Lovely Lucca in Tuscany🌿
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🌳About Lucca
Lucca is a city known for its well-preserved Renaissance walls and its cobblestone streets. It's also known for music - both as the birthplace of the famous opera composer Puccini as well as its annual month-long music festival.
We enjoyed an extended stay inside the walled center of Lucca, adjacent to the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro public square. The lively historic core offers beautiful shops and a variety of restaurants catering to tourists and locals enjoying the lovely ambience.
🧳Where to Stay
Since we were in the city for an extended period of time, we opted for AirBnB Appartamento Valentino located just outside the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro with fantastic local hosts Eliane and Christiano. A guest favorite with exceptional attention to detail, we would absolutely recommend the condo.
For guests with shorter stays or those preferring hotels, I've listed a few recommendations as well!
⛪What to See
Things to do in Lucca include visiting the numerous churches (there are over 100) and climbing up the many towers for spectacular views of the city and distant mountains.
Tree-topped Torre Guinigi is more popular, but my favorite was Torre delle Ore, which was much less crowded and offered views of the Torre Guinigi as well as the entire city.
I also visited La Cattedrale di Lucca (Lucca Cathedral – Cathedral of San Martino) and climbed the tower there, but the wire mesh covering the views made it a bit less appealing despite the fact that it is the tallest tower in Lucca. Another church we appreciated was the San Frediano Basilica, which is especially pretty at sunset.
🚲Another “must do” is biking the 2.7km walls. Bike rental shops readily available at reasonable rates; we rented a side-by-side two-person chariot for 14€/hr from Biciclette Poli near Porto Santa Maria. Another option right next door is Cicli Bizzarri as well.
🍕Where to Eat
Enjoy aperitivo hour or pizza at Ristorante Caffetteria SanColombano on the wall of Lucca near Porto Santa Maria.
There are plenty of options inside the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro to include Varonne Pasta and Old Charlie Lucca, or Trattoria Pizzeria K2 just outside the piazza off Via Fillungo shopping street.
For breakfast, enjoy friendly and accommodating service at Bar Moka coffee shop… a nice way to start the day (also, free wi-fi). We also enjoyed aperitivo hour at Gabry Caffe as well as Piccola Osteria Civico 6 in front of the Basilica San Freidano and gelato at Gelateria Anfiteatro (two locations – one inside the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro and a newer one just outside along Via Fillungo)!
Our favorite dinner by far was at Osteria da Pasqualino Gubitosa (make sure call or email to secure a reservation at least a few days if not a week or two in advance). Owner Pasquale is a gem and the food and service were incredible! Ask for outdoor dining in the courtyard to enjoy the weather.
✴️Day Trip to Pisa
The trip to Pisa is only a 25 minute train ride from Lucca to the Pisa – San Rossore station (3.90€ each, one way), and we arrive just after 11am. We made the short walk from the train station to the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles/Cathedral Square).
The large entry gates were closed for some reason, so all of us tourists were funneled through a narrow section of the gate. We made our way in and strolled the grounds... such a beautiful plaza, and my ticket to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa wasn't until 12:30pm, so we had a little time to look around (Note: Tower tickets require a set time, so be sure to book at least a few days if not a few weeks or more in peak summer months.).
My tower ticket gave me access to visit the Duomo di Pisa (Pisa Cathedral) as well. There are a variety of different tickets available, to include a combo ticket for 27€, tower ticket for 20€, and individual museum and baptistery tickets for 7€ each). The cathedral was beautiful though not very large inside. ·
We were fortunate to find a wonderful place to eat that was located just a stone's throw from the Leaning Tower while we waited for my entry time.
Afterwards, I got in line for my timed ticket to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa. They had a security scan and I knew I would need to check my purse, but when I got near the front of the line the attendant to me and another women in front of me that the bag/luggage storage was located in a separate building across the courtyard.
Helpful Tip: There is a yellow building with green arrows pointing to the bag/luggage storage entry across the way behind the Fallen Angel sculpture. After scanning my tower ticket to open a free locker to store my bag, I was able to jump back in line and was let in just a few minutes later. Upon entering the tower, there’s a small information display in the center. Look up for a view all the way to the top. Just to the left of the entry is the stairway to the top… the marble steps and well-worn in the middle so a bit challenging to climb, especially when you circle around to side which the tower is leaning! I made it almost to the top without stopping (8 floors and 294 steps)!
🏖️Beach Trip to Varenna
The beach town of Viareggio is only a ~20 minute train ride from Lucca, and then an easy ~15 minute walk to the beach boardwalk.
If you arrive in the morning, you might stop into Gran Caffè Margherita, which is located inside a distinctive building is featured in most photos of Viareggio as an example of “Viareggio eclecticism”. We ordered a couple cappuccinos and one each cioccolato and crema brioche (croissant) in the pretty bar space.
We strolled the promenade toward the marina and walked around the city, then headed back toward the beach area for a light snack. We stopped in at restaurant and beach bar Bagno Artiglio for lunch, which gave us access to their boardwalk down to the beach.
NOTE: Most beaches in Italy require payment or reservations to secure private beach chairs/umbrellas. You can make online reservations for specific locations using the Spiagge Beach app:
After dipping our toes in the Ligurian Sea we said goodbye to Viareggio and headed back to catch the train back to Lucca.
An interesting observation is that the service staff in Viareggio spoke almost exclusively Italian, while those in other areas of Tuscany were much more conversational in English. This was great, as we was able to practice speaking Italian! It's always a good idea to be familiar with basic phrases, and to use an online translator as needed, too!
🌟Annual Events
For more travel inspiration for the Tuscany region, check out my wish list below as well as a couple more sites with helpful information:
🍦Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you find this information to be helpful! If so, you're invited to offer a tip and "buy" me a gelato!
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