Lucca travel guide
1. Best things to do in Lucca
Piazza Anfiteatro is one of the most beautiful squares in Italy. Its peculiarity is in the particular arrangement of the buildings, in a closed circle which reveals only the ancient circular trace of the old amphitheater...
Lucca was born as the city of the towers, in the Middle Ages there were about 250 in the whole town. Today there are only two: the Guinigi Tower and the Tower of the Hours (Torre delle Ore). Climbing the Guinigi is a real effort, but at the top you will find a stunning roof garden full of shady Ilex.
The Tower of hours instead has a striking watch with manual winding mechanism and a view ... not to be missed!
The town walls are amazing: a unique example of modern walls arrived intact to us. These long and (as a four-lane highway) impenetrable heights make the city a citadel for running and walking: many events are organized along the walls.
2. Taste and local food
The soup is for sure the most common food in this postcard stamp of Italy. Legumes are accompanied by typical bacon or other animal derivatives. A lot of vegetables, onion to the cabbage, tomatoes and pumpkin. Spelt, as well as lentils and beans, is often eaten with pork rinds or vegetables.
Among all the soups remember the garmugia: a vegetable soup enriched with bacon and beef broth. The main ingredients are artichokes, peas, onions and asparagus. And why don’t you accompany a delicious soup with a slice of good toasted Tuscan bread seasoned with olive oil?
A typical Lucca dish spread throughout the region are tordelli that recall the 'tortelli' of other italian regions. Compounds of bread, eggs and meat.
Lucca is also a vegan paradise for our eco travelers: the cuisine is full of baked vegetables strictly km0.
Vegan will also like the delicious porridge prepared with maize flour, beans, cabbage and tomato.
You can also find tomato sauce and capers, vegetables and seasonal herbs. Chestnut flour is used in chestnut and necci ...
Do not forget the fish, especially in Versilia, always served fresh and km0.
Definitely a restaurant to keep an eye on is "Gli Orti di Porta Elisa," intimate and quaint, with typical local dishes such as terrine of Garfagnana cheese.
A must is a taste of in the famous Pasticceria Taddeucci, in Piazza San Michele. In Viareggio stop absolutely at "Baracchina", with its local fish revisited with great skill and Vermentino to sip.
3. Garfagnana, Versilia and the surroundings
The environmental context of Lucca, Tuscan gem, is not to be missed: a few minutes from the center there is the Serchio River Park, waiting for an exciting trek or a classic picnic. Not so far from the beautiful villages of Monte Carlo, and Capannori Altopascio, well known for the bread.
The Devil's Bridge is an example of historical and futuristic architecture and engineering that will amaze you... enjoy also the Garfagnana, "Island Green" of Tuscany, a flurry of forests, green hills and soft.
Bagni di Lucca is a typical town, very British in its structure, it was a destination for many Anglo-Europeans to the famous Casino, mild climate and accommodating.
Along the coast, the Versilia: mundane and winking with Forte dei Marmi and cultural and reflective with its Torre del Lago Puccini, site of the summer festival.
Lucca also offers a dense hilly landscape with Mount Pitoro.
We are in the middle of "The Road of the oil and the wine".
An eco-respecting traveler can not forget the Oasi Lipu at Lake Massaciuccoli.
4. Nature, sport and green itineraries
Lucca, and in general Tuscany, is perfect for bike rides: The tourism department has made some guided tours that include accompaniment and rental of mountain bikes.
They depart from the Equestrian Club, which also offers interesting equestrian tourism in the hills, and move to the Aqueduct Stands, to get to the Serchio in a thrilling upgrade. As we said the walls of the city can be traveled by bike, rollerblading, walking and... so on and so forth!
The interior of the old town is extremely pedaled, being almost entirely restricted traffic zone.
A few kilometers from the city Natural Park of Migliarino is waiting for you. From Torre del Lago to Livorno you can experience the atmosphere of a world still intact, dense forests with native vegetation opened to pristine white beaches, framed by the forest and the sky.
The trails are multi-purpose, bike or horseback. We highly recommend you to experience the thrill of real contact with nature... cross the park on the back of a horse… it will be unforgettable.
5. Where to stay in the city and surrounding
Discover all eco-friendly accommodations in the province of Lucca: organic farms surrounded by olive groves, small B&B set in ancient villages, green camping and eco-hotels overlooking the white beaches of Versilia.
Discover all eco-friendly accommodations in Lucca
by Angela Sebastianelli
Cover photo by Fulvio Ghiringhello, via flickr
