LUCCA AREA: SHADES OF MEDIEVAL ITALY
Lucca is a medieval walled city that is located about an hour’s drive west from Florence and 30 minutes north of Pisa. Lucca’s churches, piazzas, and narrow lanes recreate the city’s rich Roman history. The Lucca area also has a great variety of hotels, bed & breakfasts, and villas as we have listed, along with excellent restaurants, cafes, and bars that make it extremely popular among tourists. Connectivity is not a problem either, since Lucca is on the rail network, with an efficient bus service and connections to the A11/A12 freeways, which lead to Florence, Pisa, Livorno, and Genoa.
While at Lucca, you can go on day trips to Florence, Pisa, San Gimignano, Siena, Viareggio, and Cinque Terre. The hills surrounding Lucca produce some truly excellent wines and some of Italy’s finest olive oil, and you are also within a short distance of some fine beaches and vibrant nightlife.
The town of Bagni di Lucca, 20 km north of Lucca, is traditionally described as a town of ‘poets, princes and philosophers’. Once a famous resort and spa town, Bagni di Lucca played host to famous visitors like Byron, Shelley, Rossini, Puccini and the Brownings. There is a closed down casino that claims to be the first in Europe and still extant spas and thermal baths. The ‘Devil’s Bridge’ over the river Serchio is justifiably famous.
Barga lies 25 km north of Lucca atop a hill, and boasts an excellent cathedral, with an excellent marble pulpit and a few examples of the Della Robbia School. Part of the historical region of Garfagnana, Barga offers wonderful natural views and delights a visitor with its narrow streets, archways and winding stairways.
Pietrasanta, 25 km north west of Lucca, is historically and artistically the chief town of inland Versilia. Famed for its marble workshops, the town draws marble sculptors from all over the world. The town of Camaiore lies 18 km north west of Lucca, at the foothills of the Apuan Alps, and has a long main street that you can stroll down, taking in some fine Romanesque churches.
Also near Lucca is the small hilltop town of Montecarlo, at the centre of a wine-producing area. Its charming town centre is topped by the fortress of Rocca del Cerruglio, and offers a great view of the surrounding vineyards. At Montecarlo, you must taste the local wines, some of Tuscany’s best, famous for their use of a high proportion of French grape varieties.
The costal resort of Viareggio and the ‘Versilian Riviera’ are also a short distance from Lucca. The coastal strip from Forte dei Marmi to Torre del Lago Puccini has over 20 km of beaches with numerous bagni (bathing houses), nature reserves, woods, natural lakes and stunning countryside.
So we welcome you to sample the delights of the Lucca area, while staying at some of its finest accommodations. For more, click here (www.yourwaytotuscany.com/Lucca-Area.htm).
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