Lovely Lucca
By Carl Scott
Lucca – the historic centre and cobblestoned streets of this stunning Medieval City are an absolute must and I won’t forgive you if you don’t include it during your stay!
Lucca is a real gem, and we are so lucky that it is just 20 minutes from our house. It has such a relaxed feel about it. Actually, that’s a Tuscan thing!
The well-preserved Renaissance walls of Lucca have broad, tree-lined pathways along the tops of these massive 16th- and 17th-century ramparts. They make for a lovely walk or bike ride. You can hire bikes easily just inside the city walls at Porta Di Santa Maria.
Casa di Puccini, where the great opera composer was born, is now a house museum and Lucca is steeped in Puccini’s history.
There are some amazing shops in the cobbled via Fillungo, which is my favourite street within the city walls. They also have some fabulous, well-placed coffee shops. There’s a wonderful restaurant along it called L’Oste Di Lucca. It’s a traditional Trattoria and Pizzeria.
Outside the walls is the neighbourhood of Liberty villas that surround the city centre, and there are some very impressive houses!
Perhaps due to the fact that its packed medieval centre is still nearly all intact, Lucca has become a genuinely fantastical setting. In the last few years, the city has become an important summertime destination for music due to the Lucca Summer Festival, which features some of the most noted artists on the international scene.
