Music school in Lucca, Italy

Yet another entry in my long list of examples of why you should keep yourself open to saying “yes” to unexpected experiences.

In Lucca, Italy we were walking around the town, searching for a place to eat, when we noticed a lot of college-age kids coming and going from a building. They were all carrying musical instruments.

Karen and I watched for a minute or two and then walked up to the building. The door was open and I peeked inside; it was a small auditorium.  A young lady was playing a piano for a couple of older people sitting near the front of the stage. Otherwise, the seats inside were empty.

After the young lady finished, the tiny audience spoke among themselves, said something to her, and she left the stage. Then, another women came on stage and played for a few minutes, getting the same response from the spectators.

We stayed for an hour, watching several performances on cello, piano, violin and even a couple singers. We found out later that we had been watching auditions for the music school. And none of this would have happened had we kept on walking.

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including in-depth eating and drinking guides to Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, Monsaraz, and Evora in Portugal. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms and is distributed by the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.