Lucca and Jean DuBuffet

Today we took the bus to Lucca, a small city northwest of Florence. 

Lucca is a jewel. Much smaller than Florence, Lucca is quiet, a mix of medieval and 19th century, a very walkable city where the streets are full of people instead of cars. Evidently Lucca is on the list of magical places in Tuscany; we saw a number of Americans walking around the town but it’s a pleasant town, nevertheless.

Source

Most pleasant of all is that the town’s medieval walls are wholly intact. Intact and converted to a lovely walkway, or a path for a bike ride, around the city from a height of about 40 feet. Lovely views out to the countryside, lovely views over the city. Bike rentals are inexpensive and a circuit of the city on the top of the old city walls takes 10 minutes for someone with a mission, 30 minutes for someone who enjoys the views, 60 minutes for someone who was digesting a just-eaten lunch. Lucca is a perfect place to visit on a cool, sunny day like we saw today.

LuCCA museum

There are many small shops and we found that the shops were more inviting than the shops in Florence. Instead of being terribly trendy and terribly chic, the shops in Lucca seem sturdy, steady, solid. In fact, many of the shops have kept appointments (such as wood cabinets, curved glass windows, and so forth) that have been long ago been abandoned for more sleek interiors in the big cities. The shops in Lucca seem more approachable, even for husbands.

Lucca, however, is short of great Renaissance art. No Michelangelos, no Botticellis, no Lippis. But the town itself, medieval walls and the streets and shops are quite noteworthy and worth a visit after the great, terribly busy cities of Florence, Rome, and Venice.

The town has developed a focus on modern art. Today we visited the Lucca Center of Contemporary Art to see a show on the 20th century artist, Jean Dubuffet. While modern art in the great cities of Italy is swamped by the deathless treasures of the past, a city like Lucca has found a niche for the moderns. We knew nothing of Dubuffet but we knew that Lucca was an easy city to visit so we took a chance, a small chance, and visited the exhibit at the Lucca Center for Contemporary Art. (Got it? Lu. C. C. A.!)

The building is impressive. The interior has been remodeled extensively to show off the works of art. The ground floor is given over to a reception area, a bookshop, and a coffee bar. Exhibits are on the two floors above. Admission is reasonable. We came on a beautiful day and yet the museum was not at all crowded.

The works were interesting, challenging. Speaking for myself, I especially liked images of figures done by Dubuffet though he experimented in a number of different forms and media. Included in the show was a film of a ballet done to music composed by the artist. The ballet featured what appeared to be works of his carried (sometimes, worn) by dancers. Interesting. He seemed to be experimenting over his career with different media and different effects, never settling for one final method for presenting his vision.

The city is worth a visit because it is a contrast to the busy larger cities that everyone visits. The museum is worth a visit because its content is so fresh and part of the present.