Things to do in Lucca: a laid-back Tuscan experience
- Karyn Farrell
- Oct 5, 2018
- 9 min read
Updated: Feb 27
Lucca has everything you expect from Tuscany: grand piazzas, tiny squares, beautiful churches, terracotta-coloured buildings, narrow winding streets, al-fresco dining and of course fabulous food and wine. What is doesn't have is masses of tourists. If you've ever visited Florence in the height of summer, your experience can be marred somewhat by the crowds, by the selfie-sticks, by the endless queues. So if you fancy a Tuscan trip next summer, why not bypass all that and head for Lucca. You will not be disappointed.
Table of Contents:
Getting there:
Though it lacks the mass tourism of Florence and Siena, Lucca could hardly be described as off the beaten track. It's easily accessible from Pisa Airport. Just hop on the PisaMover tram to Pisa Central station (they depart very frequently) and the train journey is less than half an hour and costs a mere €6.50 one-way.
Italy's main cities are very well connected by rail, with reasonably priced fares too. Omio is my go-to site of choice for train bookings: it's user-friendly and allows you to compare prices for trains and buses across Europe. Book here.
It's unlikely that you'll need a car as there are traffic restrictions within the old city walls and everything is reachable on foot or by bike. You could also use the local buses if mobility is an issue. However, if you do decide to hire a car, we always use Discover Cars - rates are the cheapest we could find online.
About Lucca
Lucca is a small city, surrounded by 4.2 kilometers of historic city walls. We enter the old town through one of the massive gates in the walls. This really gives a sense of how the city looked and felt in medieval times, surrounded by this massive defensive structure. It's a picturesque town with a laid-back elegance and sense of tranquility that makes you instantly relax and switch pace. For me, it's a city to enjoy the small pleasures: sitting on a small square in the evening sun with a glass of wine and a simple bowl of pasta; enjoying a gelato under the stars; taking an early morning stroll on the old city walls... Small city though it is, it takes an inordinate amount of time to get from A to B - far too many distractions en-route.
Where to stay
Hotel Alla Corte degli Angeli It's a friendly, family-run boutique hotel that does everything right: great breakfast, carefully curated design and a location in the heart of the historic centre. Décor is luxurious and elegant, highlighting the original features while ensuring all creature comforts are present and correct. V. Degli Angeli, 23
Palazzo Tucci Residenza d'epoca is a little bit special - a tastefully renovated 17th-century castle in the heart of Lucca. Rooms are spacious and opulent with period furnishings, frescoed ceilings and artworks for an additional wow factor. Hospitality is second-to-none and the breakfast is excellent. Via Cesare Battisti
The above hotels feature on the Secret Places website: my go-to for resource for boutique, carefully curated and characterful hotels and guesthouses.
Things to do in Lucca
The best way to explore a city is on foot and Lucca is no different. One of the must-do things that should be on everyone's itinerary is to walk the circuit of the old city walls. It's 4.2 kilometres in circumference but it takes us almost two and half hours to complete as the scenery is spectacular. We kept stopping every couple of minutes to take in the views and to take photos.
The walls are very well-preserved and monumental in scale. The entire upper part of the walls form a wide path used by both walkers and cyclists, offering panoramic views of the city from a different perspective. One one side you have the richly coloured roofs of the city and the many church spires; on the other side you have endless green spaces and views of the Apuan Alps in the distance. Trees have been evenly planted to border the path, sometimes on both sides creating a wonderful leafy and shaded avenue.
There is much to see and do in the city centre but a highlight for me is the roof terrace of the 14th century fortification Torre del Guinigi. This striking red brick tower is a unique one and you'll see why upon approach. No you're not seeing things and yes those are oak trees growing on the top. In fact the entire viewing point is a gorgeous but tiny roof garden. It is well worth the 230 step climb and the €8 entrance fee.
The views from the top are absolutely spectacular - a sea of red roofs as far as the eye can see, over to the mountains in the distance. You'll spot the other famous Luccese tower Torre del Ore as it asserts itself high above the tops of the surrounding buildings. The trees provide a perfect shade from the heat of the day but it does mean space on the top is a little tight at times. In saying that I could easily stay up there all evening. It's blissful.
The Cathedral of San Martino is another must-see. It's a striking building with gleaming pale stone and four tiers of columns over the entrance, all of which have a slightly different decorative scheme. I particularly love the side elevation which seems to be quite the feat of engineering - the top levels have no obvious supporting structure. The square itself is extremely picturesque and a nice place to spend an afternoon.
Not far from here on Piazza Cittadella is Puccini's home where he composed his famous opera Turandot before succumbing to cancer. In the end it was completed by someone else. We didn't visit the house but there is a terrific sculpture of him outside, seated and smoking a cigarette. The sculpture dates from 1993-94 and is by Vito Tongiani. I love his self-assured, relaxed pose and his intelligent and thoughtful expression. It's a charming little square with flowers everywhere and beautiful shuttered windows on all of the buildings.
If you're a Puccini fan and would like to experience his music in his home town, you might be interested in the Puccini Festival Opera Recitals and Concerts programme.
For much of our first afternoon here we happily potter around the tiny streets of the city, taking photographs of the gorgeous crumbling buildings like the ones below through the arch on Corte Pini, one of my favourite spots. The brickwork is very well preserved, though the interiors of some have fallen into disrepair with trees and weeds growing up throughout. Somehow they don't look rundown - it adds to the charm.
Some are still occupied with beautifully ornate doors and fanlights, others with huge shuttered windows and flower boxes bursting with colour.
Piazza dell'Anfiteatro is the oldest square in Lucca and one of many great spots for grabbing an aperitivo and people-watching. As the name and shape of the square suggests, this was once the venue for gladiator shows and where many met grisly ends. Dating from the 1st century AD, the original structure has been incorporated into the buildings which now surround the square allowing the original shape to be preserved.
L.U.C.C.A. - Lucca Centre for Contemporary Art on Via della Fratta is also worth a visit. It's not a huge gallery and opens until 7 every evening so you'll have plenty of time to squeeze in a trip. We luck out and catch a great show of photography of the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Eating and Drinking in Lucca
And now for food. As you would expect there are great feasts to be had in this city though it's important to get on board with siesta time. Have an early breakfast as you will most certainly be having an early lunch. Bear in mind that you'll be unlikely to find a decent lunch option anywhere after 2:30 pm as most shut up shop at this time and don't re-open again until 7pm or later. There are the odd few places that stay open all day but these are for the most part aimed purely at the tourist market. I'd avoid them unless absolutely necessary - it's worth seeking out the proper Italian spots, annoying though it is to have a food schedule forced upon your day.
We make that rookie mistake on our first day and have almost given up on eating lunch at all until we spot Trattoria da Ubaldo. We manage to bag an outdoor table just before the kitchen closes. The staff are friendly and don't bat an eyelid at our late arrival. It's certainly a unique spot with eclectic decor and, if classic rock music is not your thing, then maybe look elsewhere. There are no middle-of-the-road restaurant-friendly Spotify playlists here - you will hear full albums played back to back. We are treated to Fleetwood Mac and early Guns n Roses but when Aerosmith makes an appearance we figure it's time to leave.
However we had a fantastic experience here and the food was excellent. Ubaldo the manager is usually on site and easy to spot, covered in tattoos and piercings with long hair and a great beard. That's him sitting behind me with the black skeleton print t-shirt. He was very cool and extremely friendly and the atmosphere was relaxed. We were very excited to see they had Ichnusa Non Filtrata, a Sardinian beer that we couldn't get enough of when we were there. I had the Parmigiana Melanzane and Martin had a spaghetti dish with garlic, chili, parsley and tomato. Mine was good but his was absolutely divine and I ate half of it. Such a simple dish but so well made. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. We finished with two excellent coffees, served in their branded cups. A pretty great first lunch of our holidays.
Via dell' Anfiteatro, 67
That night, on the recommendation of our two friends, we book a table in Gigi's on Piazza del Carmine. A busy spot opposite the market, we are lucky enough to get the last available table on the terrace. The place itself is gorgeous - a traditional Italian trattoria - and has been an institution in Lucca since the fifties. We enjoy a rustic and delicious meal, starting with gnudi, a lighter version of gnocchi, made with ricotta instead of potato. This version is filled with spinach and ricotta and served in a tomato sauce. So tasty.
I opt for the chargrilled chicken with rosemary potatoes for my main which was also good, and finish with one of my favourite desserts: affogato al caffè. Martin opts for his favourite, the Tagliata di manzo, sliced beef with herbs and roast potatoes. The verdict? Excellent too. We take a chance and order the €10 house red, Il Fiascetto di Gigi which, as you'll read on the label, is actually bottled specially for the restaurant. It comes in one of those very Italian straw flasks and we can't believe how good it is: light but very drinkable. It's a winner.
On our second night we head for Corso Garibaldi to In Pasta: Cibo e Convivio which specialises in freshly made pasta. This is a very pretty and vibrant part of town and In Pasta is a very casual spot, more café-like than a restaurant. There are no printed menus - you order from the chalkboard on the wall inside.
It's Campari Spritz time as we wait on our food. As you could expect, their pasta is really good and the menu is varied and interesting. We finally decide on an Arrabiata and a ravioli dish, filled with spinach and ricotta and served in a nutty cream sauce with marjoram, one of many fresh herbs they have hanging from the ceiling inside. Both are great. We luck out with an outdoor table on this lovely tree-lined street.
As we decide against ordering dessert at the restaurant, we stop off on the way home for a street-side gelato at one of Lucca's best-loved spots Gelateria Veneto which has been around since 1927. I devour the Amarena cherry, pistachio and chocolate - three delicious scoops and the perfect end to a great day. Worth noting that this is a great part of the city for late-night drinks.
Experience the clean beer revolution:
Venue: De Cervesia on Via Michele Rosi. Ok maybe revolution is a strong word but this is quite a Tuscan discovery - craft beers that don't give you a hangover. De Cervesia is described as a 'tap-room' offering a selection of craft beers from the Lucca-based micro-brewery Brúton. The place itself is cool, open to the street with stripped brick walls and high stools to sit at the counter; hipster but without the attitude and the staff are very nice. They have five beers on tap for €3.20 a glass. We opted for Brúton which is a blonde ale. It's light but full of flavour and very refreshing. It even tastes clean and pure which I imagine it must be as we wake up feeling fresh as daisies the day after. A very cool spot and definitely worth a visit.
We really enjoyed our time in Lucca and there are so many things to do and see. It's a great alternative to some of the busier Tuscan cities, and its gentle relaxed pace of life is just what we need. It has all the ingredients for a great holiday: warm weather, great food, picturesque streets, spectacular scenery and friendly locals. It's not somewhere you go to tick off the great sites. Instead it's a city that's made for enjoying simpler pleasures: a leisurely lunch at a street-side table; ambling through charming squares and stopping for an ice-cream or a coffee in the sun; popping into tiny churches or strolling the circuit of the old city walls. It's also surprisingly good value. I'm expecting the high prices usually associated with Tuscany but Lucca turns out to be the best value on our ten-day trip.
Next stop: Emilia-Romagna and the lovely city of Ferrara. You can read about it here.
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