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:
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 vis
ited since you'll make your own discoveries. Here are a few to get you started:
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 vis
ited 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.
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