The intent was to stay at a Monastery in Florence for 4 days, but at the last minute, the monastery shortened the reservation to just two nights. It was September and still wildly expensive to be in Rome so I looked at spending those two days in Tivoli, a small town outside of Rome.
The problem? Another heatwave was about to hit and the Airbnbs available in Tivoli did not have AC.
Not wanting to spend a fortune on a last minute reservation in Rome or Florence, I remembered an Italian man that I dated briefly telling me about the town he lived in near Florence: Lucca.
Some quick Airbnb research and we were booked.
Why you should visit Lucca:
Lucca is a Medieval town with its surrounding defensive wall still fully intact. It sits out in the Tuscan countryside, surrounded by lush greenery and wineries, and is one of the most charming towns I’ve been to in Italy.
How to get to Lucca:
Lucca is about 3-4 hours via train from Rome. It sits in between Florence and Pisa. There is no direct train, so you will take the high speed train from Rome to Florence and then switch to a regional train. Milage wise, Lucca really isn’t that far from Florence and it would be a much faster drive, but regional trains are slow.
Note: when booking trains in Italy, use the Trainline app. This removes the need to validate your paper tickets and therefore the risk of ridiculous fines if you fail to do so. These fines are extortion (a hill I will die on) and there is zero reason to put yourself in a position of paying them. I have never seen them checked or enforced on any trains except for the trains most frequented by unsuspecting tourists. Avoid this “official” scam (come on, it’s a scam) by booking your tickets on the app.
What to do in Lucca:
Eat! My daughter and I had some of our favorite meals amongst some of the most hospitable Italians in Lucca. One of the regional dishes is Tordelli Lucchese. It’s a stuffed pasta with a mixture of meat and greens and it’s delicious. My daughter had a seafood pasta that she still raves about.
Visit a winery. You’re in Tuscany, after all, one of the best regions for wine in Italy. We toured a small winery outside of Lucca called Tenuta Adamo Winery. It was a beautiful setting in the hills of Tuscany, an incredible wine tasting and tour and friendly staff. We ended up taking home several bottles of their olive oil and a bottle of wine. They will also ship for you, so you don’t have to carry it home. Something we probably should have done.
Bike ride on top of the city walls. We didn’t end up doing this but we did walk about half the wall. Bicycle is a great way to see all of Lucca, especially if you are a little more crunched for time than we were. We were content to take a leisurely walk but if you only have a day or you just like bike rides, rent a bike to explore the city and bike along the top of the wall.
Shop. Lucca has great shopping. It tends to be a bit higher end boutique shopping, which I love. Florence, also known for its shopping, is great but the name brands are the dominant shops. Lucca is independent boutiques and a lot of fun and less overwhelming to shop in.
You can also visit on of Lucca’s many markets. There is an Antiques Market on every third Saturday and Sunday of the month, a Handicrafts Market with goods produced by local craftsmen on the last weekend of each month, a weekly market with clothing and other home goods on every Wednesday and Saturday, a Farmer’s Market every Saturday (and Wednesday during the summer) and a MercoledìBio with local organic and fair trade produce every Wednesday afternoon.
Wander the town. We found Lucca to be quite lively, with live music and other community events well into the night. It’s probably quieter in the off season, as is most of Italy, but it’s definitely far from a small, sleepy town.
Visit the churches: A must in any Italian town, Lucca does not disappoint when it comes to beautiful churches to explore.
Should you make time to see Lucca?
Yes! If you have ever wondered what Florence would feel like without an overwhelming number of tourists, go see Lucca.
Lucca is one of my favorite places I’ve been in Italy and my daughter says it was her absolutely favorite stop in Italy. It’s charming, not completely overrun by tourism and feels like stepping back in time.
It doesn’t need long to see it all but it’s also a place you could stay for a while and just enjoy your morning cappuccinos, walks through the town and local cuisine.
When to visit?
Although we were there in the end of summer, to me, Lucca feels like a fall or winter town. A place to bundle up, drink mulled wine, do some Christmas shopping at the markets and then go home and get cozy. Maybe that’s just the mood I’m in at the time I am writing this, but to me, Lucca feels like wine in front of a fireplace with your charming Italian boyfriend, know what I mean?
But I’m sure Lucca great during the summer months, too. ;)