Cinque Terre Italy

The wonderful town of Lucca is situated in the northwest of Tuscany, only 20 km away from Pisa, about 90 km from the Cinque Terre.

The town itself rests on a plateau under the watchful gazes of the Apuane Alps. The medieval walls, thick and strong, built in the sixteenth century still surrounds the town and the walkways present on the top of the walls offer an enjoyable opportunity for biking or walking to nearby sights.

Lucca Piazza dell'Anfiteatro

Where to stay in Lucca

Lucca has a wide choice of accommodation facilities including Hotels, Bed & Breakfasts and apartments. Read reviews and book an accommodation in Lucca.

How to reach Lucca

By plane: Pisa International Airport Galileo Galilei is the most convenient entry point for onward travel to the Cinque Terre or to any other tourist destination in northern Italy. Lucca is situated only 30 minutes by car or train from the airport of Pisa.

By car: If you are doing a round trip around Italy, renting a car can be a great alternative to relying on public transportation. The easiest way is to rent a car directly at the airport upon arrival. Car rental in Italy.

Itinerary by car: Lucca is located on the highway A11 Firenze - Mare which connects Florence with Pisa and the Versilia Coast. If you're coming from either the north or south, you need to take A11 and exit at Lucca Est or Ovest.

By train: You can easily reach Lucca by train from Pisa in 30 minutes and from Florence in 1,5 hours.

Lucca, Guinici tower

Things to see in Lucca

Duomo di San Martino - Cathedral of St. Martin isthe grandest example of the Pisan-Lucchese Romanesque school of architecture. The construction of the cathedral began in 1060. The impressive interior design was largely undertaken Matteo Civitali, the most famous Luccan sculptor of the early Renaissance. He created the pulpit, pavement and the holy water stoups.

Museo della Cattedrale - The Cathedral Museum with art from the nearby cathedral and valuable treasury including embroideries, tombs, silver church objects, sculptures and pictures.

San Michele in Foro, this church is as beautiful as a 12th-century Romanesque church can get. It boasts a Pisan-inspired facade of blind arches with lozenges and colonnaded arcades stacked even higher than San Martino's.

The city walls are Lucca's defining characteristic, and they make up a city park more than 4km long and about 18m (59 ft.) wide, filled with avenues of plane, chestnut, and ilex trees. The shady paved paths of Lucca's formidable bastions are busy year-round with couples walking hand in hand, tables of old men playing Italian card games, families strolling and hundreds of people on bicycles. Rent a bike and take an afternoon spin, peering across Lucca's rooftops and down into its palace gardens and narrow alleys, gazing toward the hazy mountains across the plane, and checking out the 11 bastions and 6 gates. The Porta San Pietro, the southerly and most important gate into town, still has a working portcullis.

• Climb the tower of Palazzo dei Guinigi (230 steps) for a spectacular view of Lucca's skyline with the snowcapped Apuan Alps and the Garfagnana mountains in the distance. On the top of the tower there is a garden with several oaks.

• In the surroundings of Lucca you can visits wonderful villas and gardens. One of them is the Villa Garzoni in Collodi with it’s beautiful Baroque garden with pools, waterfalls, statues and a maze. Don’t miss the nearby Pinocchio Park. In Borgo a Mozzano you can visit the 11th century bridge Ponte del Diavolo (Devil's Bridge).

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