A lovely journey in this pearl of Tuscany
The beauty of the region Tuscany is that, with you private van, you can have the chance to discover little towns but also cities that have a lot to offer even if they are not so beaten by tourists!
That’s the case of the marvelous city of Lucca, a city whose center is still inside its ancient middle age walls!
And just the walls could be a valid reason to come to visit Lucca. One of the most beautiful and well preserved examples of intact city walls of Italy.
Rebuilt during the Renaissance, in the XIX Century they were transformed into elegant boulevard! Still today you can walk or (a very nice option) you can rent a bike around the 4 kilometers walls (for the most sporty you can also run around!) enjoying nice and unique views of the center of Lucca. You’ll see that around the walls today there’s a lot of green areas equipped for kids or just if you want to organise a nice packed lunch on the soft green grass.
Lucca has a very old history, starting from the Roman period. Its economical boom was in the Middle age, when it was a Repubblica. The most important family that ruled Lucca was the Guinigi family, but Lucca stayed most of the time an independent city- state. It was the only city that never fell under the control of the Medici family in Tuscany. Its economy was based around silk production and later, in the XIX century, paper production, which is still very important!
Lucca was always a very cultural center, especially in the XVIII-XIX cent. when it was ruled by Napoleon’s sister Elisa Baciocchi. Lucca was also the birthplace of important famous personalities like the composer Giacomo Puccini (his house in the center has now become a museum).
Once you enter the center you’ll be immediately fascinated by the narrow streets and you’ll understand why Lucca is also called the city of the hundred plus one churches!! There are many religious buildings at almost every corner of each street 🙂 !!
If you’re spending one day in Lucca, of course you can’t miss the visit of the Duomo of the city, the cathedral of San Martino. Go inside to see the beautiful statue of Ilaria del Carretto made by Jacopo della Quercia at the beginning of the XV century, a real masterpiece to admire, and the relic of the Volto Santo, venerated for centuries by Christian people.
The most attractive square of Lucca is Piazza dell’Anfiteatro. It’s a square surrounded by houses that follow the shape of the ancient roman amphitheater that once was there. It’s a unique square in all Italy!
It’s so nice to walk in the center of Lucca, because it is almost entirely pedestrian! Lose yourself in the nice little streets, but don’t forget to go to Via Fillungo, the main street, full of amazing shops (that’s of course if you love shopping as we do!!).
But at the half of the street Finlungo, you can also see a very strange tower, the Guinigi tower, a middle age tower with trees on top!! A very unusual garden! Crazy!!
Before going back to Florence make a stop on one of the fancy caffe you’ll find in San Michele square or Napoleon square, for an espresso or a drink together with a slice of Buccellato the typical sweet of Lucca ( it’s a kind of bread with dry fruit).
If you like comics, cartoons or the fantasy genre, we suggest you come to visit Lucca at the beginning of November, right after Halloween. Each year in Lucca they organised one of the most important festival for comics and games, where people dressed up as their most favorite protagonist of fantasy movies and comics! IT’S AMAZING
If you like rock and alternative music instead, just wait for the summer! During The Lucca summer festival important international rock bands (and more) play in the center of the city!
Sooo you’ve just to pick the right moment for you to go to Lucca! Ask us on Askmeflorence to organised a tour for you!!
