Angelo Serra

This church is unfortunately positioned in the middle of the Strand making it just enough out of the way to only visit if you intend or are adventurous. We stopped while we were waiting for another store to open and glad we did.

This is a beautiful old church (which has been rebuilt a number of times) dedicated to military personnel. The lists of the fallen are displayed around the outer aisle of the church with photos and memorabilia displayed in the back.

A wide central aisle with a barrel vaulted ceiling lead the eye to the front altar. There is also a beautifully carved wooden pulpit.

There is a crypt below the church, but was closed the day we were there.

Well worth a visit to honor the fallen.

Tucked away in the heart of Bologna and overshadowed by San Petronio and Santo Stefano is this beautiful Baroque church with a Romanesque facade that contains the mortal remains of Saint Dominic, founder of the Dominican order.

Outside, there is a large piazza containing a statue of Saint Dominic and two tombs with room to walk, and sit to admire the front of the basilica.

The chapel where the arc containing his remains is highlighted with three statues carved by Michaelangelo. All around the church are wonderful pieces by Lippi, Reni, Todeschi, Torelli and a host of others. If you are an art lover, you can spend hours here admiring the works without the large crowds at San Petronio or Santo Stefano.

This baluardo is in the northwest of the walls of Lucca. It has a very large open space on top, with a circular stone area that may have been part of the defenses at one point.

The area underneath of the baluardo is open to walk through, though the rooms are mostly empty. I believe they are also used as an event space.

Very interesting space to walk though if you are interested in any sort of history as you can walk where the protectors of Lucca walk hundreds of years ago and peer out of the defenses as they would have.

What a visually rich place! The burial spot of a number of the Medici is built and decorated with a range of marble, more than I have possibly seen in my life. The entire place shows off the wealth of the family and their level of devotion to showing that richness off to any who can see it.

The main chapel has four tombs and the space is very, very large. I am sure there is a bit of depth of perception tricks with the marble, but the final resting places rival those that are in the Vatican. There are two side-rooms with relics and some family Papal vestments and crook.

Beneath the main chapel a large statue of a seated Catherine, and many more burials.

Off to one side, the famed Sagrestia Nuova created by Michaelangelo which has to be seen. A four year labor of love with monuments to the Medici.

A quick break between sights found us at this small spot at a reasonably busy intersection. Excellent caffe and deliziosi dolci, they also had panini and slightly larger items if you were feeling exceptionally hungry or regular primi e secondi if wanted a regular meal.

Service was great and we had a seat at the outside tables that were setup in the street. Great place for a "quick" stop.