Travel Eye on Lucca (Italy)

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Overview:

Lucca is as graceful a provincial capital as they come, set inside a thick swathe of Renaissance walls, and with a quiet, almost entirely medieval street plan. Palazziand the odd tower dot the streets, at intervals overlooked by a brilliantly decorated Romanesque facade. It's not exactly undiscovered, but for once the number of tourists seems to fit.

The Town of Lucca is characterized by the large fortified walls transformed to a shaded walkway. The walls were turned into a public garden. The beauty of the trees on the ramparts, the striking view of the city, the surrounding countryside, and the architectural structure all contribute to make the park a unique work. The entire walk all around the 4km ramparts takes roughly two hours.

This area is suitable for history buffs and discerning tourists wishing to discover one of Tuscany's most impressive historic towns. There is a large number of 2- and 3-star hotels and pensions, although only a handful are situated inside the city walls. Several quietly placed upmarket villas in the countryside and villages outside town.

Locality:

Lucca is situated in north west Italy in the heart of Tuscany (14 mls E of Viareggio, 19 mls W of Montecatini Terme, 13 mls NE of Pisa and Galileo Galilei airport). It is set in a relatively broad, flat valley fringed by terraced countryside of olive groves and vineyards.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do

Shopping is limited to a few upmarket designer boutiques and numerous souvenir outlets in the old town. Nearby Pisa is a much better prospect.

During the daytime there are various small museums, a plethora of historic ecclesiastical monuments and ancient villas, many containing valuable works of art.

Piazza Napoleone, is dominated by the imposing Palazzo Ducale.
Shady place by tall plane-trees, it hosts a neo-classic memorial to Maria Luigi di Borbone, by L. Bartolini.

SS. Giovanni e Reparata was built in the 12th century this church preserves the original relief portal. It has has a nave and two aisles on ancient columns by Romanesque capitals, with transept and great abside.

The Cathedral is the most important building of Lucca with its Romanesque marmoreous façade and beautiful portico and by the 13th century bell tower embellished with merlons. Many works of art by the sculptor Nicola Pisano, Tintoretto and Giambologna. On the altar "Madonna with saints" by Domenico Ghirlandaio. The sacristy preserves the famous masterpiece "Monumento funebre di Ilaria del Carretto", (1408) by Jacopo della Quercia.

The nightlife here is very low-key. Various unsophisticated cafes and bars augmented by one or two smarter restaurants in the old town.

Places to eat here is fairly limited in the old town. Only a handful of proper a la carte restaurants, although there are many little cafes and snack bars tucked away in the labyrinthine streets. Several unsophisticated alternatives beyond the ramparts.