Bagni di Lucca and Beyond

I got a bit sidetracked after my previous post about San Sebastián, the wonderful Spanish city we visited in May. My IPad decided not to work for a while, then we were busy travelling again. I am home in Brisbane now, with more time to look through photos.

King Sancho the wise of Navarre wanted to have a route out to sea from his kingdom so he arranged the foundation of San Sebastián in 1180. Maritime trade flourished along with whaling and cod fishing.

Its proximity to France and its position on the road to Santiago drove the development of the town, but it also made it a strategic location in times of war. It became a fortified town in the 12th century and was successfully defended until 1719 when the town surrendered for the first time and fell into the hands of France for 2 years.

It fell again in 1794 when besieged by the French until 1813 when San Sebastián was liberated by Anglo-Portuguese soldiers, who burnt and looted the town. Very little survived from the old town and it was rebuilt within the walls almost from scratch. The new “old town” began.

The heart of the old town was and is Constitucion Plaza, formerly known as Plaza Nueva (New Square) from 1689 until 1820. The original buildings around the square were destroyed in 1813. Architect Pedro Manuel de Ugartemendia was commissioned to rebuild on the foundation of the old square in the Neo Classical style.

The city council  retained ownership of the balconies, renting them out during bullfighting festivals when the square was used as a bullring. The numbers of the viewing platforms have been kept.

The square was renamed Constitucion Square in 1820 in honour of the constitutional regime which came in during that year.

The narrow streets in the old town are full of “pintxo” (pronounced pincho) bars and restaurants. Hopping from bar to bar to sample the delicious pintxo and drinking wine is a favourite pastime in San Sebastián.

This restaurant is famous for its sublime cheesecake. We tried it one night, declared it delicious and headed back the next night only to find the place closed.

We need to go back to San Sebastián just for this.

Dotted around this area are private clubs where men go to cook and enjoy the company of other would be cooks.

The magnificent Basilica of Santa Maria looms at the end of one of the streets. It was built over an old temple and completed in 1774. Saint Sebastián appears on the front of the church.

He also is shown in a painting in the altar near the tiny statue of the Virgen del Coro (Virgin of the choir), patron saint of the city, for whom the church is named.

Legend says that the virgin’s little image was placed in the choir and that a clergyman, tired of going up the stairs to revere it, tried to take it home, hiding it under his cassock. When he got to the door he couldn’t move. He was immobilised.

The interior of the church is stunning. You can see just how small the little statue is here. San Sebastián is above her.

From the front of the church you can see the new church far off in the newer part of the city.

Looking down to the left of the church you can just see San Vincente Church at the end of the street,  the oldest building in the city.

Buildings on the right side of the street walking away from the church are all built after the fire that destroyed most of the town. Some of those on the left survived the fire.

This one is from the 16th century.

Further down the street is San Vincente church. It is just about impossible to get a good view of the whole building as the streets in front are narrow.

It was closed the first time we passed.

It was built in the early 16th century in Gothic style. Additions have been made since. The towers were erected in 1856, a semioctagonal baptistery in 1892 and in 1923 four rose windows were made in the facade.

Luckily, it was open the next day. Walking in is like entering a dark, golden cave, magnificent and peaceful at the same time.

The church is home to one of the finest Romanesque altarpieces, the work of Ambrosio de Bengoecha and Juan de Iriarte.

There are other beautiful pieces.

Walking around the old town is both fascinating and delicious. Pintxos call from all directions and visual delights abound. It is quite different from the newer part of San Sebastián, which has the charm of the Belle Époque, with a distinct Parisian feel.

Together these districts help create a wonderful city. My friend calls it Paris by the sea…and excellent description.

San Sebastián became fashionable in 1845 when Queen Isabell II came to the seaside town on her doctor’s advice to allieviate her skin problems. The town grew and the old walls were demolished in 1864 by a clever mayor, allowing it to grow beyond the old town and it eventually become the stylish, modern city it is today.