TOURIST SNAP: GUINIGI TOWER, LUCCA

This tower is pretty much Lucca's trademark. It's a fine example of medieval building. Without looking it up, I believe there were once four of these towers but only the one remains. They were built by the powerful Guinigi family in the 1400s along with a group of houses known as case Guinigi. You can climb to the top of the tower for a magnificent view and a test of leg muscles. Four oak trees grow there. Young couples go up to the top to get engaged. Give me a sofa and the down-on-knees bit every time. The Cathedral of St. Martin (duomo) and its tower are to the right. It was built in 1100. I have not been to the top of Guinigi Tower, just as I did not get to the top of the Statue of Liberty when I lived in New York nor to Hadrian's Wall when I lived in Scotland.

The picture was taken from across the river where I saw these piles of wood piled against the bridge after the recent heavy rains. Bridge over the Serchio River It's a drizzly, grey day -- dreich, in fact.

I also looked down on the village of San Querico. San Querico

Today, the supermarket was more crowded than usual. A group of young American girls, thin and lithe, tripped through the aisles like a herd of gazelles, trilling to each other to keep in touch. They were all wearing bum-hugging shorts, flip flops and shirts tied at the waist. It's Italy, it's summer, this is what one wears. I was wearing a padded jacket. There were a number of Brits as well but they whispered to each other lest they be taken for tourists or draw attention to themselves. They were somewhat better padded and more sensibly dressed. I used to hiss at my husband in Italian lest I be taken for a tourist but he only yodeled back in English so now I don't speak to him at all.

I could not help but notice people were using umbrellas to keep off the sun at Wimbleton. Mmph. They're needed for the rain here.