In Lucca

What a beautiful, historic town Lucca is. It's the only town in Italy (maybe anywhere) that's still surrounded by a complete wall that separates the core of the city from the rest of the city. You can see Dennis at the gate below.

It's our off day today, so we're spending our time wandering around the town. It's really our first true "tourist" day, and I can't imagine a better city to do it in. I realize that this isn't the typical Italy trip and that there are tons of other things to see, but when you only have a few hours here and there, getting the chance to wander the streets of a small town and getting a "feel" for it is a great experience. Inside the walls, the streets are narrow and the buildings are tall, giving a maze-like feel to everything. There are tons more photos on Facebook, so you can check those out too, but here are a few.
This is also the town where Pinocchio originated, which is a cool bit of history. Here's one of the many images that were throughout the city.

After our time in the city, we headed out of the main town to a friend of Angelo's, where we had a fantastic dinner - an old Italian dish called "polenta" that was a peasant dish. And it was a very authentic Italian dinner - about 4 1/2 hours! The whole time there were friends and family coming in and out - very cool.

Since it's an off day today, let me make a brief observation about some of what I'm seeing here. Interestingly, as we progress towards Rome, we are making one of the main pilgrimages of the Christian faith. And as we move through Italy, I see many signs of the ancient Catholic church. But these two pictures, one taken purposefully through a gate, the other a bit further back, show the way that the church is here in Italy.
It seems as though the truth is there, but it also seems like the way is barred for so many. The people here love each other and seem to be devoted to "religion", but largely, they need to meet Jesus... I've heard that before about the majority of Europe, but seeing it in person is a stark reality. Friends, let me encourage you. What I'm experiencing in Europe will soon move to us in the "west" as well (for those of you reading in the US and Central America). We need to persevere and pursue Jesus in the midst of everything else! There's a time coming where it will be even harder!! In this culture, a pursuit of Christ as become a good luck charm, not a vital lifestyle, and transformation is largely a thing of the past.

Enough preaching. Tomorrow we start through Tuscany and move east, ultimately to the other coast. The weekend is going to be really challenging, and then we move into the home stretch... Stay tuned tomorrow for a pic of our new vehicle and our new companions!