Church Bells in Lucca

It is Sunday morning and I hear church bells ringing in the neighborhood. I live in the Alberta Arts area of northeast Portland, Oregon, so I imagine I am hearing the bells of Saint Andrew Catholic Church calling the people to mass. The sound transports me back to the walled city of Lucca situated in the north of Tuscany in Italy. I have traveled there many times and stayed sometimes for weeks and other times for months with my dear friend Dorene Lucchesi.

Click here to listen to the audio version of this blog entry.

The history of Lucca goes back to the time of the Romans and is visible everywhere you look. The wall that surrounds the city was built sometime during the 12th century as a defense structure, and it is approximately 2.5 miles in circumference. It is so thick that car rallies used to be held on top; however, today it is a place to stroll, ride bicycles and picnic in the presence of hundreds of enormous trees planted centuries ago.

Life inside the wall for the people of Lucca passes at a slower pace. There is relatively little crime, litter or traffic. People wander, stroll, ride bicycles and stop to talk with each other as they smile. One surprising discovery is the fact that there are 99 churches inside the wall, many of them dating from the 1100s. They are a reminder of the glory of Lucca as a trading center and independent state. It doesn’t matter where you wander or which way you turn; you will eventually come upon a church, some large and famous, some small and locked, often in disrepair. The streets are cobbled and the houses stuccoed, and on Sunday mornings the air is filled with the ringing of church bells. And it was the ringing of the bells that has brought me back to Lucca.

One afternoon in late autumn 2000 I experienced a particularly spectacular thunderstorm while safe inside my apartment overlooking the well-known Roman amfiteatro in the center of town. The storm inspired the following poem. I would like to share it with you. It was first published in Naked Writings by PenHouseInk Press 2001. If you have ever been to Lucca, you will no doubt recognize these images.

Lucca

the sky is dark beyond all reason
thunder causes the dogs to bark
they bark into their own echoes
the sound reverberates around the square
passes through open shutters
hitting gilded mirrors hanging on stone walls
is reflected back as images of ancient skies and blackbirds flying
backwards
the birds leave the rooms through open windows
circle round
landing on ledges
their droppings pile below
the cobblestones resemble paint cloths
covered in thick colored paint
passers-by look up in amazement
to see that the buildings are still discolored and moss stained
at various places where plaster has broken off and fallen away
on-lookers can see light
seeping through cracks in the bricks and mortar
the light from the flames of smoking torches
the torches of soldiers who stood guard centuries ago
all night on the wall
waiting for the enemy
the enemy that proved to be the rising water of the flooding river
the alarm was sounded so the heavy gates were shut and secured
with bags of sand on the inside
to keep the water on the outside
while the people in the piazza roasted chestnuts
warmed their hands over smoldering coals
when the sun rose it found them waiting
for the water outside the wall to subside
while the soldiers keeping watch stood ready
to sound the signal that all was well
and when they did the birds flew up from the ledges
causing the dogs to bark

~ Ingrid Kincaid

Ingrid Kincaid is an internationally known storyteller, teacher and spiritual mentor. She is an intuitive reader of ancient runes. She gently shows her clients how to tap into their own inner wisdom by weaving together creativity, spirituality and ancient knowing. Ingrid is available for interviews, private consultations and group presentations. You can contact her at ingk@ingridkincaid.com or 415.652.3990.