SAINT MICHAEL -- SAN MICHELE IN FORO

This is the archangel Michele who sits on top of the church of San Michele in Foro in the main square of Lucca in Tuscany. It is one expensive photograph, I can tell you. First we drove our gas guzzling Renault all the way to town to get the pic. (I'd done the pic before but couldn't use it because it was past its blip-by date. I've also blipped the whole facade before.) We found a parking place just inside the walls. It is cheaper to park outside the walls but hey, it's a longer walk to the main square.

Then we took a taxi and had a sandwich lunch. A sense of economy got the better of me and we walked back.

The church of San Michele in Foro was built between the 11th and 14th centuries. The "in Foro" is because the church is built where the Roman forum used to stand.

The wings on this statue articulate so that they can flap during festivals or be retracted in high winds. Legend has it that as long as St. Michael stays on top of the church, Lucca is safe. How do they maintain this complicated statue which sits so high in the sky. Here is how: Rear view. It's enough to drive "Health and Safety" wild.

For all I've learned about San Michele, I still think of St. Michael as the patron saint of British shoppers.