Lucca (and surroundings)

Our friends Russ and Rob from NYC came to Europe this summer to visit and after much back and forth planning we agreed to situate ourselves in Lucca for our week in Tuscany.

Mel and I had visited Lucca a couple of times previously as some friends have a family home nearby in Tereglio. More on that below.

For this trip we rented an apartment from a private party via:

www.holidaylettings.co.uk (we have also done this for another trip via

www.vrbo.com).

Both of these sites have worked fine for us and this was no exception. We wanted our own kitchen, some outdoor space, and charm and we got all of this. What we didn't get was air-conditioning - normally not a big deal - but July in Lucca turned out to be much hotter than expected.

We managed to do most of our excursions by train and bike with exception of Tereglio which is 45 mins north of Lucca and is best visited by car.

Top things to do in Lucca and the surrounding area:

1. Enjoy the ambiance of the town, meander the streets, find charming lunch or dinner spots

2. Walk (or bike) the 4 km fortress wall which surrounds the entire town early in the day or at sundown as the locals do

3. Florence day trip which is about an hour train ride (but only if you want a big city experience during your holiday)

4. Cinque Terra day trip (more below) if you like a good hike and amazing cliff side views of the Mediterranean Sea

5. Viareggio or Torre del Lago beach about 20 mins by train

6. Rent bikes and take the established paths alongside the Serchio River (outside of the north gate of Lucca) up into the surrounding hills to have a meal and visit some amazing historical villas (Villa Reale has amazing gardens)

Villa Reale

7. Climb the tower in Lucca at the Palazzo Guinigi where trees have taken root on top and where you will have a panoramic view of Lucca and the surrounding countryside

8. If you rent a car, visit Tereglio, where our friends have a family home. This town is located on top of a mountain ridge and is one of the most peaceful places I know (from here you can hike in the Garfagnana)

Restaurants

It is pretty much common knowledge that food in Italy is one of the main reasons to visit. One can be almost guaranteed a great meal anywhere you go. For this reason, I won't list every restaurant we visited since you'll make your own discoveries. Here are a few to get you started:

1. Da Leo (Lucca) is a family style trattoria with very special (and brightly lit) ambiance. If possible get a table outside but if not, it is still worth eating here for all the Tuscan standards.

2. Erasmus Trattoria (Ponte a Moriano) about 7 miles north of Lucca is this small town and as you leave the town you will see the restaurant near the bridge. Here you also have standard Tuscan options and in summer a great courtyard in which to eat. We biked here from Lucca. (photo at left is what you can expect)

3. Da Michele (Tereglio) is a nice 1km walk from the town center where you will have typical food (fried porcini mushrooms when in season!)

Cinque Terra

Rick Steeves, the well known travel writer from the US, has made this place even more famous than it already was and consequently it is a popular destination for US visitors. Perhaps the economy in the US held tourists back (or maybe it was the logic of not wanting to hike hot trails in mid-July) but we saw few Americans on the trails.

The special attribute of this area is the five towns perched on cliffs, joined together by a train and by hiking paths. It can be hiked from north to south in a day but we chose to start at the second to last town in on the Northern end called Vernazza and we hiked to the second to last town on the southern end where we took a ferry to the last town and rejoined the train back to Lucca from there. This area is actually part of the Liguria region (not in Tuscany) but can be reached in about 1.5 hours from Lucca.

Upon reaching Vernazza train station, simply walk downhill until you've almost reached the water. The hiking trail will be off to the left up some stairs. Ask if you can't find it as it is not well-marked. Once you get started it is pretty straightforward and at times challenging. Ideally, take the time to have a swim in one or more of the towns, have a lunch overlooking the sea and enjoy the serenity, views and relaxation. In my opinion, this is a MUST DO especially if you enjoy a good long (4-5 hours) hike.

Mykonos

Finally, I've made it to Greece and have spent a relaxing week on the island of Mykonos, a short 25 minute flight from Athens. Mykonos is well-known as a 'party' island but what I've really enjoyed here is simple relaxation. The town is very charming with lots of narrow, winding, pedestrian-only streets packed with tourist shops, high and low end jewelry shops, restaurants, bars and people. There are incredible views from nearly every place perched on the hill above the town. A selection of beaches to accommodate all tastes and lifestyles from nudist to gay, to family, to the yachting euro crowd. Here is what I would suggest as must do:

1. stroll through the main town (Hora aka Mykonos) and enjoy the late night ambiance (dinner starts at 9pm)

2. check out the various beaches..

• Aghios Stosis on the north (quiet, few amenities but gorgeous setting and Kiki's restaurant nearby-see below)

• Elia (mixed gay/straight crowd, umbrellas and lounge chairs for rent and restaurant on the beach)

• Paradise (mixed crowed, pebbly beach, loads of beach clubs and amenities and pretty crowded)

• Super Paradise (beautiful cove setting, peaceful but with amenities like lounge chairs and umbrellas and lunch)

3. Kiki's restaurant: no sign, no advertising, run by a Swede/Greek couple above Aghios Stosis beach

4. Pub crawl evening: Kastro Bar, Montparnasse piano bar, Lola's, Jackie O's

5. Sunset cocktails: at your own hotel, at the Kastro Bar in the Little Venice section of the town and at the Elysium Hotel

6. Greek food: feta cheese, fresh tomatoes, seafood, fried zucchini with tzatziki sauce, black-eyed peas, fava beans

7. Island hopping via boat: if you're with friends you might want to charter a boat to visit Parros or other nearby islands, taking you well off the beaten trail (take dramamine along...the Aegean Sea can get rough as we discovered)

Hotel

Hermes Hotel is perched on a hill overlooking the town and a 5 minute walk down hill (10 mins uphill) to town. 20 steps away is a place to rent scooters or 4-wheel all-terrain vehicles if you want that or simply walk to town or take the bus to the beaches. Mel and I stayed 2 nights at this family run hotel which was very welcoming, clean and probably a 3 star in terms of amenities. Great buffet breakfast included, nice pool with views of the harbor. Definitely not chic but convenient and friendly. The rest of our trip we stayed with friends in a villa they rented on the south side of town.

Restaurants

Mykonos is a late-night destination which means all meals are delayed 2 to 3 hours later than what most people are used to. Lunch is common around 3pm, dinner at 10pm. Try making dinner reservations earlier than 9pm and you will definitely find yourself alone in the restaurant or possibly even refused.

Also, take note that seafood (apart from octopus and calamari) is very expensive as are alcholic beverages: e.g. beers usually 9 euros, cocktails 10-15 euros. Greek house wine is usually available by the carafe and is not expensive and is perfectly fine.

Matsuhisa, at the Belvedere Hotel is a spin-off of the Nobu dynasty where you will find great cocktails, uber-chic scene, and Japanese food prepared in the way for which Nobu has become famous around the world. Here you will spend big bucks (15 euros for a cocktail!.) I made Mel pay for the meal so I wouldn't have to look at the bill. Nevertheless, for people watching and taste of the fabulous life this is where you want to be. p.s. the ginger cocktail is addictive.

Nammos is on Psarrou Beach about 20 minutes from town. For amazing food, ambiance and service the eight of us agreed this place scored a 10. Also not inexpensive, but the quality/price ratio made sense. If you are eating fish you go pick from the ice chest which one you want and they cook it on the grill. They will sort you out with starters so you get a taste of various local dishes.

Kiki's is just above Aghios Stosis beach, tucked away with no sign. There is very little in this isolated part of the island so eventually you will find this restaurant - just look for a row of parked cars as you approach the beach. The food is simply prepared on the grill and a selection of local starters which you can choose by looking at a display in the kitchen. The restaurant has 10-15 tables perched on a deck overlooking the bay down below and is shaded by a tree canopy. Inexpensive and well worth the 25 minutes drive.

Maria's Traditional Restaurant is just behind the Delos Hotel in Mykonos town and serves Greek standards at very low prices. Here you can get grilled octupus and sardines, Greek salada with Feta, other typical cheeses prepared in different ways, pizza and pasta. I could eat here everyday.

Katrin was on the 'recommended' list we received from a friend-of-a-friend and it is, indeed, very charming, located in the old town hidden away in the labyrinth of streets. They have a very sophisticated French/Greek menu and we enjoyed part of our meal by candlelight as the power in the town crashed for 2 hours during our meal. The staff just kept right on going as if it happens all the time (which it apparently does). The only word of caution: prices are steep. On par or even more than our meal at Matsuhisa (see above).

Joanna's Nico's Taverna (not to be confused with Nico's Taverna - see below) Brian, Patrick and I hiked down from our villa to the town beach situated to the right of the famous 6 windmills if you are looking from the sea. This restaurant is literally right on the beach just steps from the town and is a typical Greek taverna which means grilled meats, seafood like octopus and calamari, greek salad, and meze platters...all at very low prices. Really nice for lunch due to it's location on the beach.

Nico's Taverna is located in the town center just behind the small marina and is one of the long-standing well-known establishments in Mykonos. Here they serve up all the Greek standards and specialize in seafood which you select from the ice-chest or the waiter will pick it out for you and bring it to the table for your approval before it is cooked. For a lively (LIVELY) people watching scene, this is worth checking out as their tables are spread throughout the outdoor plaza in front of the restaurant.