Today is Santa Croce, a Holy Day in Lucca, dedicated to the
Volto Santo,
the Holy Face, supposedly a relic from Jesus time which floated from Jerusalem
to the coast near Lucca in the 8th century. The whole
legend is pretty intriguing.
The celebration started yesterday night. Candles were lit on the facades of buildings
on the main streets of the historical center, and the Lucchese gathered to watch
the procession (La Luminaria) through the town, of
groups representing all of the parishes around Lucca, following the Volo Santo from
San Martino Cathedral to the San Frediano Church.
It was a beautiful procession,
each group walking slowly and solemnly, dressed in full ceremonial costume,
holding candles, crosses or banners, and
accompanied by chants or a marching band. We actually mostly listened to it,
as we were having diner at the Pizzeria near the entrance of Piazza Amphiteatro.
I found that this was agreat way to enjoy the atmosphere, without feeling too oppressed
by the crowd.
Once we were done we moved closer to the action to watch the rest of the procession, until our son
decided that he had seen enough and we had to head back home.
At 11pm the fireworks started. The best place to see them is probably from the walls
near Piazza Santa Maria, but we returned home and watched them from our window,
over the roofs by the Torre Guinigi. We probably missed some of the action, but we liked what we
could see, and the lit tower provided a great backdrop for the explosions.
More excitement followed today, which was the day of the open-air market Piazza San Michele, the first Autumn rain, and the
last day of the Summer vacations for our son.
