A Day in Lucca

During our short stay in Pisa, we decided to make the most of our time in the region by seeing more of the north Italian region of Tuscany. Although Pisa is located on the western fringe of the region it is very well connected to other cities across the region and the country by rail and road.

When people think about visiting Tuscan towns and cities, it is usually the likes of Florence, Pisa or Sienna that spring to mind. Whilst all of these are incredibly beautiful and must-visits, we decided to spend our day in a more off-the-beaten-path location – lovely Lucca.

Travelling north east from Pisa, we soon arrived at our destination – a city so well preserved, encircled by intact Renaissance-era city walls and punctuated by charming piazzas, that it almost feels like you are stepping back in time. Pretty as a picture, Lucca soon revealed itself to be much more than a colourful postcard city – and here is how I spent a day in Lucca.

Some thirty minutes after we left Pisa, we arrived in lovely Lucca. We made our way from the station, to the town, passing through the impressive Renaissance-era city walls, which still remain intact today. We proceeded to walk via the Baluardo S. Colombano and made our way around St Martin’s cathedral to the Piazza Giovanni.

We passed the Chiesa di San Giovanni and along the Via Fillungo to the Ampitheatre (Piazza dell’Anfiteatro), one of the most iconic of Lucca’s sights. Originally built as a centre for entertainment, including spectacles and gladiator games, the amphitheatre of Lucca was a huge structure which could hold almost ten thousand spectators. Today, the elliptical-shaped plaza, surrounded by medieval houses in all sorts of orangey-yellow hues, remains, and still acts as the centre of town life.

After we had taken in the sights in and around the amphitheatre, and people watched for a short while, we headed off to do a spot of window gazing in the nearby shops. As always I couldn’t resist a souvenir, and came away with a little model of a turquoise Vespa (it is right in front of me on my window sill as I am typing this..)

Leaving the shops and the amphitheatre behind, we passed by the church of San Pietro Somaldi and soon found ourselves on the Via del Fosso which runs alongside a small canal. This was one of the most ‘real’ Italian scenes, with banners of washed clothes hanging from window to window, little old ladies ambling up the pavements and people whizzing by on their Vespa scooters.

A walk of several hundred metres brought us to the Via Santa Croce which turned back towards the town centre. It was getting close to lunch-time so once again the hunt for a suitable eatery was on, as we took in all of the sights and sounds of this old town. Past the Piazza Bernardini, across the Via Fillungo and along the Via Roma to the grand Piazza San Michele.

Another photo opportunity and a quick trip inside the church was followed by a short walk along the Via San Paolinato to see the statue of Puccini. It was at this point that the serious business of finding somewhere to have lunch raised its head, as stomachs were complaining.

As luck would have it we stumbled across a small restaurant Pizzeria Rusticanella on the Via S. Paulino 32) which was just about to open and offered a reasonably priced lunchtime menu. There was enough choice for everyone and at 13 euros for two-courses we settled ourselves in and enjoyed what proved to be a very tasty and satisfying meal. We gorged on rabbit ragu with freshly made pasta, followed by veal, but of course the real highlight was the gelato dessert – nothing beats real Italian gelato!!

Once we had finished gorging ourselves on delicious carbohydrates, we finished our tour of Lucca with a trip to the church of San Romano, the Ducal Palace and the Piazza Napoleone before exiting the town through the Porto San Pietro.

From there it was but a short walk back to the station where our train was awaiting us. Once we arrived back in Pisa there was still time for a little more exploration and a chance for a final look at the wonderful leaning tower.