layer upon layer upon layer
of beauty and tranquility
and intelligence and contentment.
NOW there are many beggars on the streets,
some inspiring heart-rending compassion, most not,
and I want to reconcile the two:
the contentment and the struggles.
Overall however, I am continually amazed
at the level of contentment I sense here,
that the residents see and love what is theirs.
It is so wonderfully a world that doesn't yearn for something else.