Italy Tour Day 7 – Pisa and Lucca

Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa was our first stop this morning to visit the Tower of Pisa, one of 4 buildings that make up the cathedral complex. We had time to explore the entire area, to read about the history of the bell tower, take many pictures, and of course, browse the many street vendors of souvenirs. I am sure you will see many pictures of boys trying to look like they are holding up the leaning tower of Pisa when we get home. After Pisa, we continued on to the city of Lucca for lunch and a guided tour of the city. Lucca is the place where the composer Puccini was born. We passed his birth home on our walking tour. Puccini is known for many famous operas like La Boheme, Tosca, Madama Butterfly to name a few. While boys rehearsed that afternoon, companions had free time for gelati and exploring the town. Minnesota Boychoir performance posters lined the streets of the entire town. Santa Maria dei Servi was a beautiful place to sing to over 300 in the audience. Tonight’s performance was fantastic! The boys are doing an amazing job with each performance, and are really stepping up and singing so well together. It was wonderful to greet so many people after the concert including our companion travelers, local people and many others from around the world. Another multi-course meal followed at a local Lucca restaurant. Later that evening back in Montecatini, the Allegro boys were treated to Allegro Night Out, a long-standing tour tradition. They rode on the funicular (1898 cable car) up to Montecatini Alto (a historic part of town that overlooks downtown) for some gelati and great views of downtown. They also sang 3 songs to those still sitting out on restaurant patios before heading back down for the night.