On Saturday I got the treat of watching a medieval reenactment group hold a jousting and sword fighting competition. Which, unlike the Renaissance festival I go to in Colorado, which is a staged theatrical performance, this was actually a competition of skill, training, horsemanship, patience, armor and elegance. 

By dumb luck I saw a poster around town advertising the event on Friday, and jumped for the chance to go see such a sight. A €10 donation to a local charity got me and a friend in with prime seats for photography and to see all the action. Of course everything was in Italian, but we were just happy to watch the event which was preceded by a parade, dance, drum music and plenty of costumes.

The next day was my second trip to Lucca, my friend and I rented and rode bikes along the Renaissance walls taking in a quiet…