Much of the day walking above the Ligurian coastline through charming towns, notably Pietrasanta, a remarkable medieval village brimming with sculpture, much of it marble but some bronze such as the Centurion by Botero. We lingered in Pietrasanta for lunch, in front of its large Duomo, a marble palace, before walking the last 10 km to our hotel, perhaps not the brightest strategy but sometimes goals compete with aesthetics. But Carrara marble is omnipresent here, even the curbs are made of marble. We are at the half mark of our journey. Tomorrow Lucca, pine trees and cypresses.
Walking the Via Francigena 
Massa, Lucca – these places, the land, vegetation, food – must be familiar to you. I spent many weeks at the Hotel California in Forte dei Marmi and the Carrara quarries. One of the owners drove me up in a jeep to see the catch of the day, hoping for some white sculpture grade marble. Italy makes the marble market for the whole world thanks to those inexhaustible mountains and strong domestic demand. if you want to sell marble from turkey or even Australia you have to show it at the fairs in Italy. Be well.
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Hotel California….didn’t know if that was fiction. A real hotel! Apparently now they give tours of the marble mines. Paula called the via del corso in Sarzana a men’s cat walk. Italians just nail it on the stylish front.
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